October - November 2013
Vietnam - a country extending along the Indochinese Peninsula, the shape of the letter "S" resembles a dragon, and according to others a bamboo stick with two bowls of rice at its ends. The dragon in the mythology of the Far East symbolizes power and bravery. Vietnam in its history, including the newest one, had to show power and prowess many times to resist wars and terror. The life-giving areas of the northern lowlands and the southern backwaters of the Mekong delta, like rice bowls, provide this nearly 90-million nation with prosperity and stability. For many centuries, the nation has been very much attached to its traditions, especially based on the family. Vietnam for many years of isolation lasted in lethargy. Recent years have been bringing Vietnam into the vortex of technological progress and market consumption. Will this country defend its traditions and centuries-old values against losing itself in globalization ... Time will show.
For now, traveling contemporary Vietnam from the head of the dragon, through the current capital of Hanoi, the unusually colorful and atmospheric Hoi An, boiling with energy Saigon - now the City of Ho Chi Minh to the tail of the dragon, or the Mekong delta, we see a country changing its face, but nostalgically ongoing with its values and traditions.
Krzysztof Muskalski
