In Memory of My Grandfather

(Dominic-Da Minh) Dao Van Nghia

1918 - 2008

I’d like to dedicate this blog entry to my Maternal Grandfather who passed away almost 2 weeks ago last Monday, October 13th after a long battle from complications with diabetes and a stroke. It has been an emotional few weeks both physically and mentally for everyone. He was in the hospital for the past 3 months and was in and out of intensive care during that time. He had a turn for the worse a few weeks ago and had to be placed on a breathing machine. Doctors told us that he only would make it a few more days. Therefore, phone calls were made overseas to the U.S. and to Australia where some of my family (parents, aunt and uncles) rushed back to Vietnam to be with him during his last days.

It is truly amazing the impact he had on his family and the people around him. During his time at the hospital, our family rented out a separate room so that he wouldn’t have to share with another patient. He would have dozens of visitors each day, up to as many as 20 at any one point in time.

The family decided to bring him home last Monday so that he would be able to pass away at his home and with his family at his bedside. There were at least 30-40 of us (not including children) waiting at home for the ambulance to arrive from the hospital. Not too long after he arrived home he passed away. I'm sure he was happy to be at home with his loved ones when he passed.

The wake services and funeral were amazing spectacles due to the sheer number of people that attended. The first night, nearly 300 people crammed into the house to pay respects to my Grandfather. One evening, my cousin-in-law’s Father, who is a conductor, brought his orchestra to perform. Our house is on a major intersection and people passing by would stop to ask who had passed away. Was he a political figure, royalty, or a famous person? Not any of the above but nonetheless a great man. My Grandfather was known as the “village leader” or the person that would represent those residents in that part of the countryside, almost like a pseudo-mayor but not as official and very personable. Whenever families had domestic disputes, they would ask my Grandfather to come to be the arbitrator. They trusted and respected his opinions and advice.

This was the first time in over 30 years, since the War ended in 1975, that all 6 of his children were in the same room together. It was great to see my Mom with all of her siblings as they talked and reminisced about the "old" days. I definitely believe my Grandfather is in a better place now with God looking proudly down upon his family and his loved ones.

We do not mourn his death but CELEBRATE his life. He loved his family unconditionally and wanted nothing more than to have them together. We were all blessed to have him with us for 90 great years. He left behind his wife, 6 children, 31 Grandchildren, and 18 Great-Grandchildren.

Grandfather, may you rest in peace...We will all miss you, we all love you!



Please see below for several pictures of the past couple of weeks. Vietnamese traditions are quite different from those of the Western culture so please do not take offense to some of the pictures as they show people’s emotions during that time. Part of the culture is to record and document this time with videos and pictures.


Before my Grandfather passed, a meeting was held by the elders in the family to discuss funeral arrangements:




My Uncle (Mom's Cousin) is a Priest in Australia who came back to visit and had a Mass at my Grandparents home:




Family members waiting the arrival of my Grandfather from the hospital on his last night:




My Parents and I. The children of the deceased wear white shaws over their heads while all other relatives wear white headbands and great-grandchildren wear yellow headbands. My mom is holding white and yellow headbands for my Sisters & Brother and my Nieces and Nephews who were not able to attend:




Blessing of the headbands:




My Uncle & Aunt and their 9 kids and grandkids:




My other Aunt & Uncle and their 7 kids and grandkids:




My Mom and her 5 siblings plus spouses, together after 30+ years:




My Grandfather's older and younger sister:




Wake service:




Orchestra Performance:






It is extremely important after death that loved ones remain with the body and continue to pray for the soul of the deceased. The wake services takes place at the house and prayers are said at least every hour until the funeral. Therefore, it's imperative for someone to always be by the coffin. Actually the first 100 days after death are important in our culture and prayers for the deceased are said daily. Here's a picture of my Mom, Aunts and Uncle taking a nap in the wee hours of the morning:




Final viewing before closing of the coffin:






Incense Burning:




Beginning of funeral Procession to the Church:




I'm alergic to all the flowers..therefore I was sneazing alot:










Five Priests presided over the Mass...Three of them are relatives:






Many Churches still hold to the tradition of women on one side and men on the other side of the church, it's not mandatory however:







There were 6 tour buses rented, a handful of personal automobiles, and numersous motorbikes that attended the burial at the cemetery.

