* Let’s build the Hô Chi Minh road *

One of the aims of our trip is to actively contribute the development of the country, and to do it in a concrete way. The Hô Chi minh road is the perfect task for us: during one week we’ll live in the countryside, in a region inhabited by ethnic minorities, we’ll work with common workers, contributing to break the isolation of the peasants and workers of this region.

* From Ha Noï to Da Nang by train *

We left Ha Noï on Saturday evening, by train. Moving with a group of 92 people to the station, getting in and out the train with luggage and boxes of materials, turned the stations into kind of a mess. The travel itself lasted about 11 hours, and was comfortable: we were in a train with air conditioning, comfortable seats and windows. Some people in the group explained to us their experiences of trains in other Third World countries, especially in India, were the trains they took were deadly slow, noisy and hot. Another good point was that it was forbidden to smoke in the wagons, except in the space between two wagons, where you could also get an idea of what Indian trains were like ...

For the rest the atmosphere is great, people of our group are going around, chatting and playing cards: even a tournament of “wist” (cards game) has been organised. As we were split into several wagons we could also enjoy more of the company of fellow Vietnamese travellers, and in amongst them, were a group of university teachers. Someone even met and interviewed the trade union delegate of an Unilever factory in Viet Nâm.

* Through the country side and into the moutains *

On our arrival in Da Nang we were warmly welcomed. People were waiting for us with a banner thanking the “European volunteers”, flowers were given and even a TV crew was there for us. After a meal (delicious like always) and a briefing we were split into two groups: the brigade 1 and 3 went to one place where they would be staying in tents, while the 2nd brigade (*) went at an other place to stay in a school.

We travelled to the working place in small vans, the driver playing a tape of 80’s new-wave musice, like Spandau Ballet and such, really quite funny (i kinda liked it!). We enjoyed our last minutes of air conditionning, as much as we enjoyed the great landscape of the moutains and fields all around. From the city until the village, all the roads were tarmac which surprised us. Another surprising thing was the huge amount of collective buildings we saw from the window, like high schools, hospitals, village halls and other official buildings. There were also lot of war cemetries with monuments dedicated to those who died fighting against the agressor in the region.

* Accomodation *

We finally arrived at the primary school where we woulb be staying for the week. It’s quite big, with class rooms, some dormitories, kitchen, dining room, play yard and places to wash ourselves. There’re cows, hens, roosters and dogs hanging out in the field at the back of the main building. We were given two class room to sleep in, one for the boys, and the other (you already have guessed) for the girls. It’s quite small and when we’ve laid out our matresses and bags the room is totally filled. We hang up our mosquito nets along ropes hung across the room: we really have to prevent risks of malaria.

We were given all equipment we needed: small matresses, mosquito nets, shirts and hats of the volunteers, working masks and gloves and some buckets to wash ourselves. We’ve electricity and containers of drinkable water. A couple of people are taking care of us: Tra, the guide who has been with us from the beginning, An, a nurse and a few local people who’ll prepare our food. In the other class rooms, trainning is being given to local teachers. There are about 50 and they arrive early in the morning. They’re all quite young (the population of Viet Nâm is really young, and they look even younger to our Western eyes), they are smartly dressed, despite the warmth. They are quite surprised to see us, like everybody in this area where almost no western people have ever been.

* Wake up! Wake up! *

After a good night of sleep, we got woken up quite early because of the sun (there’re no curtains here) and because of the speakers playing the radio from 5:30am to 6:30. That kind of ‘public radio alarm clock’ is quite common in Viet Nâm: they broadcast local or national news several times a day, and also the national campains. At the moment, one of the campain is asking people to have only two children to prevent over-population. The main problem with that objective is that Asian people have a millenary long tradition of patriarchy, and everybody wants at least one boy, and will make children as long as they don’t have one. The current campain explains that a girl worth as much as a boy. As we are close to the Equator line, days are short and Vietnamese people want to benefit from sunlight as much as possible. When we get out, the all village is already working and going around doing all kind of stuffs.

