Neighbours

These two houses sit literally across the road from one another, beside the canal. We pass by nightly as we stroll to the main street in search of our dinner. Over the month that we have been here, we have had many opportunitites to witness the contrasts in the lives of these very close neighbours.

The large house is a single family dwelling ( the sign to the left is for our inn......makes it look rather like this palatial place is the hotel!!!) Unlike the majority of Vietnamese who own land, these folks have not planted every available square inch with vegetables.....corn,squash or beans.

We have surmised therefore that the owner has either a high ranking government job or prospers from the tourist industry.

Across the road, this two room house, has at least five occupants....six counting the big TV in the main room! Yesterday we saw three water buffalo wandering through the field adjacent, and so we have imagined that the inhabitants of this house work land somewhere nearby.

Obviously there are few "zoning by-laws" here. We do see evidence of planned "suburban communities", but so far there are only signs with lots plotted out and no sign of construction. One day this lilttle town will though, be connected to the neighbouring city of Da Nang, by a string of such developments as well as luxury hotels and golf courses along the prime beach front property.

As everywhere, the concern is for the locals continuing ability to produce their own food and survive without the rice paddies and corn fields.