Motorcade procession to Cemetery:




Procession to gravesite:












Here I am speaking on behalf of the Grandchildren living in the U.S. (I was nervous and shaking so the Priest [my Uncle] held the paper steady for me...just like an altar boy :-) :




Final Blessing of the casket:




Lowering of the Casket:











May You Rest in Peace:




Eating after the Funeral (over 300 people):




On the first night after we buried our Grandfather several of us had stay overnight at the cemetery. Due to the scope and size of the funeral we were worried that "grave robbers" may come by and dig up the grave as this happens frequently here. On the second night we partially dug up the grave and poured a slab of concrete to seal the grave and then added a second layer of concrete to finish off the top. All the work necessary at the gravesite is typically done by family members as a last act of service to the deceased:




This is me digging:










We didn't have the luxury of a cement truck. We had to mix the cement ourselves...cement powder, dirt, rocks, and water:








Mid-evening meal break:




Back to work, adding frame and second slab of concrete:




"I'm not a concrete specialist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express":





We finished up my Grandfather's grave and also filled a layer of cement over 2 other plots that we own next to my Grandfather's. We did this because we didn't want anyone being burried in them...yes, that also happens here too. A job well done by all involved:




Random picture of me trying on my Uncle's "uniform":







Final picture of my Dad & Mom and all of her siblings & some of their spouses with my Grandmother:




Thank you everyone for your prayers and words of sympathy! May God Bless you always!

6 Months Since My Last Post

Happy 4th of July! Hope you all enjoyed the food and fireworks!

It's been half a year since my last entry! I never thought it would be so difficult keeping up with a blog. I've actually been racking up frequent flyer miles and have loads of pictures taken with the hopes of eventually someday updating this blog. Well, as the saying goes...."Better late than never!" I got plenty of stories from the past 6 months that I can tell about but you'd be here all day reading and I'm certain you would rather spend your 4th of July weekend doing other things than reading about my escapades into the mysteries of the 3rd World. Therefore I'll brief you on the past half year's events along w/ a few pics too. If you want to hear some good stories...you'll have to email me to get the juice!

January 2008

Spent the New Years in Manila, Philippines.



Stayed for 2 days and went to alot of night clubs including Embassy above. I'd have a lot more pics but my camera was stolen from my office shortly after Christmas with all of my Christmas photos as well. Nonetheless, a great first trip to the PI.

End of January and parts of February 2008

At the end of January I headed back to the US for my yearly US Tour. Started off by attending a Television Conference in Las Vegas. Met up with some friends and family for a little R&R on the Vegas strip. Headed back to Cali for a day and then off to Dallas to meet up with my cousin and spend some time at his lake house. Also met up with a very good friend from H.S. after 15 years! Yup, it's been that long, certainly getting old.

Hopped back on plane for a short stay at my Sister's house in Houston. Was lucky enough to see my nieces (Emma and Lauren) and was able to watch Dora the Explorer with them (a certain highlight of my time in Houston). Spent some quality "guy-time" watching the Superbowl w/ my brother-in-law. Giants suck! but so does New England!

Jumped on another Continental Airlines flight bound for The Great Buckeye State. There I spent Vietnamese Lunar New Year at my Sister's home in Dayton. My parents and brother also were there along with my Sister's in-laws. My Mom cooked tons of food and we all enjoyed bringing in the Year of the Rat. My sister so kindly gave me a new digital camera so now I was able to take Pics!

Here's my Niece Emily



Headed back to California for a few more days before returning to Vietnam. I had to get back to Vietnam to prepare for our company's press announcement. My trip back to the US was more than I could've asked for. I was able to skip across the entire US within 2 weeks to visit with friends and family, including all of my cousins, Godson (Gerrard), and nephew (Sidney Emmanuel). Climate-wise, I was able to experience a beautiful snowfall in Ohio one day, then the California sunshine the next, and finally the scorching heat of Saigon...all within a 4-day span.

