Gathering in Dicheng

Gathering in Dicheng is full of energy. When you come to Vietnam, whether you are on a business trip or visiting relatives, you can't do without the food, drink and entertainment. Although prices are currently soaring, in addition to the high...

When you come to Vietnam, whether you are on a business trip or visiting relatives, you cannot do without food, drink and entertainment. Although prices are currently soaring, in addition to high-end consumption and staggering multi-star prices, there are still cheap and preferential conditions in popular and medium-sized restaurants, or other service industries, so it can attract many tourists from all over the world, and many relatives and friends gather in Dicheng. For this reason, this time I returned to Vietnam and met more relatives and friends than in any previous year. Just a rough record of the past two months, the gathering of relatives and friends from all over the world in Dicheng was quite impressive. I arrived in Vietnam in mid-May and already knew that Xu Mianzhang, a literary friend, was in the embankment. He came back every year to visit relatives and visit his elderly and loving mother. He liked to invite friends to the Hao Diao Mei stall to have breakfast and bond with each other. He often went out for lunch and dinner, and occasionally organized singing and dancing to enjoy the afterglow of the sunset. In the past, he rented my room in Yue, which was relatively cheap. Last year and this year, the room was fully occupied, so he had to rent a hotel outside. He once said to me with emotion: "We are really different from each other. You have to collect rent when you go back to Vietnam, but I have to pay rent when I go back to Vietnam. You are so happy!" That being said, everything comes at a cost. It is quite risky for me to buy a house again and ask my relatives to sign on my behalf! In May, I learned that my old friend Zhou Guofang had already returned to Di'an from Australia. This was the appointment last year. He decided to take his family back to Vietnam to marry his daughter and his wife. He said that only weddings here would be grand and happy, and the banquet could be held for dozens of tables. The wedding banquet was held at the luxurious White House Restaurant in Saigon. Each person had a portion of Chinese and Western dishes, plate by plate, and everyone tasted it. There was no dispute. For the celebration of marrying a daughter-in-law, a banquet was held at the Orchid Restaurant in Fushou Garden on the bank. Traditionally, they drank together at the same table, cut chopsticks together, and were courteous to each other. They were full of joy. In May, my niece Yu Ping, who lives in Pingtung, Taiwan, took her uncle back to Vietnam and planned to marry a Vietnamese bride in Can Tho, Western District. During their stay in the dike, my niece's favorite place was to have breakfast at Ruyi Restaurant because there was a "Singing Together" program to entertain her. She ate, sang, presented flowers and decorations, and laughed and laughed. She was so happy! At the end of May, my second son Guofeng came over from Guangzhou first, mainly to purchase some wedding supplies, print invitations, and explore the general situation. After a week of waiting, his fiancée Qiong Yao flew in to meet him and started processing immediately. Qiong Yao is a girl from Guangzhou who has never set foot in Vietnam. When she arrives, she will sit on the back of a motorcycle driven by Guofeng. She will go shopping in Ho Chi Minh City, go shopping, and taste Vietnamese food. She will also drive to the Xianquan tourist area more than ten kilometers away to visit the fruit seasonal event. She will also find time to register for a two-day tour to Phan Thiet Shelter Point, where she will go to the beach, climb sand dunes, eat seafood, and enjoy the flavor of Vietnam. In early June, travelers from Phoenix City all gathered in Ho Chi Minh City for an unprecedented lively meeting. First came my cousin Yutai’s family of four, followed by Huang and his wife, the owners of Jinlong Jewelry Store, plus my son’s couple and me and my wife, a total of ten people. It was a rare occasion. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I made an appointment to have breakfast at Ruyi Restaurant, and invited relatives from across the border to attend, as a meeting ceremony with my daughter-in-law; because of the upcoming wedding banquet in November, Vietnamese relatives cannot fly to the United States to attend the banquet. Therefore, this six-nine dinner party is of extraordinary significance, simple and grand, with eating, singing and endless fun. In addition, my wife and I also participated in a series of programs organized by the Kim Long Wong family. For example, they feasted on seafood delicacies at the Hong Kong Restaurant on the beach at noon on the day of airport pick-up, accompanied them to Tra Vinh City in the Western District to visit the tombs and taste Vietnamese fresh fish sour soup, followed by dining on country-style recipes at the barbecue village in southern Saigon. It was the turn of their Vietnamese friend Sister Lin to cook and perform at home to satisfy her appetite, and even sang karaoke. During the limited days they had left in Vietnam, the Huang couple took advantage of the time and went to Ruyi Restaurant for morning tea, shrimp dumplings, steamed rice dumplings, and noodle wontons. They sang, danced, and had a great time. These morning happy programs can only be found in Vietnam! Okay, finally, on the eve of leaving Vietnam, we went to the old street cafe and played pleasant light music. Everyone chose drinks of their own, including juice, ice cream, soda, and beer. Everyone felt comfortable and talked freely, because tomorrow is the end of the world again. When a group of relatives and friends from Phoenix flew back, on July 3rd, three other tourists from Phoenix came again. They were the husband and wife Chu Rong and his sister Shaoqing. They arrived in an appointment with their old cousin from Australia. A total of 14 heroes arrived in Vietnam that day. It was so grand and lively. I held a banquet for them that night, and chose to go to the Bagao Le Beef Qiwei restaurant, which has been long-established for decades. Wow! Because it was a Sunday night, the restaurant was full of diners, and there was no air-conditioned room. So a long banquet with 16 seats was squeezed into the warm and lively space. Some of them had not been here for more than 30 years, and some were new to this place. They were surprised by the prosperity of Vietnam's catering industry. On the first day, every food shop along the way was packed with customers. "Where do you get all this money?" God knows! My group of relatives and tourists were looking for travel destinations as soon as they entered Ho Chi Minh City. Two days later, they immediately flew to Hanoi for an eight-day tour of the North and Central Districts. Then they returned to Saigon City and stayed overnight on the 14th. On the 15th, they quickly got up early to go to Long Khanh to call for the souls of their ancestors and to Bien Hoa to sweep their graves. They immediately flew to Thailand the next day and came back on the 8th. Without stopping or resting, they continued to the tourist resort of Nha Trang Dalat in Vietnam. They invited me and my wife to travel together, but the queen shook her head and waved her hands, refusing to agree. Firstly, they had already traveled, so there was no point in spending money. Secondly, they were traveling so quickly, which was not enjoyment, but a torment. In short, during their stay in Ho Chi Minh City, I tried to accompany them to find delicious Vietnamese food and satisfy their appetites. That was enough. Completed on July 19, 2011 in Dicheng, Vietnam