Viet Nam 2008 - A Wedding and Family Visit
My wife and I planned a visit to Viet Nam back in January 2008, to surprise not only her family but her cousin that was going to get married at the end of May. Only 1 cousin in Viet Nam knew we were coming.
We arrived in Viet Nam May 23 at 10pm and took a taxi to her Uncles house in Saigon. We called him from the cab to make sure he was up. My wife told him that she would call back in a few minutes when "she got home from work".
We got to the house and when he opened the door expecting to find someone besides us, his mouth dropped to the ground with excitment. My wifes parents were also staying at the house from Hue for this wedding. We went upstairs to greet everyone from Hue and tears of joy flowed from everyone, mainly her mom.
The next morning, while everyone was still upstairs talking (all night) I was on level 1 sitting and watched as her aunt pulled up on a motorbike (she's a nurse and worked all night). She looked in the home and back out to the street taking off her gloves and then back inside. She jumped off her bike running in the house and pinched my cheek, slapped my face and gave me a big hug. Then asked where my wife was. Of course, not knowing any Vietnamese, all I said was America.
then she repeated her question and I pointed upstairs and she sprinted up those steps.
The first night at there I slept at the house, on the floor with a fan. It was probably in the 90's all night. The next day I took my first cold shower (DogDots keeps asking me about them). I'm not use to cold water in the morning and IT did take some time to get use to. I was taking about 2 to 3 showers a day because of the heat. We got dressed and took an hour ride (in taxis) to a pre-wedding. Again we surprised the bride and groom. We were wedding crashers.
The pre-wedding was for the Bride and Grooms friends from work. It had a 5 course meal which I ate about 3 courses, due to I have no idea what I was eating half the time and I didn't want to spend another 2 hours with having the urge to visit a restroom on the trip out to the country home.
We sat with a couple from England that work for Osprey Backpacks. The Groom works for this company. The wedding ceremony was quite interesting / different. It had an MC instead of a Minister. While the couple and their parents gathered in chairs at one end of the room the MC announced the parents to the front stage. On each side where 4 females and 2 gentleman at the stage holding candles. When the Bride and Groom were announced they came up carrying sparklers, which the Bride dropped hers on the floor of the stage. Then firecrackers were lit and a BOOM was heard with confetti spouting out on them. Then more announcements with more confetti and rings were exchanged followed by more confetti and it was time to eat while the happy couple went from table to table toasting.
The guys doing the video and photos annoyed me a little. They seemed to like the BRIGHT light on the video camera more so than the flash from the film nikon. Which made their faces "shiney" and not so natural. When everyone was done eating, they had to have their picture taken with tbe bride and groom before leaving. After just a few photos, the photographer was waiting a minute or 2 before taking the next picture. I knew the problem and just so happened to have 4 spare double A batteries. I know to take spare batteries for my flash, maybe he'll learn from this wedding to do the same. :thumb I got a big smile when I gave him the batteries, which he stuck in backwards the first time and it produced a frown from him. :huh
After the wedding, we took a van for another 2 hour ride out to the Brides parents home for the actual wedding the next day. I rode 2 hours in the front seat with the driver, an uncle and his 6 year old sweaty kid with windows down. I was HOT. We got to the house and I realized I had left my Richard Petty Driving Experience hat at the hall.
I took another cold shower which actaully felt pretty good at this point in time and found my room with it's wood bed. Turned the fan on high and fell to sleep, waking up everytime I rolled over.
Below are a few of the pictures from this point of the trip.
To be continued....
1) One of my wifes cousins asked if I would bring him a Mercedes Benz. So, I did.
2) At the Wedding party of the Bride and Grooms friends from work. In relation to the Bride: ??, Sister, Uncle, Father-in-law, Father of the Bride.
3) Bride and Groom standing outside to meet the guests.
4) Seated and ready for the MC to announce them to walk to the stage
5) The MC getting ready.
6) Announced and looking pretty
7) OOOH Confetti.
8) Friends from the work places.
9) Exchange of rings
10) Mot, Hai, Ba, Bon (or whatever) TOAST
11) The 5 or 6 Course meal. The passing of the shrimp on a stick. Have no reason why, but the folks at the table kept passing.