Picture from our press announcement:




As you can see I was busy making sure our guests were attended too.



In early March I spent a couple of days in Hanoi for work. Went with a few members of the consultancy team from Mediacorp in Singapore. You can't tell from the pictures but I was getting over another gout attack. Couldn't walk for a few days and was on crutches before going to Hanoi. The team was nice enough to walk along my pace. Thanks guys!

Here we are outside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum:



Famous Vietnamese Water Puppet Show:



In March, my Grandmother's health wasn't so good. She spent about a month in the hospital. She's been bedridden ever since her stroke over 2 years ago. My aunt from the States visited and stayed for a while until my Grandmother was able to go home.





In early April I attended MIPTV, another television market in Cannes, France. You can't beat being sent to the French Riveria for work.



At the end of April I went to a little beach town in Long Hai. It was during the weekend of April 30th (better known to Overseas Vietnamese as the anniversary of the Fall of Saigon). In Vietnam however, I'll take the few days off for the holiday. I spent it with about 20 cousins, nieces, and nephews on my Dad's side of the family.



In May my good friend Raj visited from the States:



In June I was in Shanghai for the Shanghai Television Festival:



View from my Hotel Room:



Me in the City:




Just a couple of weeks ago, my uncle was involved in a motobike accident. He hit his head rather hard but luckily was wearing a full-size helmet. No one knows what happened. There were no other vehicles involved. A random lady had him brought to her house and then she called and notified us that she found him on the side of the road. It was pretty scary at first since he couldn't remember anything. He had CT Scans and other test done but they all came up negative. He was in the hospital for 2 days before the doctors said "we can't find anything wrong with him, he can go home, we need the beds for sicker patients". In good 'ol 3rd World Fashion, just a few bucks and a nice Fruit Basket later, the doctors changed their minds and my uncle was able to stay for another week. He is fine now.

Here are some pics from the hospital...just to show you the "great" medical attention that the locals get...just incase you didn't read my previous blog dated last July!

There were over 20 of us family members visiting my Uncle:



In Vietnam, patients lie 2 per bed! My Uncle's in the white t-shirt.



Finally doing much better:



These people are not dead, they're not patients either... but they're family members of patients in the "waiting room":




At this time every year in Vietnam, high school students take their college entrance exams. If you fail you have to wait until the following year to re-take the test. There are 2 locations to take the test, Hanoi and Saigon. Therefore, every year thousands of students from the countryside flood the cities during this time to take the tests. Many of the student's parents and family members come to give moral support and its also an excuse for them to visit and see the city. Business for the local markets and street stalls to say the least are rather busy.

My family has a small street stall restaurant. For this special occasion we open up at 4am! The exams begin at 7am. Here some pics from this morning:

Food all ready to be served:







It's 5:30am...ALMOST rush hour time....It's Saturday by the way!




I'd like to end this long blog with the EVOLUTION of Hip Hop Culture. My Grandfather is almost 90 years old. He's been through alot in his lifetime...countless struggles, wars, some peace....yet he always stays one step ahead and never takes a negative attitude. He knows where he stands on plenty of issues and he knows how to get his point across. Since coming to Vietnam I've learned just how great a man my Grandfather is. Just recently he asked me to help him change up his style so that he can be "one of the fellas" and "kick it with me"....so here's how that turned out.............

Had to start off with a good hat....



Then flip it to the side...



Then to the other side....



Representin' Vietnam...PEACE...Don't Sweat the Technique!



'NUFF Said.

A Merry Christmas to us all!

May the joys of this Christmas Season and the anticipation of the New Year bring you and your family abundant blessings of peace, happiness, and good fortune.

While this holiday season brings us many gifts, let us not forget the one gift that made this all possible!




