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leo25599-blog · 7 years

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Canada and Vietnam - Life of an international student.

Hi everybody!

My name is Quoc-Luong Nguyen, I’m 18 years old and I am a Vietnamese international student currently studying at Fraser International College in Canada. Since I’m going to be building my future life upon my time of stay here in Vancouver and hence the fact that I was born and raised in Vietnam, it came as an interest of mine to be comparing my current life in Canada and the life I had in Vietnam since I was a kid.

I was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam, having finished my 12 years of study there as well. I moved to Vancouver about 4 months ago to enroll in Computing Science course at FIC.

It’s been an amazing time for me here, at least up until now it is and hopefully will stay that way for a much longer period of time. But enough with the chit-chat, let’s go straight into the important matter here which is my life here in Vancouver and my 2 favorite places in Vietnam - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vancouver - considered one of the most desirable cities to be living in, which is very true, in my opinion. It’s beautiful, especially full of trees and nature here is incredible. The people are particularly polite and there is a lot of social norms which were a little bit strange to me at first. For example, saying “Thank you” every time you get off the bus, and also saying “Sorry” a lot as well,... It shows a big culture involvement to the people’s mentality. They’re just built that way and it’s an amazing thing to have the chance to interact with them every day. It’s a city that holds over half a million people and is situated in South Western Canada, inside the province of British Columbia and lies on the coast of Pacific Ocean where it is sheltered from any extreme weather by Vancouver Island. ( Information based on http://www.infovancouver.com/facts-for-visitors/facts, retrieved on 11/23/2017 ). The city has a size of 114 square kilometers and a population of 631,486 people ( according to 2016 census ). ( Statistics based on http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/geo.aspx , retrieved on 11/24/2017 ).

Vancouver from an upper view :

( Source: http://www.frogbox.com/vancouver/ , retrieved on 11/20/2017 )

Vancouver also has many worthy sites to explore to admire the nature and beauty that the city has to offer such as Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Burnaby Mountain, Vancouver Aquarium... which are the go-to’s when you come to Vancouver.

Some pictures of the sceneries above :

Stanley Park from an upper view

( https://airwavesmusic.ca/airwaves-news/vancouver-the-stanley-park-wedding/ , retrieved on 11/24/2017 ).

Queen Elizabeth Park

( http://photokaz.com/blog/2012/10/12/fall-colours-in-vancouvers-queen-elizabeth-park/ , retrieved on 11/24/2017 ).

Burnaby Mountain

( https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/Canada/Western/British_Columbia/Burnaby/photo1056949.htm , retrieved on 11/24/2017 ).

Scenes from inside the Vancouver Aquarium

( https://www.vanaqua.org/plan/weddings/photo-gallery , retrieved on 11/24/2017 ).

But then again, there’s a downside to everything isn’t there? And that’s the weather, don’t get me wrong, usually, it is very nice out and peaceful, the temperature doesn’t get too high and when it’s cold it doesn’t feel that cold because there’s not much wind. The only problem that I think everyone who is living here can relate to is the rain. It rains pretty frequently and you can only choose to put up with it because it is the weather itself.

Let’s talk more about the culture of Vancouver, based on information from https://www.tourismvancouver.com/vancouver/history/5-cultures-that-shaped-vancouver/ ( retrieved on 11/22/2017 ), Vancouver’s culture is shaped by 5 different origins of people :

+First Nations +Chinese

+Japanese + Italian

+Indian

You can see pretty much immediately when you come to Vancouver that there are so many types of people from everywhere, you turn 4 ways and there are different people from completely different parts of the world standing in front of you. And that’s an amazing thing to see, the diversity and home-like environment can really keep you up on your feet in difficult days as an international student.

Vancouver’s food culture is also highly influenced by the cultures above, it is famous for their diverse types of dishes, all the way from Japanese sushi, Chinese dim sum to Vietnamese Pho and Indian chicken masala.

The food here is amazing, I can find cuisines from all over the globe within steps along Downtown or wherever they’re positioned. I went to this dim sum place on Victoria Dr. for lunch a couple of weeks ago with my relatives, and it was absolutely mind-blowing, the dishes were made by the original Chinese people so the taste was very accurate. It really triggered my sense of finding great restaurants here and was a great introduction to me with the diversity that Vancouver can offer. I’d give a recommendation to every person who came to Vancouver for the first time wanting to try out Western cuisine to go to, at least once, Neighbours also on Victoria Dr. if my memory serves me right and order a 10 oz. Steak with baked potatoes and meatball spaghetti. You’ll thank me later!

And another plus point about Vancouver that you should all really put into perspective is the environment and nature, that’s 1 more incredible thing about the people’s state of mind from Vancouver, which is they know both how to and put the importance of the environment above pretty much everything else. That is a noble thing to be learned and spread amongst cultures across the world based on what is happening to our planet right now, which shows how the culture and habit themselves here had started teaching me and many other people to pay much more attention to where I put my garbage and how a single act can help change that state of not just a region but if everyone else starts doing it, it could change the world, and it all starts with us and our own acknowledgement as well as our later influence. And I think that’s how Vancouver can really get to you, it puts into your own perspective the kind of thinking you never thought you’d have before and you start to have this feeling that you’re gradually doing good to the society around yourself, which is something that I truly think that people should obtain.

