Klaus Rohland said, visiting the Vietnamese countryside, seeing the green of rice, the verdant trees, the dark blue lakes and the azure sky, his impression of Vietnamese nature was of a musical composition from the ground to the sky. More importantly, what he loved most were Vietnamese people.
Rohland, who lived and worked in Vietnam for four years, has just ended his term of office in Vietnam and returned home in Germany. During his stay, he had the opportunity to travel throughout the country and meet many people.
Like many Westerners, before going to Vietnam Rohland only knew of Vietnam from newspapers, magazines and knowledge of his friends. Impressions of a poor, populated country ran ragged by long wars dominated his feelings before his long stay. However, Rohland had the chance to discover the facts about the country.
From the plane when he first travelled to Vietnam in August 2002, Rohland saw a beautiful scene of Vietnam, which he felt very close to him. A boundless green strip was just like a romantic ballad, especially during sunny days. The scene made the man, although always busy with work, impressed and relaxed. “Whenever I travel the Vietnamese countryside, I always feel relaxed and comfortable just like at home,” he said. Moreover, during his travel, Rohland met lovely people.
Thanks to his job, Rohland met many people, from senior officials to ordinary poor people in remote areas. Staying in Vietnam for four years, the German man learned much about Vietnamese social life. He said Vietnamese people were friendly and industrious. "All 120 people working with me are very friendly and each of them focused his or her efforts in hopes of contributing to the country’s development." Even people in his place of residence were very friendly. Due to his busy work, Rohland met his neighbours when they did exercises in the morning. Whenever they saw him, they gave him friendly smiles and exchanged greetings with him. "They recognised every change in me,” he said.
Furthermore, he said close relationships in Vietnamese families, among generations of people, was what he liked most about the Vietnamese people, who were optimistic even if poor. "If the Vietnamese people maintain this spirit, I have no concerns about Vietnam’s future development,” he said.
Living for quite a long time in Vietnam, Rohland learned to like Vietnamese food, especially rice and spring rolls made of fresh vegetables, grilled fish and noodle. All foreigners who live in Vietnam try rice but not all can eat spring rolls made of fresh vegetables, grilled fish and noodle, which are served with sweet and sour sauce. Grapefruit and mango are among his favourite Vietnamese fruits.
He has transferred his love for Vietnam to his wife and children. His elder son has gone to the UK for university study after finishing his secondary education in Vietnam. In the UK, he has joined both German and Vietnamese students’ associations, and considers Vietnam his second homeland.
Rohland said during his office term, what made him happy was the daily progress of Vietnam. He said the challenges for Vietnam included administrative reform and poverty reduction in remote areas, job creation and balancing development demands with environmental protection. Also, Vietnam should promote investment in education as it is a decisive factor for the quality of Vietnam’s human resources.
After his term of office in Vietnam, Rohland will go to Russia for his new job. However, he said he would never forget his impressions of Vietnam. "Each day in Vietnam is interesting for me,” he concluded.
Lan Anh
Vietnamese