I will be spending my second Christmas at work. In fact I'm at work now and it's Christmas Eve! I will go home and attend evening Mass..then Dinner w/ friends and family. Christmas Mass at 6AM and then off to work again. What a great country Vietnam is! The Communists really know how to have fun!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Holiday Season officially begins with Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite times of the year, along with March Madness! You can almost parallel the two since the next few months people are running all over town like madmen trying to find the best deals, beating the rush, and blowing all of their money on indiscriminate items...similar to your yearly March Madness Bracket. It's insanity wrapped in a convenient package!

I am more of the type that relishes not in the sensationalism and consumerism of the holidays but more so in its "sentimental feelings" to borrow from the holiday song. While it's cheezy to state, it rings truer to the core as this will be my second year in a row spending the holidays away from my "immediate" family. I definitely do not take for granted my family here in Vietnam as this year (exactly one year this week) has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I could have ever imagined. Simply stated, it's just not the same (I really never expected it to be anyways).

I am headed out to a local restaurant that my friend is a co-owner of. The other owner and head chef is an American and they will be serving an "authentic" Thanksgiving dinner buffet ($25). It's not gonna be anything similar to my tasty Deep Fried Turkey w/ Cajun Rice (my brother-in-law's recipe) but it will do in the absence of me getting my hands on a deep fryer, cajun spices, and most importantly...A TURKEY! I am headed out w/ a few other expat friends to give thanks for life, family, and friendship!

With that said, I'd like to wish all of you out there a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your holiday and enjoy your Families!!!

-- Jerome

P.S.

Here's the menu for my dinner:

• Roasted stuffed boneless turkey filled with corn bread and sausage stuffing
• Whole roast turkey (traditional) Corn bread stuffing (traditional)
• Special homemade whisky sausage
• Giblet gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Candied sweet potatoes
• Candied beets with orange liquor
• Sweet and sour carrots
• Grease beans “ that’s green beans slow cooked with bacon”
• Green salad
• Cranberry sauce
• Fresh buttered corn “of the cob”
• Hot homemade dinner rolls
• Macaroni and cheese (kids and adults)
• Sweet potato pie. Pecan pie, Pumpkin pie, Apple pie
• Cranberry Sangria
• Beer, soft drinks and juices

My Weekend in Hong Kong

It has been a little over 13 years since I decided to attend a small liberal arts institution in Alliance, Ohio – Mount Union College. At that time, as a freshman in college, all I could think about was having fun, playing basketball, studying occasionally, and making new friends. Many people say that our time spent in college defines who we are and what we will become both professionally and personally. They say that college is a place where we develop life-long friendships that test the hands of time. Well, I can honestly say that I am a firm believer and witness to the above statement.

This past weekend, I was able to re-unite with friends that I haven’t seen in almost a decade. What made the weekend special was the fact that we all had met each other at this small college in Alliance and now were able to get together for the first time (as a group) in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was a great destination! The architecture of the high-rise buildings were phenomenal and the landscape was amazing. The food was absolutely exquisite – there was nothing I tried and didn’t like! Ain’t no place like City Hall Maxim’s Palace for Dim Sum...Delicious!

However, there was more to the trip than what I just mentioned. An old sage I know once told me his reasoning for traveling, he said about he and his wife, “We travel not to visit places, but to visit people. The places you get to see are just the added bonuses while meeting your friends”. Truer words could never have been spoken, especially for the weekend I just had.

A few parting words to my FRIENDS:

Hong Kong Hosts: Ella, Kit, Ada & Andy

You made our weekend especially remarkable. I can speak for all of us when I say that you exceeded all of our expectations in your hospitality and kindness throughout the weekend! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Ella: You always have a job to fall back on if things in your current career does not work out---Tour Guide! That Excel Spreadsheet of our itinerary was quite impressive.

Kit: Meeting you for the first time (again) was almost, if not, better than our first encounter. Please don’t forget me!

Ada & Andy: Thanks for driving us around and taking care of us…you guys will make excellent parents one day!
---

Masa: Glad you could make it from Japan. Do you miss Los Angeles as much as I do? By the way…there’s a support group out there called AA – Alcoholics Anonymous!