We arrived in Viet Nam May 23 at 10pm and took a taxi to her Uncles house in Saigon. We called him from the cab to make sure he was up. My wife told him that she would call back in a few minutes when "she got home from work".
We got to the house and when he opened the door expecting to find someone besides us, his mouth dropped to the ground with excitment. My wifes parents were also staying at the house from Hue for this wedding. We went upstairs to greet everyone from Hue and tears of joy flowed from everyone, mainly her mom.
The next morning, while everyone was still upstairs talking (all night) I was on level 1 sitting and watched as her aunt pulled up on a motorbike (she's a nurse and worked all night). She looked in the home and back out to the street taking off her gloves and then back inside. She jumped off her bike running in the house and pinched my cheek, slapped my face and gave me a big hug. Then asked where my wife was. Of course, not knowing any Vietnamese, all I said was America.
then she repeated her question and I pointed upstairs and she sprinted up those steps.The first night at there I slept at the house, on the floor with a fan. It was probably in the 90's all night. The next day I took my first cold shower (DogDots keeps asking me about them). I'm not use to cold water in the morning and IT did take some time to get use to. I was taking about 2 to 3 showers a day because of the heat. We got dressed and took an hour ride (in taxis) to a pre-wedding. Again we surprised the bride and groom. We were wedding crashers.
The pre-wedding was for the Bride and Grooms friends from work. It had a 5 course meal which I ate about 3 courses, due to I have no idea what I was eating half the time and I didn't want to spend another 2 hours with having the urge to visit a restroom on the trip out to the country home.
We sat with a couple from England that work for Osprey Backpacks. The Groom works for this company. The wedding ceremony was quite interesting / different. It had an MC instead of a Minister. While the couple and their parents gathered in chairs at one end of the room the MC announced the parents to the front stage. On each side where 4 females and 2 gentleman at the stage holding candles. When the Bride and Groom were announced they came up carrying sparklers, which the Bride dropped hers on the floor of the stage. Then firecrackers were lit and a BOOM was heard with confetti spouting out on them. Then more announcements with more confetti and rings were exchanged followed by more confetti and it was time to eat while the happy couple went from table to table toasting.
The guys doing the video and photos annoyed me a little. They seemed to like the BRIGHT light on the video camera more so than the flash from the film nikon. Which made their faces "shiney" and not so natural. When everyone was done eating, they had to have their picture taken with tbe bride and groom before leaving. After just a few photos, the photographer was waiting a minute or 2 before taking the next picture. I knew the problem and just so happened to have 4 spare double A batteries. I know to take spare batteries for my flash, maybe he'll learn from this wedding to do the same. :thumb I got a big smile when I gave him the batteries, which he stuck in backwards the first time and it produced a frown from him. :huh
After the wedding, we took a van for another 2 hour ride out to the Brides parents home for the actual wedding the next day. I rode 2 hours in the front seat with the driver, an uncle and his 6 year old sweaty kid with windows down. I was HOT. We got to the house and I realized I had left my Richard Petty Driving Experience hat at the hall.
I took another cold shower which actaully felt pretty good at this point in time and found my room with it's wood bed. Turned the fan on high and fell to sleep, waking up everytime I rolled over.Below are a few of the pictures from this point of the trip.
To be continued....
1) One of my wifes cousins asked if I would bring him a Mercedes Benz. So, I did.
2) At the Wedding party of the Bride and Grooms friends from work. In relation to the Bride: ??, Sister, Uncle, Father-in-law, Father of the Bride.
3) Bride and Groom standing outside to meet the guests.
4) Seated and ready for the MC to announce them to walk to the stage
5) The MC getting ready.
6) Announced and looking pretty
7) OOOH Confetti.
8) Friends from the work places.
9) Exchange of rings
10) Mot, Hai, Ba, Bon (or whatever) TOAST
11) The 5 or 6 Course meal. The passing of the shrimp on a stick. Have no reason why, but the folks at the table kept passing.
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Comments
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
Looks like you survived the cold showers....what a shock to the system when that water hits the body. Bet your enjoying your hot showers, air conditioner...and your own bed.
The brides wedding dress is just beautiful. Did she make it or did Mom make it? Over here I would think that dress would be expensive. I wonder how much it costs over there. That was a question for your wife
You have me courious now about the passing of the shrimp......
