The first secretary of the Belgian Embassy in Vietnam, Andre Gielen confided that when he first arrived in Vietnam to take over his new duties, and he walked up to the cold, serious faces of the Vietnamese customs officers at the airport, he was worried that the Vietnamese people might be inaccessible or even unfriendly. Andre knows better now, having seen on numerous occasions just how openhearted and friendly Vietnamese people can be. He’s gotten a lot of smiles and plenty of welcomes. Very soon, early in September, Andre will wrap-up his four-year tour of duty here in Vietnam, he’ll be heading off to Australia to start anew. But, Vietnam will always be in his heart, he said.
Andre, a 62-year old Belgian, is friendly and good-hearted. When talking with Andre, one feels the heart of the man and even those unused to foreigners can relate to the person, something aside from culture or country of origin. Andre said that he has gotten a warm welcome from Vietnamese people everywhere he’s gone and there’s nothing like a smile to open the door to friendship, both between he and Vietnamese people and Vietnam and Belgium. And, amazingly, Andre feels that there are similarities between Vietnamese and Belgium culture.
There are about 350 Belgians living in Vietnam, businessmen, those working for NGOs and international organizations, specialists working on projects, students and tourists. Belgian people in Vietnam can meet on the first Thursday of the month, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to enjoy each other’s company and maybe help each other out. Many Belgian men and women have married Vietnamese people and most have a happy marriage. Andre said that during his four years in Vietnam he went to many Vietnamese-Belgian weddings. He said that to his knowledge, these couples have a smooth marriage and despite cultural dissimilarities, husbands and wives focus on their children and eventually agree on most things.
Belgium is famous for its excellent chocolate, something that can be found in Vietnam. Belgian diamonds are also here. There are five Vietnamese-Belgian joint ventures that cut diamonds in Vietnam and they sell their products both in Vietnam and abroad. Belgium is also known as a place of good beer and good food.
In Vietnam, Belgian restaurants can be found in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An (Da Nang) and Ho Chi Minh City. These restaurants are popular with Belgians, of course, but other foreigners and Vietnamese know a good thing when they taste it. There are in Hanoi two excellent Belgian restaurants, Brussels (the Belgian capital) and Blue de Thuy, the latter owned by a Vietnamese-Belgian couple. If one doesn’t like waiting, call-in and make a reservation - good things are popular.
In central Hanoi, in the old quarter, there is a restaurant that has Belgium red beer. The restaurant is renowned for that excellent beer and its high quality service. Artists and athletes come by to tipple a few and there has been the odd beer-drinking contests that can be fun. The restaurant has parking on the roof because motorbikes are not allowed on the sidewalk but don’t worry, the restaurant has guys that hustle the bikes up and down by elevator.
Four years is, to a post-adolescent, not such a long period of time but, four years of living and working in Vietnam have done a number on Andre. He celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary at a Vietnamese restaurant in Brussels. Of the many kinds of Vietnamese foods, he likes spring rolls the most. Noodles (pho) are also high on his list. But, above all, it’s the goodhearted smiles and industriousness of the Vietnamese people that he respects most.
Lan Anh
Vietnamese