Hang-Meen: You haven’t changed a bit! Ok, maybe you have changed more than a bit..but you are still the same funny and likeable guy I’ve always known! By the way…there’s a few things in the new millennium that you should be aware of….”email and Weight Watchers”! (Just joking!).

Neil & Wei-Leng: It was great to be able to see you guys at Dim Sum on Saturday and meeting you Wei-Leng. Thanks also for letting me crash at your place too. Neil, thanks for being our “token-white-guy”! Macau is lucky we didn’t have more time to take their money!

Tee: Thanks for traveling the 2000km for the day, it was great to see you! Vietnam is closer so come visit anytime. By the way…we were playing bowling…low scores are only good in golf!

Yuki: Just as cheerful and funny as I remember you…Glad you were able to make it! Next time try to use the bowling ball to knock over some pins!

Naoko: You definitely know how to put a smile on peoples faces! So serious at times, yet so amuzing...I guess you're seriously just funny! We never knew you didn't know how to use a straw! Hahaha! Just kidding.

Again, I just wanted to thank everyone for making this past weekend really something that I will remember for a very long time. I just hope it doesn't take us 10 years to get together again!



If you want, you can check out MY WEB ALBUM of the Hong Kong Trip and my previous trip to Cannes, France last month. The pictures are of Cannes, Nice, and Monaco. I went to the Monaco Casino and cleaned them out for over 200 Euros at the craps table! I don't have time to explain all of the pics, so if you have any questions just let me know...you'll know what I'm talking about when you see some of the pics.

Until next time!....God Bless!

It's Been a Long Time...

I shouldn't have left you...w/out a dope blog to click to.

My bad on being lazy yet again in updating my blog. At any rate, I've been back from my vacation home to Ohio and California since mid-August. It's been rather a busy few months for me with both work and leisure. Since being back, I've spent weekends in Vung Tau (a beach town), Da Lat City, Singapore, Can Tho City, and tomorrow I will be headed to Cannes, France for one week. I am transitioning into a new position and will be in charge of program acquisitions for a new tv channel in Vietnam. I am attending MIPCOM in France where there will be producers, directors, buyers, and sellers of television content all over the world. I will take some pics and update everything you want to know about the Frenchies! Until then please enjoy the following pics of my last few months:

Jesus at the top of the mountain in Vung Tau...I think Notre Dame's offense is in Vung Tau...sure looks like Touchdown Jesus to me!



This was a pretty tough climb up the mountain..I don't think I could do it again...too hot!



Top pics: me and some cousins. Bottom left: I don't know jack, but I do know Jack Fruit. Bottom right: My cousin's daughter, a future Mount Union Purple Raider!



Once you Pop, You can't Stop! It's not Pringles, but it'll have to do!

Company trip to Da Lat, Famous Catholic Church in Da Lat, and me squatting like only the locals can!



Sugar Cane Lollipop in Can Tho City. This is the city where the bridge collapse in Vietnam. I was there before the bridge collapsed.



Ritz Carlton Singapore In-Room Bar...the bottled water was $11 and the Coke was $5/can..yikes!



Girlz a Girlz they Love Me!



These two guys were tearing it up at the Ritz Carlton w/ their guitar riffs! Can you guess the song before the refrain?

Click on Youtube Link if video above doesn't load.

That's about all for me right now...Off to go spend some Euros!

God Bless & Go Buckeyes!

Can You Stand the Rain?

WARNING: Please read at your own risk. The following blog entry contains graffic and grotesque nature. It includes gorey details of a perfect storm, an emergency room and another installment of "jungle" delicacies!

