Sonny With A Chance

by Amy-Leigh Braaf (South Africa)

Making a local connection Vietnam

There was a distinct moment I remember when sitting next to a couple on a plane journeying to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. They had told me that when you return home after traveling - your friends and family will give you precisely ten minutes of their time and attention to listen to your stories. After that - you’ve lost their interested because nobody thinks about you as much as you think about yourself and those who do not wish to travel often have no desire to hear about it. Don’t be mistaken - this was not a moment of impact nor did it affect my perception of story telling in terms of traveling instead it taught me something far more valuable. That there is an art in discussion and if you know how to tell any story in an enchanting way - no matter what you’re speaking about will be heard. From the moment I stepped off the plane my eyes were bewildered - as if I had deprived them of sunlight and nourishment they devoured my surrounding and lapped up every detail that they could see. Ho Chi Minh was packed with motorbikes that who all seemed to generate road rules as each minute passed. There were any rules you could teach somebody on how to ride in these streets - it was just known and accepted for those who understood it as it was. After settling into my new hostel not knowing anybody as usual (the perks and flaws of solo traveling) I had been robbed on a boat on Saigon River by a taxi driver I thought I had bonded with for 4 hours prior. However, although out of funds I was optimistic and was adamant on experiencing Vietnam with a local - far away from the tourist hotspots. Now- this is the moment I tell my listeners - when I have my ten minutes to grasp their attention this is where I begin. This memory is carved into the walls of my mind: there were two women as one man working behind the hostel reception desk - they all had beaming smiles on their face and I noticed that the man was slightly more shy than the other two women. He would lock eyes with those around him for a moment that was always too short to be counted as a connection. And perhaps that was his intention - to distance himself from nomads like ourselves that continuously jump from country to country - can you form bonds with those who move too fast to truly connect? I found out that his name was Sonny - and after I explained that I was robbed the day prior (with the hope of seeing the floating markets) the two other receptionists informed me that Sonny was heading to Cai Rang - to stay with his family in their village along the Mekong Delta. They told me I could meet him at 3am with my bags the next morning, and journey for a seven hour motorbike ride to stay with him and his family. When Sonny heard them talking about this he paused - and smiled as he looked up - we locked eyes for a moment that was long enough for me to say yes. And so we did. The next morning I had my backpack, a mask he asked me to bring for the wind and pollution and off we went. After stopping at a highway hammock out stop he napped for an hour and we eventually made our way to his village. Now I should note - that almost every family member and friend that he introduced me to had never met a foreigner. And here I was - welcomes into their home with his 90 year old grandmother smiling at us as he showed me their garden, their chickens and their fish. His family didn’t speak English and I didn’t know much Vietnamese - but they made a home for me when I didn’t have much. There is an art to story telling - yes - but there it takes a master to make a home for a stranger. And that they did.