TRAVELLIVE 8-2017 WEB

Before I decided to visit
the Mekong river delta,
also known as the west of
Vietnam, I was impressed by
a legend of a sad love story
between King Bao Dai and a local girl,
who was a Christian and known as the
last Queen of the Feudal system in
Vietnam. It was Queen Nam Phuong.
In order to give this love story into a
happy wedding, the French asked the
permission of the Vatican to let both
of them keep their own religion but
that their children would be baptized
and follow Christianity.
My first journey to western Vietnam
left me with a memory about a
distinctive region, with a blend of
various religions of Vietnamese
people, including the Cham and
Khmer groups to create a multicolored
religious life.
Here in western Vietnam, I could
visit the first mosque of the country;
witness local people pray by the
wooden statue of a famous priest
or see Buddha statues in the typical
Khmer pagodas.
Buddhism and Christianity
Khmer are well-known for their
pagodas and southern Buddhism.
Among 600 pagodas from Khmer
people exist in the Mekong river
delta. Doi (Bat) pagoda, also known
as Mahatup in the Khmer language,
is the most popular. This pagoda has
its name because every afternoon,
hundreds of bats stay in the pagoda's
garden. Some of them weigh 1kg and
have a wingspan of 1.5m.
Doi pagoda features the traditional
structural style of Khmer. If you stay
far from the pagoda you will be able
to see patterns of colored tiles on
two roofs. Naga, the snake deity, is
sophisticatedly carved on one side of
the roof while fairy tales, which are
believed to represent the challenges
that Buddhists have to overcome on
the way to leading a religious life, are
designed on pillars around the central
chamber.
Saying farewell to the 400-year-old
pagoda, I travel to Ca Mau, where I
visited Tac Say church in Bac Lieu.
From the entrance, this church
amazes visitors with its huge and
stable structure, built on three floors
with a high cross. All the interiors are
made of wood mixed with yellow light
in the late afternoon that makes this
place seem very sacred.
Tac Say church is famous thanks to
its priest Truong Buu Diep, who was
arrested along with over 70 Catholics
because of conflicts among sects in
1946. In order to protect his followers,
priest Diep opted for his own
execution to prevent the persecution
of his flock. His sacrifice can make a
nonbeliever like me emotional when I
visit his grave.
Muslim religion of Cham
people in An Giang
Catholicism and Buddhism are two of
the most popular religions in Vietnam,
but not the only ones. There is a
small community of Muslim people
developing in Chau Doc city of An
Giang province with its own traditions.
The mosque in Da Phuoc, Chau Doc
is highlighted with a rounded roof,
which symbolizes for the sun and
a crescent. A white tiled hall brings
the feeling of a long and large space.
Especially, blue and white colors in
the mosque are also seen in other
mosques in the world. However, the
Cham village in Da Phuoc expresses
its own characters with palmyra and
banana trees of this Southwestern
region.
I had the opportunity to view ancient
historical objects of this region at
Cham sculpture museum in Danang
which gave me some context.
However, not until I saw Cham
women wearing hijabs weaving
skillfully, that I highly appreciated
their efforts of maintaining their
traditional customs and habits.
While visiting the Muslim village, I
wished I could have had more time
enjoying a bowl of Hallal noodles,
talking with doctor Mohammed and
following local children to their typical
Cham stilted houses.
I will definitely come back here
to do what I have missed on this
journey and to explore the daily life of
Vietnamese, Khmer and Cham
ethnic people in the southwestern
Vietnam again.
+ Itinerary
My journey started from Can Tho to Soc Trang,
down to Ca Mau and then to Chau Doc.
+ Names: I was impressed by the regional names,
including Cai Rang, Cai Be, Cai Mon, Tac Cau or
Chac Ca Dao.
+ Food
ñ Dishes in the southwestern Vietnam are often
sweet, from the taste of lotus roots and feature
caramelized fish as well as fish hotpot.
Hospitality
ñ Southwestern people are very hospitable. If you
wander around the village at noon time, you will
almost certainly be invited to have meals with local
people.
Inspiration
ñ If you are looking for a book to read during your
journey here, The Lover written by Marguerite
Duras is a good one for you. Written in the
landscape of the river area in early 20 th century,
this novel describes a love story of a couple, who
overcame their limitations and principles to have a
happy ending.
TRAVELLIVE 135