My world walk blog - Vietnam #2

My world walk blog - Vietnam #2

Two more rain-dodging days walking in Vietnam. The first produced 32 and then today 24 kilometres when I stopped early at a nice cheap hotel.

People continue to greet me as I walk through villages. I was even beckoned over to an all-female construction crew and for a joke, I picked up a shovel and shovelled some sand. That went down well and we all had a great laugh!

That day I got to a small called Thanh Long and went into a restaurant for dinner. There seemed to be a party going on and next thing I'm told that my meal and drinks were on the house. Then a man called Thuc and Luu, his twelve-year-old son who speaks decent English kindly invited me back to their place for a shower and a bed. 

Actually, they own a karaoke bar and a visit was made! 

There were not too many songs in English, mostly the Beatles and I couldn't keep a straight face when singing Help! Actually, I laughed my head off as my plea for someone "To please Help me" went on deaf ears. They did have Crocodile Rock, my party-piece, so I enjoyed that one. 

Then today I noticed that there were a lot of Vietnam flags being flown and for sale in shops. A quick Google search told that Vietnam Day is this Sunday, September 2nd.

" This Vietnamese public holiday is celebrated on 2 September.

If the holiday falls on a weekend, the following Monday may be observed as a public holiday.

National Day marks Vietnam's declaration of independence from France.

History of Vietnamese National Day

In 1887 Vietnam became part of French Indochina. During World War II, Vietnam was occupied by the Japanese.

Following the end of the war, on 2 September 1945, following the 'August Revolution', Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).

Despite the differences that grew between Vietnam and the USA, the Vietnamese declaration of Independence itself drew heavily from the American version

In 1976, the two halves of Vietnam were finally united into one country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, but 2 September remains as the key date in Vietnam's road to independence."

24,692 kilometres walked in 707 road days