Vancouver at the current time is the closest thing that I get to a home since I’m gonna be studying here for the next 4 years of college and university. So I think it’s reasonable for me to talk about the place that is my original home, where I was was born and raised - Hanoi, Vietnam.

Hanoi ( Hà Nội ) is the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Hanoi is located in the center of the Northern side of Vietnam. With a population of 7.588 million people by 2015 in an area of 3.329 square kilometers, Hanoi is considered to be 1 of the most crowded cities in Vietnam. ( Statistics based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi , retrieved on 11/25/2017 ).

Some images and maps of Hanoi :

( http://www.worldatlas.com/as/vn/hn/where-is-hanoi.html , retrieved on 11/23/2017 ).

( Via http://www.geoatlas.com/en/maps/city-maps-5/hanoi-2267 , retrieved on 11/23/2017 ).

Hanoi has a rather hot climate I would say, after all, Vietnam is a tropical country. The temperature in the summer can get a little bit irritating or even seems harsh to some people since it can reach up to 42 degrees Celsius in the hottest period of time in the day. Hanoi has a different weather year-round from Ho Chi Minh City which is in the Southern part of Vietnam because it has all 4 seasons whilst Ho Chi Minh City only has 2. I myself think that Hanoi and Vancouver are similar to each other. Yes, I know it’s not fair to compare the 2 because Canada is much more advanced and civilized than Vietnam. But then the flaws that Vietnam has, the country made up to me big time by the spiritual values that it offered throughout the years.

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, therefore, it focuses more on technology development and it is the center for all big companies to establish their own stands, the same thing goes for Vancouver.

Hanoi has many sites that you just need to go to immediately after you get off the plane such as :

Hoan Kiem Lake - the scenery that I think that people will hear about the most as soon as they set foot on the Hanoi territory. Because it plays such an important part in Hanoi’s culture and history. The Lake is the center of the city, it is not just in the center of the city but it is THE center of the city. Đồng Xuân night market, Hoan Kiem walking street every weekend, Lý Thái Tổ Park,...

Hồ Hoàn Kiếm ( https://www.foody.vn/ha-noi/ho-guom , retrieved on 11/26/2017 ).

I personally think that Hanoi has a very diverse food culture, not because it has many races of people like Vancouver living in it, but because it has the dishes from all over of Vietnam. Believe me, that is a lot of tastes for food because each province, each part of Vietnam has a special dish and as you know, the mentality of every single person is “if you want to succeed, you gotta succeed in the big cities”. So Hanoi became the center not for just technology development but also for the impressive food differential.

If you come to Hanoi, and you do not try Phở, you’re considered never been to Hanoi and you just made pretty much 1 of the biggest mistakes of your life. Phở is seen to be 1 of the types of food that defines the Vietnamese culture and their own people. It plays a big role in giving Hanoi the credit that it deserves. I myself have ridden through most of the city’s corners, mostly with a group of my close friends and sometimes by myself, especially when it was near the point I was about to leave Vietnam to come to Vancouver, to enjoy all that Hanoi has to offer. Take my advice, don’t go to the fancy, flashy restaurants in Hanoi, that’s simply tour-arranged sites. The real fun and the real culture of the city sits on the streets, in the narrow alleys, where they don’t get too much market or tours influences, that’s how they stay true to their roots and that’s how Hanoi food cuisine stayed put no matter how much time had passed. So basically you’re tasting recipes that came up at around 1930′s!

Phở on the sides of the roads ( http://www.phunutoday.vn/pho-ganh--hanh-trinh-di-tim-lai-ha-noi-xua-d94352.html , retrieved on 11/26/2017 ).

In my own opinion and under my point of view, Hanoi or even Vietnam in general still has a lack of training female individuals for specific dominantly-male-considered types of professions. And I think that firstly Hanoi, since it is the capital, needs to look at this problem seriously and to put Vancouver as a strong example to be looked up to in this matter. Females in Vietnam need to have a chance to express their own true abilities, to have an equal chance to be employed in Applied Sciences, Economic-related jobs; or even as small of a matter as to be able to be a good driver through proper, thorough processes of training. This is going to be a great contribution to Vietnam’s economic situation and the percentage of the professional labor force.

There’s one more city in Vietnam that means so much to me both physically and mentally whenever I have a chance to visit, which is Ho Chi Minh City - the city that was named after our great former leader.

Ho Chi Minh City ( Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh ) - formerly known as Sài Gòn, is the biggest city in population and economy matter in Vietnam with a population of 8.426 million people by 2016 and has a total area of 2.096 square kilometers, 2nd in the whole country ( only ranked after Hanoi ). ( Statistics based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City , retrieved on 11/25/2017 ).