While most of America spent the July 4th Holiday relaxing in the summer heat, eating some good 'ol Apple Pie, or watching Kobayashi lose to Chestnut in this year's Coney Island HotDog eating contest I had the unfortunate experience of spending the past 5 days shacked up in a Saigon Hospital! Yup, with all the crazy animals I've been devouring lately, it's ironic that I get food poisoning from eating some Prime rib, crab cakes, and roast pork at a 5-Star Hotel! I can laugh about it now, but it was a hellish few days. Here's a quick timeline of my experience:

Friday June 30th:
7:00 PM -- Headed to the 5-Star Hotel for a networking event with the American Chamber of Commerce. Mingled, networked, and ate plenty of Prime Rib, crab cakes, sushi, chicken skewers, meatballs, and a plethora of sweets. Maybe it was just the sheer volume of food intake but it's seldom I get to eat that type of food here, so I went to town on it.

10:00 PM -- Made my way to Appocalypse Now in downtown Saigon w/ a few lady friends. It's one of the most popular spots in the city. It's an alright club with decent music and better scenery! The DJ started out w/ house music but eventually played a little hip-hop (old school style) and had the place jumping w/ about 200 Vietnamese and 20 Expats bobbin' our heads to House of Pain's "Jump Around"!

12:30 AM -- Bid good evening to my friends and hopped in a cab to go home. I had an early Saturday morning (9am) meeting with a client and therefore needed to get some sleep.

Saturday, June 30th
3:30 AM -- This is about the time the high tide came rolling in. The storm lasted for about 30 solid minutes. But during that time, there was NOTHING "solid" about what was dislodged profusely from my ass. Picture a fireman, unleashing his waterhose on a hot fire. The power of the stream coming out my backside was like the force of Mt. Saint Helens errupting after years of build-up. The frustrating part was not being able to stop the spicket from running. The more and more I squeezed to close the faucet, the more forceful the current! Finally, the storm was quieting...but it wasn't over by any stretch of the imagination. I wiped and went back to bed only to be rudely awakened by another easterly wind!

6:30 AM -- My alarm was scheduled to go off at 6:45 so this wasn't a big deal. What was a big deal was the fact that I sat on the toilet for the next hour! Everytime I thought I was finished and began the process of wiping down the windows and cleaning out the gutter another attack would welcome itself into my world.

9:00 AM -- The trooper that I am, I hopped in a cab for Saigon to attend my client meeting. Luckily, I had no attacks during the meeting but I began to feel extremely cold and started to sweat. My body started to ache all over and I couldn't wait to head back home for some rest.

11:00 AM -- The meeting finally let out and I headed back home. Once I got home my family realized I was in no shape just to ride out the storm. I went to the local medical clinic and stayed there for 5 hours. I had a running fever of 40 degrees celcius, or 104 degrees F! After getting home, and spending a couple of more bouts on the toilet, my family got worried and decided to take me to the emergency room.

11:00 PM -- As I exited the car and began to walk into the emergency room, the only thought in my mind was I hope I don't get jabbed w/ a used syringe! I made my way into the emergency room and saw several people sprawled out all over the place. I walked passed a few health "professionals" and not a single word was said to me. I was later told by an orderly to "lay over there". A guy came over to me (I assume he was a doctor) and proceeded to ask me everything but what was wrong with me. "What do you do (occupation)?"..."Where you from?"..."Are you a Vietnamese national?". I got scared w/ that last question and answered yes, anyways. He finally asked what was wrong and then walked away. Moments later I was led into another massive room with guerneys that filled the room. It truly looked like a war zone. People with bandages wrapped around their head, limbs in "limbo", momma's crying, and old people dying. I kid you not, it was normal as they told me to go lie in an already-occupied bed. Yup, 2-people per bed! I quickly glanced the floor and noticed a "free" bed that was not taken and made a quick dash for it. My freedom in my own bed wouldn't last for more than 10 minutes!

