Vietnam

I
look down on the mountain and I think
Why do I love this place?
Is it because the beautiful colors, red and yellow

on
the flag or the design?
I hold my hopes close just to try to find out why?
I took me a while to think about it.
I look around and from afar I can see people

working
hard, jus to feed their hungry family.
But at the same time, they’re smiling.
The grain, the wheat, the vegetables look so

fresh, and ready to munch.
From far away I can smell the specialty of this

place…Pho…that national food that no one can

copy.
Now the sun is setting, people are going home

and getting changed into their Ao Dai and go to

church as the bells chime.
After church everybody goes to a festival that’s

in
town. All the girls go up to dance away with

their gracefulness. They look like they’re

dancing to a dream, so sweet.
The musicians are playing stringed instruments

and they sound so old but to the Vietnamese

people it’s modern.
The Vietnamese singers sing such sweet music in

Vietnamese and it makes you just want to lay

down wherever you are and sleep…
You can tell the thing that stands out for the

Vietnamese culture is its food and language.
The Vietnamese language is so complex when

you think you know a word…you don’t.
There are a lot of rules you have to follow.
Not only in the language, but also the family

how you treat the family.
As I think back I remember a very strong quote

that got to me…
“tien hoc le, hau hoc van” learn your manners before

you learn anything else..
What a country…what a strong one.

-Linh Dang