SaigonSighs 24 – ‘The Rhythm of the Night.'(Dance until the morning light)- Debarge.

8 May

Saigon at dusk
This is SAP dancing the long bamboo poles are ‘clapped’ together – with considerable force in time to music, the banging together of the poles is integral to the drumming in the music. Your job is to hop and skip into and between them till you get to the end of the line. (Not easy) without getting a squashed foot/ankle. The dance originated from the North West provinces in Vietnam. There are many small ethnic groups in the north of Vietnam. the dance is ancient and popular at festivals and celebrations where it was a chance for young people to meet/ fall in love/ marry.
The location is the famous ‘Pham Gnu Lao’ a large street / road in the very centre of the city. It is the tourist centre of Saigon and has a huge central park area running the whole length of it. this is where all events take place ranging from arts and crafts displays, traditional and modern music, dancing / martial arts and aerobics, sports and games. This is the place to be on any night.
Nightingales! Vietnamese traditional singing sounds very strange to the western ear, almost like yodeling with discordant sounds that initially sound so wrong but then are right.
Traditional Classical music.
Pham Gnu Lao was a famous Vietnamese General – 1255 – 1320 who successfully defended Vietnam from two Mongol invasions. There is always a ‘Pham Gnu Lao Street/Road in all large Cities /Towns.
Beautiful AO DAI costumes topped with ‘MAN’ hats
Decorative fans used in a classical dance.
Traditional Music
Not traditional music
And relax!
And finally. It’ll look OK after a good wash and polish!
Sky News UK is constantly trumpeting Taiwan as the most successful country when it comes to controlling the Corona Virus, but it’s not, Vietnam is streets ahead. Less than 300 recorded cases and no deaths. It is, of course a Communist state so the government here can act quickly which they did, closing all borders immediately the Chinese balloon went up. Compulsory quarantining of all international entrants and an efficient testing, tracking, and tracing program. proved to be literally ‘life-saving’. Life here is rapidly returning to normal, kids are back at school as of next Monday. Most businesses, shops, coffee shops and restaurants are open, There is however a long standing tradition of wearing face masks, most people wear one on a motorbike. This migrated to check-out staff in supermarkets way before CV and I suspect is now part of accepted culture.

Love and Peace John

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