After a nurse came by and gave me an IV...I quickly dozed off for a few minutes. I was awaken by a screaming man about 3 or 4 beds down. He was obviously thriving in pain but nobody paid any attention to him....not even the guy lying in his same bed! The doctors and nurses were quite calm as they went about their business and their "next" patient. Right about that time I see a man come into the emergency room with raggedy clothes and his hand held to his head. He looked like he must have just been in a motocycle accident. His body had scrapes all over it and his head was banged up pretty good. His head must have been gushing blood earlier because his head looked like what I would call a big blood clot! His family members were inching ever closer my way and my heart starting pounding as if someone was forcing a sledgehammer against my chest. "Please don't lay next to me!" was all I could say. I closed my eyes and all I could feel was someone plop down next to me. I knew it was him but curiosity got the better of me and I needed to turn around to get a better look. As I slowly turned my head and looked, the stench of raw flesh almost made me puke. His face was pushed up against the back of my head and I couldn't take it any longer. I picked up my IV bag and proceeded to wander the ER room.

Walking really wasn't in my best interest! The volcano was being disturbed and was about ready for blast-off. I quickly asked for the bathroom and was pointed to a door outside the emergency room. As I walked out I noticed a number of people sitting and waiting. Yeah, I was led to the waiting area...everyone was looking at me wondering what this healthly looking young man (compared to everyone else) was doing in the ER w/ an IV hanging off his arm. I went into the bathroom only to find out there was no toilet paper! This couldn't be happening could it? Oh yes it was! I ran outside to ask for some toilet paper but the nurse looked at me as if I was on crack. (I'll show you crack lady!). I went back into the ER and asked around. Apparently, patients are suppose to carry their own supply of Charmin in the hospital. One nurse seemed compassionate and gave me two hand-wipes! Bless her soul!

The next four days were not all that bad except for the lack of "service" in the hospital. I sure do not expect 5-star service but an occasional "how are you feeling today?" would have been nice. I can't remember one time when a nurse greeted me or asked how I was doing. At least my doctor was cordial and pleasant. In Vietnam, if a family member doesn't accompany and stay with you at the hospital, you are on your own. You change your own sheets, take yourself to the bathroom, and feed yourself. There's no "call" button in case your IV needle jabs you the wrong way or if you've soiled your pants and need a changing. Nope, your family member who stays with you gets the luxury of doing that for you! On top of all that, I got the Expat room rate which is 33% higher than the locals. It's ok though...about 5 shots and 13 IV bottles later, I've come out of this experience a better man. All-in-all, the ER experience, hospital stay, and medication cost me a whopping 4.5 million Dong, roughly $300 USD. I'm realizing that the Healthcare Industry in VN needs more help and assistance than ever before. One more thing regarding my stay, as I was looking over the details of my bill I noticed a rather large charge (over $10). It seems as though one certain test required when one complains of stomach pains and diarrhea is to make sure the patience takes and HIV test. For your information, it was negative!


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Now, on to matters that should have put me into the hospital in the first place. Eating extravagant foods you only can find or dare to try in Vietnam! A few weeks ago, my cousin and I decided to go to a very popular restaurant in the city to eat some weasel meat. The name of the place translates "Jungle Way"...very fitting!

When we got there, the waiter said that it had been an extremely busy day and they had run out of fresh weasel meat. He then offered us the "house special" -- "dui" meat. They all looked at me and asked if I wanted to try it. I had no idea what it was since I have never heard of it before in Vietnamese. My cousins hadn't tried it before either so we all decided there's no time like the present to feast on something new. It was cheaper than weasel meat at 350,000 VND per kilogram. Weasle is 500,000 VND/kg (about $30 bucks).

They tried to explain to me what "dui" meat was and what the animal looked like. I didn't understand or could even picture it. I guessed a fox, coyote, and porcupine. I was wrong. They then led us back to the front of the restaurant to pick out our "dui". After we picked out two, they took the precious little ones back in the kitchen and prepared a 3 course meal for us. Steamed dui, sauteed, and a delicious stew! Oh yeah, before the first course, they take the blood from the critters and mix it with alcohol for an interesting cocktail. They said it was good for the the libido!

Here are those little critters:



Two Kilos of "dui" meat:



If I didn't tell you what it was, you'd like it:



"dui" Stew:



I eat "dui":



Good to the last drop:






If the above video didn't play...please click here to see it on Youtube!

Oh, did I forget to tell you what "dui" meat is? Well, just in case you wondered...it's Bamboo Rat!