Country Ain't Stupid




Welcoming Committee in A Luoi District, Thua Thien Hue Province

 During this investigation period in Vietnam, I traveled to some of the more remote areas of Vietnam's central region.  Flying into one of these backwater areas in a helicopter creates quite a commotion amongst the locals, and there are always security guys out to make sure everyone keeps their distance.  We do, however, get to smile, shake hands, fist pump, and flash the peace sign from time to time; and I try to take a little extra time to make small talk with the kids and elderly folks in the villages we go to.  All of this is done between the work, but does make the work more bearable. It gives me time to forget about the heat, sweat, flies and leeches.

Seeing the village residents carry on with the daily lives is refreshing. If I am not careful, I find myself thinking I would like such a simple life.  Everyone is smiling and looks healthy enough. Kids play in the water, and the friendship bonds seem unbreakable.  No one is self conscious about what others are thinking, and even when someone does something silly and others laugh at them, they laugh, too!

Best Friends Forever in A Luoi District

It doesn't take much to bring myself back to the reality that I would never make it. My fate would lie in the statistical infant mortality rate or the death toll of those who died from malaria, dysentery, or even something as simple as the flu.  You can see the evidence of hardship in the deep scars from working in the fields, and the mosquito bites that cover the legs of the kids.  Their smiles are so bright, it is easy to overlook at first.  These kids are super human.  They are the survivors of the infections and the plagues.  They have an immune system that scientist should study, duplicate and bottle; selling it to the West for a handy little profit.

The Simple Country Life



Kids Playing in a Local Stream in A Luoi District

They're not stupid.  Country ain't stupid.  These village residents would be unfazed by an apocalyptic event.  Life would go on as usual.  They would still farm their fields, raise their cattle, slop the pigs and burn the midnight oil they made themselves.  They wouldn't miss the phones and the internet and no one would complain as the rest of the world would get swallowed up in panic and chaos.  It is all a matter of perspective, but I reckon Hank Williams, Jr. got it right when he said a country boy can survive.