Ho Chi Minh City’s maps ( http://virtual-saigon.net/Maps/Collection?ID=1089 , retrieved on 11/26/2017 ).

Ho Chi Minh City is basically Hanoi of the Southern part of Vietnam. Hanoi is the center of the Northern part and HCM City is the center of the Southern part of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is known for its amazing citizens and also famous sights, such as Ben Thanh Market ( Chợ Bến Thành ) - which is one of the busiest markets in the whole Vietnam, same goes with Dong Xuan ( Chợ Đồng Xuân ) - Hanoi’s version of the original, back-in-the-days market. Or Dinh Độc Lập - the Independence Palace if you want to pronounce it in English. Even the Nguyễn Huệ walking street which is definitely one of the best tourist attractions.

Some pictures of famous sites in HCM City :

Dinh Độc Lập ( http://ditich.dinhdoclap.gov.vn/vi-vn/trang-chu.aspx , retrieved on 11/26/2017 ).

Chợ Bến Thành ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/rnugraha/3095172663 , retrieved on 11/26/2017 ).

HCM City’s food culture is also very, very diverse. Hủ tiếu, Bún riêu, Cơm tấm,.... It’s gonna take me days to list all of them, which all are specialties of HCM City and also Vietnam itself. The food there is especially mesmerizing to be exact, I have not had the opportunity to try them all. But that’s the reason I always tell myself upon, to set a goal of how many types of food to try out during my time of staying. I tried maybe about 15, and they were 15 of the best food that my taste has ever had the opportunity of experiencing, and also, so should yours!

HCM City is literally the city that lives by night, so if you want to experience the best that the city can offer you, go out a little bit later than usual and let loose! The night bars, the city’s lights, and entertainment that goes on the whole night. But the most special thing, to me, is still the food trucks, if you wanna call it like that, which stays 24/7 on the sides of the streets, waiting to serve hungry night cravers looking for street food. And I can tell you right now, there’s nothing more amazing than going back home from a night with your best group of friends, although exhausted and the hunger just creeps in every 5′, but then you found a food truck right out at the beginning of the alley where you live. That feeling of “I just found a treasure box” rises up inside and that’s the perfect ending to a legendary night.

Night food truck ( http://dulich.dantri.com.vn/du-lich/leu-ban-do-an-dem-net-van-hoa-dac-trung-han-quoc-1434354982.htm , retrieved on 11/26/2017 ).

Ho Chi Minh City always has a special place in my heart, because I also have some of my family members living there. My aunt, her husband, and their kids are the main reason for my visiting. They’ve been an absolute inspiration to me as a kid. My favorite sport is tennis, and my aunt’s husband got me hooked on tennis when I was an 8th grader. I became obsessed with everything that had something to do with tennis, and I go to Ho Chi Minh City every summer I’m available to get a chance to play tennis in my uncle’s court and hang out with their family as often as I can. And HCM City was the place that gave me that inspiration! I always thought that I would find the passion of my life in my hometown because it’s closer to me and has a bigger impact on me. But according to what actually happened, trust me, surprising things can happen in surprising places. And you never know, it might be in HCM City or Hanoi even as of a small chance as it is.

HCM City people have a very special accent, differs them from Hanoi people. Their voice is very smooth and rather tonal-free comparing to Hanoi people’s accent, which is a little bit more formal, it’s like a New York accent to a Texas accent in the old cowboy movies. And this is a great thing, it shows the 2 different cultures from 2 sides of a single country. Not only do the things the people do but how they speak also differentiate each other and it can give you the sense of diversity that Vietnam always has in-store.

Vietnam means everything to me, first and foremost, because my family’s in Vietnam, and it’s the place where I built my whole life upon, it is the country that raised me ever since I was given birth and introduced me to life aspects, both good and bad. But Canada plays and is going to play a huge part in my life as well. It is going to be where I build my own career, my own vision, and hopefully, my own future family.

Vietnam comparing to Canada is still a small country, but hopefully, in the future, I can help contribute to Vietnam’s development and day by day getting closer to Canada’s levels. Vietnam still needs to look up to Canada in the aspects of gender equality, environment, traffic, and others. But I truly believe that we can get there, we’re getting better every day, and I hope that we can continue that streak in the next 10, 20, 30, 40,..... years, and help put Vietnam on the actual map of the world.

I truly hope that in your eyes and through your own experience, you’ll find the beauty of Hanoi, HCM City, and Vietnam in overall as it showed me. And in the meantime, I’ll give my best to study and experience all that Vancouver, Canada has to offer. “Life’s short, honey”, that’s what my mom and dad always tell me, and it’s very true. Give your fullest to study, get better, live, enjoy everything that life has in-stored. I’m walking on my path, moving forward on every step of the way, how about you?

Thank you very much for taking your time to read this,

Regards,

Quoc-Luong Nguyen ( Leo )

Vancouver, 11/26/2017.

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