VIETNAM, JANUARY 2010
16 January 2010
In Vietnam again. This time the project is one I am not officially part of. Thanh managed to find the money. Came in by Air France yesterday but what a palava! We were late to Hoh Chin Min City and so missed two planes to Hue; eventually got one to Danang. Thanh and Bong collected me by taxi from Hue. Went to speak to Thanh’s student at the buffalo station. Some buffaloes died after a short time of starvation which was a part of the experiment. I cannot understand what happened. Students were very keen to listen to me. I wish I could do a bit of Vietnamese.
18 January 2010
Today is a sort of holiday. I went to see many of the old large imperial palaces of Hue that were built around 1800 covering two hectares or so which I have never seen before. Some kings of Vietnam stayed there when there was conflict with France. Historically it was fantastic! Bought a couple of books. In the afternoon I went to see the project in Houn Von Village where we have so many projects with Mongkai sows. So much to hear about all the success stories and the number of sows had increased enormously. Then back to work in the Vietnamese project paid by the Vietnamese.
20 January 2010
Today more professional. Went to University first thing and then some work preparing for lectures tomorrow. Am I being useful? I think so but here could be more useful I think! Vietnam is changing since I was first here. Large supermarkets are growing and small shops are disappearing. Politics in Vietnam seem to support large scale both in agriculture and elsewhere. Is this good for Vietnam? I do not think so!
Had dinner with Kim today, Thanh’s father. I still encourage him to write an auto-biography; he has so much to tell. First a French prisoner, then taken out by Japanese and then to be marked for death by the Americans. I have tried to encourage him. It is very wet here. Bad news today. Haiti has suffered a very bad earthquake a week ago. Maybe 50,000 or more people were killed.
21 January 2010
Have changed hotel but have given lectures to a small but good group of students. I think I spoke for three hours. Then I went out with two students to see the memorial of one of the old kings. Big palace it was; a lot of work. I was told that many people died while working here and nobody knows where the bones of the king lie.
It was interesting that when I asked the students where they came from, one of them said she was from Huon Von village and her mother had got a sow from our original project. She had been able to get an education and now a vet as a result. So nice to hear. Had dinner with them tonight. Tomorrow Quangtree again. An Mo and Dau Kehn to see how the projects are doing.
23 January 2010
Had a lovely day in Quangtree to see the new project. They had a lot of flooding last year. Some of the sows had no option but tried to swim. Some survived and some did not. Some were stolen but we will never know for sure. We then had to travel by car and spent a couple of days in Ho An village at the seaside. Then back to Hue. Ready to go back tomorrow. Now in Som Cam Hotel again for the last night this time. Had to get up early to go to the airport to meet somebody from Yunnan from China and also Ann Pearson from Edinburgh.
24 January 2010
Now in Ho Chi Minh airport to go to Bangkok and then to Paris. Left at 13:10. It has been a nice trip. I just feel I could have contributed more technically or by lecturing. I am reading a book Kirstie gave me for Christmas, A hymn to the planet and humanity. An excellent book full of thought for future work and avoiding planet destruction.
25 January 2010
Now in Paris. Was the trip worth it? Certainly nice to see the projects in Quangtree, Huon Von and lecturing to the students. Next trip will be China and then Malang at Brawijaya for a meeting.