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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 22, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| June 16, 2007 |
Da Nang, Viet Nam – Culture Swap! Making friends with the youth of Da Nang, Viet Nam |
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| Local youth group members welcome the Peace Boat with a performance of the Môt thoa?g quê huong in traditional aozai dress |
As the Peace Boat glided into Da Nang, its first port of call along the east coast of Viet Nam, shouts of "Xin chao!" rose from the crowd waiting to greet the ship. Dressed in elegant aozai, a local youth group continued the welcome by offering participants onboard a dazzling display of Vietnamese dancing and singing. The 'Land of Smiles' has long offered Peace Boat one of the largest and warmest welcomes in the world. |
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| A Japanese participant is presented her own No? hat |
Through an exchange program organized by Peace Boat, 200 participants had the chance to learn more about Vietnamese culture and to share their own. By pairing up with members of the Da Nang Youth Union, each quickly made friendships that crossed international boundaries and bridged the different cultures. In their welcoming gesture, the teens and early twenty-year-olds of the youth group presented their Japanese partners with a peaked straw hat, known as the No?. Passing on the gift to her partner, 17 year old Ngoc Sao Mai Nguyéñ explained why she wanted to be part of the exchange: "I want to meet new people and learn about the culture in Japan" she said. |
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| A Vietnamese dragon leads the parade through Da Nang |
Despite the language barrier, all soon found a way to interact and understand each other. This was achieved by singing international favourites together, including a Japanese rendition of "If you're happy and you know it." As the sun set, the bus of travellers joined the frenzy of motorbikes heading towards the annual Festival of the Sea, which attracts around 90,000 people from across Viet Nam over its four-day celebration. The newfound friends had the honour of joining the festival's opening parade. Led by a colourful, mythical dragon, the Peace Boat party kept up the rhythm with traditional Japanese drumming and wound through the packed streets toward a specially arranged open-air concert. |
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| Taiko drummers share their cultural musical talent with the Vietnamese youth |
The concert was another opportunity for all to share the art and culture of Japan and Viet Nam, including an ethnic Vietnamese dance from the west highlands of the country. Peace Boat guests Tokyo Gyangstar also rocked the crowd with a popular Vietnamese song, whilst more Japanese drumming completed the experience. In the spirit of the exchange, Mika Hasegawa, Cruise Director of the 58th Voyage, raised awareness of the opportunities ahead by saying "we are only here for two days, but we can all make friends forever. Together, through friendship, we can build peace between the people of Asia." |
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| After a long night, new friends take a swim together to greet the sun |
With this in mind, everyone made the most of the time left with an all-night bonfire party on the beach. Celebrations continued long into the night, with the Japanese participants teaching their partners the Bon Odori and Soran Bushi dances – the movements of which represent traditional activities such as farming and fishing. As the fire died down, many sat under the starry sky telling stories or playing games until sunrise. In the bright morning sun many realised that only a few hours remained before departure, beginning a frantic period of email swapping and photo-taking. Some even drew pictures of their partners, or made origami gifts to remember them by. |
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| Decorations and drawings by friends on each others’ no? hats sum up the culture swap |
After some last beach games, there was just enough time for the Vietnamese youths to show partners their favourite spots around Da Nang. However, there was no stopping the inevitable departure. For many it was a tearful goodbye, including Konomi Horie, 21. "I didn't want to leave. I've made a good friend in my partner and we will stay in touch by email" she said. By building ties like this, the culture swap gives everyone involved a personal link to another country in Asia. And in the future, each will no longer see that country as a distant, foreign land, but as a place where they have a friend. Through such people to people links, Peace Boat continues to build friendships around the world, and through those friendships, peace can be built. |
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