Looks like everyone was having fun. Can't wait to see more photos...any hand photos
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Can't wait to see more.
Cuong
I am kinda surprised that the bride and groom aren't in Ao Dais, but in a more western attire!
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The morning was spent getting ready for the wedding. The 2 guys showed up that would do the make-up and hair of the bride and anyone else that wanted to have something done. While the parents and others sat on the front porch chatting about life.
Still with all the getting ready, there was time to eat breakfast. And what a meal it was. All sat on the floor with bowls and chopsticks in hand. Rice soup, vegatables and more was sitting just an arms length away. After the meal, and the pain of my legs falling asleep, the dishes were picked up and someone wiped off the floor.
The same group that put together the show from last night was busy setting out for today. The tent was setup on the road next to the house. A truck pulled up and dishes, pots and pans were setup for the meal and the courses were prepared, while tables were set. Everything was going as planned.
A van was heard coming down the road but it stopped at a different home. The 2 cute little girls run down the road to greet them. The Grooms side as been seened. They gathered single file with their red containers in hand and walked down the road. The Father leading the way; they stopped and the Father and one other entered the home to "talk" with someone at this house to make sure the wedding was going to take place.
When the brides side says that it is okay for the wedding to take place. The Red boxes changed hands to the Brides side and are placed on the table between the 2 men. I don't believe the camera man usually helps with this but would more likely want to film it... but then again
While this is taking place, the Bride and a friend and family wait for their time to enter.
To be continued....
1) My wonderfully soft bed with my fan pointed at my head. Note the toilet paper nearby. Towards evening my bed became my computer desk with the stool as my comfy chair.
2) The new home with the old home next to it.
3) Painting the face.
4) Chatting on the front porch about the past, present and future or something else....
5) Yummmmmm... breakfast.
6) Run and Greetz
7) The table
8) We come in peace bringing treasured fitgs!
9) My son would like to marry the daughter, can he?
10) "Put that one there, now that one goes over there..."
11) Three lovely's
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Your bed looks....short
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Must be the angle of the photo. If I put my head on the pillow, my feet landed just at the end of the mat on the bed.
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Good
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Formal/Traditional wedding - Exchange of rings
Putting on the earings by the mother-in-law
Um... careful over there don't stick the earing...... "OUCH!"
Our we married yet?
Take my picture with me and my son. Yeah... I had a 70-300 lens, I'd have to stand in the next town to get both of them together.
Do you think it was hot?
Awww shucks!
Is it over yet?
oooh they have cake!
And leaves and stuff
An Uncle to the bride with his family.
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I enjoyed these....a step into the culture of somewhere far away.
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Be confused some more... there's still another wedding dress for you to see
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Another dress...what color is it?
Wait.....Women aren't good at that
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I've never seen a traditional Vietnamese wedding outfit before, and I guess the second, red and white outfit is just that. Unless wedding outfit number 3 turns out to prove me wrong...?
. I have no idea what is going on there, but it looks cool.
Delayed Write Failed.
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Oh no :cry
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Then the time came for another wedding as the day before. They were announced, confetti blew all over the place, rings exchanged and cake was cut. They then went from table to table again and got their picture taken and toasted. I however wasn’t there the entire time. I decided to take a few pictures from outside the tent and then headed for the house to the room that I slept in to place myself in front of a fan. From the window I took a few photos of the 2 at their wedding. It was a little hard especially with Bin (a 6 year old boy) jumping over me and wanting to see what I was doing. But I did get some photos, but not too happy with the way they turned out.
After the third ceremony, it was time to eat. It was another 6 course meal. Not too sure what all was served. I ate wild hog, rice and some other safe things. They brought out a burner to the table and put a bowl on top of it. The lid was moving. I must of made a look that was “EH” and an Aunt removed the lid to show me. It was an instant, “Nope” with a shake of the head. I got up to go to the restroom came back with my camera and started taking pictures.
I was asked to take some pictures of the Bride and Groom with friends. And I did my usual, I went from table to table and took photos of the guests. I figured it would be nice to have photos of them for the Married couple other than the “toasting” shots. Take some candid shots of people.
There was one guy that everytime I turned around he had a camera pointed at me, so I did the same.