* What are we gonna do? *

After the breakfast (noodle soup, like usual) we got our first briefing about the work we gonna provide. Four people are there to provide the briefing and answer our questions: Hin, responsible for this part of the road, Bo, responsible for the technological issues, Tuam, organisator of the workers teams and Hoang who cares for accomodation and daily life issues. We’re told we’ll be divided in two groups, working on places distant from about 2km. Some people will stay at the school to help the kitchen crew. Nobody here but the nurse and the guide speaks English, so we’ll have to practise body language, the only true international language! We’ll start early in the morning, have a long break for the lunch when it’s too warm, then work quite late in the afternoon. We’re told that nobody will judge our work and that health is the priority: we have to save a bit of energy everyday for the next day.

* Hô Chi Minh road ‘FAQs’ (Frequently Asked Questions) *

After we got all the needed information about our work here, we take the opportunity to ask all our questions about the road itself, which the responsibles will fully answer.

* From Hô Chi Minh trail to Hô Chi Minh road, from war to develloppement *

The goal of the Hô Chi Minh road is to make a second communication axis from the North to the South of the country, in order to break the isolation of rural regions and improve communication and economy. The existing road, the ‘Road Nr.1’, going from North to South along the sea is often flooded. The part we’re working on is the middle of the country, where the flood happen most often and is supposed to be finished end 2002 or beginning of 2003, in order to give an alternative when the road Nr.1 is under water. This part will be 500km long, while the all road will be 1700km. The Hô Chi Minh trail was actually a complicated network of paths, trails and road, desinged by the Viet Minh resistance to supply the fighters of the South Viet Nâm with food, weapons, ammunitions and material. As the road Nr.1 was control by the US army, all those things were carried by bike, on the back, or sometimes by trucks. The trail have been bombed and destroyed thousands of times, but every time rebuilded by the local population. The decision of changing this trails network into a real road have been done by the government on the 25th anniversary of the end of the war, which is a really strong symbol and a clear message to the USA: Viet Nâm want to devellop it’s economy, but have never forgot the terrible agressions of the imperialists countries and will defend it’s independence.

* Who’s building that road? *

We’re one of the only international volunteers brigade who will works on the road. There’re three kind of workers occupied with the road, their amount changes depending on currents tasks. They’re skilled workers who have to take care of specific issues, then local workers, and finally workers coming from other regions. The workers coming from other regions are volunteers: they’re paid a bit more because the working conditions are harder in the mountains, but mostly they’ve done a political choice to come and work here for a while. It’s quite usual in Viet Nâm, like teachers going around to give class to children whom family are isolated in the mountains, when it’s impossible to start up a local school because everybody is living too far from eachother. The workers coming from other regions lives in tents or huts, they’ve some facilities like television and meal prepared for them. The average salary is 900.000 dongs (a bit more than 60euros), it’s a fix amount, contrary to main factories where salary depend on the individual production and the benefits of the company.

* How does the ethnical minorities react ? *

Ethnical minorities are a major issue for the Vietnamese government, we already have noticed that in Ha Noï where we were staying in a state hôtel called “Ethnic Minorities Guest House” which the workers were all from different ethnical minorities from different region, mostly mountainous regions. Ethnic minorities have different languages, traditions and habits that have to be respected. But most of all, mopst of them are living in isolated mountainous area and need special economical conditions. In Western medias the Hô Chi Minh road have been heavily criticized and accused of destroying the environement and going against the will of ethnic minorities. It’s quite funny to hear the US talking about environement in Viet Nâm after they’ve thrown 72.000.000 liters of toxic chemical ( ‘Agent Orange’ and such) to destroy the nature during the war ... On the issue of the ethnic minorities who could be against the road, our hosts just laugh. they are quite surprised by that question. Up to now the people of ethnic minorities had to go through the mountain to go and sell their products to closest cities. In a few months they’ll be able to move much more easily.

Oki, this is all quite theoretical, from this afternoon we’ll experience (and enjoy) the practical part ... I guees we’ll learn a lot from it ... Serve the people!

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# Tip of the day:
The coffees we can order in local bars are pretty good. They’re small, strong but quite sweet. You (may) drink it with sugar, milk and ice, then it taste a bit like moka ice-cream. Yummy!

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Notes:
(*) The group of our travel divided in 9 ‘living groups’. The living group is the unity where people have to look and care after each other (for example check everyone is in the buses when we leave). It’s also the democratic unit where all the problems and the good experiences will be discussed. Every work brigade is formed by 3 living group. They’re named ‘brigade’ after the international brigade who’ve been fighting in solidarity with the Spanish republic in the 30’s)