Despite The Cold, It Was A Warm Experience

Although some may dislike the added stress of having fieldwork research on the trip, I personally feel that our fieldwork gave us many opportunities to interact with the locals which had been critical in helping us immerse in the Vietnamese culture and learn more about the locals’ way of life and frames of mind, beyond what is needed for our research paper. The fieldwork prompted me to be a keener observer, to take initiative in talking to locals, to remain open-minded and empathise with them, all of which added a layer of meaning to the Vietnamese landscape for me.

Husbands preparing food at home in SaPa

In Lao Cai, most street peddlers are female – a sight I would have taken for granted if not for this fieldwork. We later learnt that street peddling was perceived as a woman’s job because it would be inappropriate for men to be friendly to female customers. During the trek, we talked to LyLo-May, our tour guide, and learnt about the “lazy men” and that women were usually breadwinners. Afterward, we started to notice husbands preparing food and washing clothes at home in the villages, another sight we would have otherwise overlooked.

Interview with Professor Hoang Quy

Our fieldwork consisted of interviews and focus group discussions. We interviewed Hanoi University students – most felt an absence of gender roles today. However, an interview with Professor Hoang Quy revealed the presence of entrenched beliefs in gender roles amongst some city dwellers. In SaPa, interviews and focus group discussions with tour guides revealed that some tribes have strong beliefs in gender roles due to gender inequality with men of higher statuses. Hence, women often had to labour harder.

Before the trip, I hypothesised typical perceptions of gender roles: city dwellers regarding gender roles to be less relevant and rural dwellers having entrenched perceptions of gender roles. The situation was largely aligned with my hypothesis, however the actual experiences embodied a sense of personal touch as we learnt about our interviewee’s personal lives and real life hardships. I saw in their wistful smiles the unfairness the tribeswomen felt, and also how they wanted to engender changes in their generation – LyLo-May advocated against the matchmaking culture and taught her son to be involved in domestic work, while another tour guide wanted to prove to her tribe that women could work in cities like men. They were more exposed to modern thinking and their courage to rise above tradition astonished me.

A selfie with LyLo-May

Before the trip, I hypothesised typical perceptions of gender roles: city dwellers regarding gender roles to be less relevant and rural dwellers having entrenched perceptions of gender roles. The situation was largely aligned with my hypothesis, however the actual experiences embodied a sense of personal touch as we learnt about our interviewee’s personal lives and real life hardships. I saw in their wistful smiles the unfairness the tribeswomen felt, and also how they wanted to engender changes in their generation – LyLo-May advocated against the matchmaking culture and taught her son to be involved in domestic work, while another tour guide wanted to prove to her tribe that women could work in cities like men. They were more exposed to modern thinking and their courage to rise above tradition astonished me.

Though an insightful trip, I could have done some things differently to achieve even greater takeaways. In my pre-trip reflections, I set personal goals which guided my behaviour and attitude throughout the trip. In a different social and cultural setting, it is easy to detach and identify yourself as tourists without stakes in a foreign country. However, my reflections constantly reminded me not to place myself on a higher ‘tourist pedestal’. Though not much, I attempted to treat locals that served us with genuine respect and courtesy as I would back at home, regarding them as fellow global citizens, even amidst petty bargaining and despite having leverage as customers.

My other goals were to be present and to be an observer, so as to better understand the Vietnamese culture. My reflections nudged at me and the times where I was not photographing, I attempted to be a quiet observer, taking in the activities of the locals in the villages: husbands hanging clothes, a mother doing handicrafts with her daughter, boys carving wooden tops. However, I felt conflicted as I wanted to immortalise these memories into photographs and have fun as students on a school trip yet it seemed like the wrong priorities. On hindsight, a balance was needed instead. I overdid it at the expense of being present – I was photographing every 5 minutes, which led to missed opportunities where I could have gotten to know LyLo-May better – her culture, hardships, joys – or simply made her feel included on the long trek with us, foreigners. Additionally, I should have been a keener observer during the homestay. Living under a local’s roof was the best chance to observe but we did not engage much with the family due to language barriers and instead had our own fun.

The trek and homestay were most impactful to me. I have always liked nature but the trek was made meaningful because of our guide who shared with us the various villages’ cultures. The homestay, too, was a unique traditional experience for me, a millennial city dweller. I appreciated the rustic feels – the stone floors, the dimly lit kitchen, the fire stoves instead of gas stoves, the home-cooked food that included the best spring rolls, the warm herbal baths in the cold specially prepared by the hosts, the fireplace that warmed us throughout the night. That one day was when I felt most able to immerse in the SaPa culture. However, it would have been made better if we had at least a full day at the homestay so that we could tag along with the hosts to observe their daily routines. Imagine setting off to work in the fields at dawn, picking firewood, cooking for the family, cleaning the house – it would certainly be eye-opening!

A rustic kitchen in our homestay house

Our OTOT may have been included for leisure, but it was crucial in our immersion in Vietnam as it allowed students to independently explore the area, satisfying their own curiosity and interests. In Lao Cai, I noticed that motorbikes were common and the traffic condition was relatively safe. Thus, 3 other students and I decided to get the hotel reception to book local “motorbike taxis” so we could tour around Lao Cai. It was truly an experience I will remember for many years to come: going down the roads with wind in our faces. We went to places where the locals congregated (e.g. the local market), to places not easily accessible by foot, saw things from the eyes of a local.

Despite the cold, the trip was a warm experience.

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