After most of the guests left and Bin was seen with a pony tail on top of his head. WHY? The containers were gathered by the Brides side and given back to the grooms side and the “qua” left with the Bride and Groom in front leading the way. Trailing behind were the girls in there dresses. Someone mentioned back in the US that they looked like “sherbert” colors. The family stayed and talked and the Bride and Groom changed one last time and sat on the steps and we chatted.
Guests arriving
Groom in the middle with 2 friends. All 3 spoke English very well.
Getting ready for Wedding 3
Like the first... Kim Cuc and Lam... COME ON DOWN! You're the next couple to get married!
Cutting the cake. I was laying on a wood bed in the bedroom taking photos through a window with a 6year old jumping over me.
While I was eating, my wife was taking some photos from behind the photographer
Candid shots of people eating
I was sitting and eating at this table
Everywhere I turned... there he was taking my photo
Bin (6 year old boy) with ponytail.
Getting ready to leave
And there they go...
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I'm not going to ask what was in the pot cooking....I don't think I want to know
Bin sounds like he's a handful
The photo of the bride and groom sitting outside is good....your wife will have to take more photos
They didn't go on a honeymoon?
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
Not sure at that time, but one of the times, it was shrimp and they were still alive.
Quite the handful - he loves cellphones and will just take them when he sees them. He also likes computers and some game called "darkman". He was quite sure that I had the game Darkman on my laptop and he INSISTED that he got to play it. Bin actaully took my hand and placed it on the mouse. In 4 days he was a master at the word, "no no no". He also would repeat my no's.
Yeah, she did a good job. The Photographer posed the couple and while they were taking photos, she was standing behind them taking the same ones.
Most of my shots the Bride and Groom look as if they were whitewashed. BUT that's how their photographer liked it. They had the brightess light on all the time while taking photos with some Nikon Film with a mounted flash.
No. The wedding took place in the south (Bin Duong) and the Grooms parents were from Hanoi. Since they were there, the couple stayed home to visit with them and take them to different places in Saigon. Usually, as I was told, the work place would usually give 2 days off after a wedding, but Lam asked for a week.
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Looking forward to more.
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
Pics will be back soon, I PROMISE! Please don't delete me
Will take care of it after the severe t-storms and possible tornados
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Rubber Trees
Home Tours
Eye Hospital
Theme Park
Read below and click on the link for some smug video!
But till that time comes...
Meet Bin the Power Ranger. Bin is a 6 year old boy, his father is 66 while his mother is in her mid 40's. This is the Fathers first marriage (2000) and his only child. My wife and 2 other of her cousins lived in Saigon with Hoang from 1989 till around 2001.
Bin loves the show Power Rangers, but his only DVD of them has been heavily used. So much that it stops, skips and jumps. Thinking that his DVD is dirty he will take it out and clean it on any cloth that happens to be nearby, often dropping it on the tile floor as he cleans it. Basically the part he watches consists of the first 10 to 20 minutes of the movie with the opening title. He'll watch it and act it out at the same time then start it all over again. I believe I've watched it nearly 30 times while I was there and I think if I had to, I could act out the whole thing, but you'll have to pay me dearly to do. The noise maker he on his arm, we purchased at the market for him. It was a hit and he wore it to the theme park the next day. I think I remember seeing it on his arm as he went to bed our last day there.
Meet Bin.
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I'm a Nikon Girl:tuesday
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I see he does like his new toy you bought him. Bet it will keep him occupied for many mnay days
So how much to see you act the beginning of the show out
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http://www.dajatuphoto.com - Click on "Travel" then "Viet Nam 2008"
Lifetime of free pro-smugmug
On parts of the acting... he needed a second person. I won't go into details as to who helped him
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If I were rich...I'd pay up, but no such luck :cry I would love to see it.
Took a look at your photos....very good. Looks like you all had so much fun. Can't wait to see more.
www.Dogdotsphotography.com
After the wedding was over, it was time to relax and have a good time just chatting with the Groom. We sat on the front steps at the house and talked about the differences between the US and Viet Nam.
The thought of us rich Americans finally drew to an end (at least the Rich DJT and Mrs. DJT) when we mentioned our mortgage (and what that is), car loan, electric, utilities, cable/internet, house/life/car insurance, etc...
