Posted on behalf of Dean Michele Cloonan
Wednesday, March 5th: Seoul to Ho Chi Minh City
I spent the day traveling to HCMC from Seoul, via Hong Kong. After checking into my hotel, I went out to dinner with two recent Simmons graduates who live in the city: Hoang Tuyet Anh and Truc Nguyen. They took me to a traditional Vietnamese restaurant in the old Hotel Rex. There was traditional music and dancing. It was great to see the two of them here, and to learn about their new jobs. This evening was a wonderful transition from Korea to Vietnam.
Thursday, March 6th
This was my first free day! I decided to go to the Fine Art Museum (Bao Tang My Thuat) and to walk to the Market and the Opera House. The Museum is in an early twentieth-century colonial mansion. The collections date from the classical period to contemporary art. Sadly, it is a very poor state of repair and it is not air-conditioned. Guards stand or sit around smoking. The windows are open. Small fans sit in the corners of some of the rooms. Everything is dusty. In short, it is a preservation nightmare. Worse yet, a number of the works of art have insect damage.
About half of the museum is devoted to 20th century art. Images of and references to war have appeared in Vietnamese art until quite recently. Such themes are a reminder that throughout Vietnam’s history the Chinese, Japanese, and French have dominated it. After Vietnam was split in two, with the Communists controlling the north, the Americans became involved in what became a nearly twenty-year conflict. Thus, Vietnam has only been unoccupied for a relatively short time. Its twentieth century artists evocatively tell Vietnam’s history.
After visiting the museum I spent the afternoon walking around the city. There is so much to take in: the colonial buildings as well as modern structures. The food markets with so many exotic fruits. Flower stalls. The hectic pace. Traditional clothing and modern dress. Bicycles, motorbikes, and cars all vying for space on the crowded streets. (It is amazing how many boxes and packages can fit on a cycle.) My favorite sighting: a woman passenger on a motorcycle holding a goldfish bowl filled with live fish while she leans against the driver.
Friday, March 7th: Away to Hue
Today I flew to Hue—which is about halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Graduation is taking place at the learning resource center on Sunday. Thus, it is the ideal place to hold the ceremony since the students come from all over the country. Hue, situated on the Perfume River, was once the capital. The Nguyen Dynasty lived there and the old imperial city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This evening I met up with Pat Oyler and Bob Stueart who had just arrived from Thailand where they had taken the Vietnamese/Simmons students on a library field trip. Now everyone was gathering in Hue for the ceremony.
The eponymous Frenchman, Monsieur Morin, opened our hotel, the Saigon Morin, in 1901. It is a lovely building, but once inside you immediately notice that all the guests are westerners. (In some parts of the country, the Vietnamese stay in separate hotels!) Most of the tourists are Australian, British, French, or German. I feel as though I’m in a Graham Greene novel. Not “The Quiet American,” which took place in Saigon, and was about love and murder. No, I’m thinking more about a general sense of intrigue. What has happened behind these walls over the past 100 years? What could still happen?
Saturday, March 8th
I meet up with Simmons alumni who have come to Hue for the graduation of our most recent students. Some of them I had met in December 2004 when Pat Oyler organized a conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Simmons Vietnamese program. Two of the alumni from Hanoi, Bin and Lan, took Bob and me around town to see the Imperial palace, the crafts, and the markets. It rained gently all day. Somehow the overcast weather seemed to enhance the colors and textures.
In the evening I ate dinner at the hotel and signed diplomas.
Sunday, March 9th: The Big Event
The graduation festivities began at 9:30 am in a brand new auditorium in the learning resource center. Bob, Pat, and I all gave brief remarks as did someone from Atlantic Philanthropies, which funded these last two groups of students. The graduation speaker was Lois Mai Chan, who was the Lazerow lecturer at Simmons two or three years ago. There was also a student speaker. Following graduation was a luncheon.
These are the facts. But facts tell so little of any story. There were the families and friends who attended. The little four-year-old who ran to the front of the room to present her mommy with flowers. Hundreds of pictures taken by dozens of photographers. (We will post photos soon.) The palpable relief of those who had just finished the program. The sadness because many of the students, who bonded while in the program, may never see each other again. The touching remarks by the student speaker who mentioned challenges students had faced: learning English, leaving family and friends behind, living in Boston. Also: eating American food, getting over car sickness, and so on. . (Because most Vietnamese own bikes and motorcycles rather than cars, some of them get car sick or “T-sick” when they come to Boston.)
I felt incredible pride in these students—for their hard work in the program—in Pat Oyler, for fifteen years of dedication to Vietnam, and to our alumni. Many of them are now library leaders in Vietnam. One has only to spend a little time over here to see what a difference that GSLIS has made to librarianship in this country.
Monday, March 10th: from Hue to HCMC to Can Tho
Pat, Bob, and I along with all the students from Can Tho spent the day traveling. First we flew from Hue to HCMC, then we took a bus from HCMC to Can Tho, which is on the Mekong Delta. The journey is about 4 hours from HCMC, and the final stretch is a ferry ride. A bridge is under construction so car and ferry or boat are the only means of transportation.
Why are we here? Can Tho university recently established an undergraduate LIS program. Bob and Pat worked on the original proposal. We are now evaluating the courses that were developed primarily by faculty in Asia. One of our alums is running the program and we are doing this to help her. Bob and I are leaving on Wednesday. Lois joins us on Tuesday and will stay on with Pat to hold a DDC workshop.