Lam had the whole DJT visiting Viet Nam MORE figured out. DJT move to Viet Nam!
Anyhow, not much occured that day after the wedding, I think everyone was tired. I couldn't wait to change out of my clothes into shorts, that is after my 2nd cold shower for the day.
The Middle School Youth Group at my Church is sponsoring Kim Anh's daughter Nhi. Kim Anh is the sister to the bride. Nhi has a lazy eye. The entire youth group wrote letters and had their pictures taken and my wife translated all the letters on the way over. We spent part of the night helping Kim Anh write a letter back to the youth group. Nhi was playing with a drink umbrella and then Bin played with it, only to have put it down and Nhi had it. Bin started crying so Nhi gave it back to him. Bin took it, tore it to pieces and threw it out the window and stompped away. Oh, no matter what country, boys are boys - I being one myself
The next day in the early morning, I walked over to our Uncles rubber tree farm. It is just across the road. I sooo wanted to catch a drip as it was falling, and I soon found out just how long it takes for a drip to fall. If I sneezed or scratched my nose; the drip would fall. If I had my camera focused on the drip it would never fall.
I went back to the house to cooll off in front of my fan and was called to grab my camera. I entered one of the rooms on the house and there on the wall was a small scorpion. You can see where the scorpion squirted (??) a tiny ant and was waiting for it's breakfast to die. I myself prefer Kellogs PopTarts rather than ants. The scorpion was next to the window bar where the netting was tied to that covered Bin (the 6 year old power ranger) while he was sleeping. The Uncle said that is the first scorpion he has seen on his property in the past 20 years. "Well... where there is a baby scorpion, a mom is sure to be close". The Uncle ran and got some chopsticks, picked the scorpion off the wall and took it outside where he grabbed a shoe and stomped on it several times.
It was a lazy day and hot as usual, so I again tempted to take a photo of a drip from the rubber tree.
Later on as I cooled in front of a fan (again), Nhi and Hoa spent time playing with a piece of wrapping paper. Those 2 girls were soo cute. They would hide behind the paper or make dresses out of it. Of course they played around me and talked with me the whole time, though I don't speak vietnamese. Nhi was the greatest. She would sit beside me and just talk and talk and laugh and giggle.
Later that night we visited Nhi's house. from the front it seemed like a nice place. To get there we went by motorbike and of couse the dumb American melted his sandle on the exhaust.
Anyhow, the house. Like all houses in Vietnam, it was narrow. The off the main room was a hallway that lead to 2 bedrooms off on the left. I didn't get pictures of them. Behind the bedrooms was the kitchen area. with a door on the far left for the restroom and another door on the right that went outside. There was a slight patio area / storage. The backyard isn't that big, she does have a few fruit trees back there. I took a picture of a small building (pig house) but was told that that is not on her propert, though it is behind their house. Property lines must be really hard to follow.
Nhi looking at the letters the kids from our Church wrote to her. She goes to Saigon soon to get a checkup on her eye, which she'll have surgery on it soon. (well... in real time, it's been done already)
Scorpion with his last meal. Too bad he didn't know it was his last meal, because he didn't eat it fast enough before being executed by a shoe.
The rubber tree farm next to the road, which is across from the house as well.
Scraping the rubber from the bowl. She is employeed by the Uncle. The Uncle makes just around 300.00 a month from selling the rubber, I believe. I'll ask the wife if this figure is correct later.
Close up of me waiting for it to drip. Never got a picture of mid drip, because the dip sneezed while it dripped or fell over while squating.
Hoa hiding behind the wrapping paper because I'm taking a picture of her.
Giggling Nhi. She's laughing at Hoa who is wearing a wrapping paper dress
The front of Kim Anh and Nhi's house
The living area, I'm standing in the front door. Kids playing with Kim Anh's computer. She purchased the computer. If my memory is correct, it had a 80gig hard drive with 128ram, cd burner and ran windows xp
Kids playing "Dark Man" or "Duck Man"
The Kitchen (restroom is off to the right)
The kitchen counter
The Patio/storage area. The backdoor to the house leads to the kitchen.
Pig house that belongs to the house next door
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I really like the photo of the person working around the rubber tree's.
I like how you have shown the living enviroment of your relatives....very interesting compairing lifestyles of two different countries.
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