Prompt: How are Pham's attitudes toward Vietnam changed during his train tride to Hanoi?

During his trip to Vietnam, prior to his train ride, Pham thinks rather negatively of his birth country. During the train ride, Pham gains a respectful attitude toward Vietnam and its people, and he feels comfortable in his skin in Vietnam for the first time.

Before the train ride, Pham is disappointed by Vietnam. He believes that the citizens are “wanting-wanting-wanting people,” concentrated mostly on the pursuit of money (102). He “grow[s] bored with their single-minded pursuit of earning a living” because his views of living life to the fullest contrast with the views of the Vietnamese people. Therefore, Pham feels like an outsider looking on.

On his way to Phan Thiet, Pham “feels vulnerable, especially when passing through villages” (171). He does not feel comfortable in Vietnam. When he is in Phan Thiet, he is disappointed by what he sees, and he feels separates, “too removed” from the “Vietnamese muck” (183). His use of the word “muck” implies that he almost does not know what to make of Vietnam. He feels like an outsider – separated, uncomfortable, and vulnerable – in his birth country, Vietnam.

During the train ride, Pham’s views of Vietnam begin to change. He is put on the train by a Vietnam native, Hoang, despite the fact that he is a “Viet-kieu,” a Vietnamese American back to visit. When Pham is speaking to Mai, a young woman, on the train, he tells her that Vietnam is “beautiful in its own way” compared to America despite the visible poverty (205). Pham begins to appreciate Vietnam beyond the poverty he sees.

As he hears the train roaring through a tunnel, Pham realizes he is “in awe…of this steel road laid by Vietnamese hands”; he begins to “admire…[and] respect” the Vietnamese people (207). Previously, Pham believed the people were too focused on earning money, but here he begins to appreciate fully the hard work the Vietnamese have done. Pham has a desire “to find [the Vietnamese] likable”; he wants to connect to them, not just respect them as an outsider (207).

When Pham is drinking with his friends on the train, he describes them (himself included) as “leaning on each other” as they are talking in the cabin (209). This gesture suggests the camaraderie between Pham and his newly found Vietnamese fiends; he is no longer an outsider looking in, and he begins to feel comfortable with these people. He notices the “hospitality and friendship” people show him at dinner, highlighting his admiration for the Vietnamese (209).

When the train stops at a station and young children are there begging for food, Pham gives them some rice and leftovers from dinner. When he notices how happy they are, giggling and jumping around, he considers that “maybe [he is] wrong about heaven not lying across the Pacific” (210). Pham’s use of the word “heaven” is an interesting choice here because it is a term with very strong connotations; Pham feels strongly about the happiness he witnesses and refers to Vietnam as a “heaven.”

My Thoughts: After practicing with the first couple of timed assignments, I did very well on this timed essay. Not only did I brainstorm using a mind map and list of comparisons ("rainbow connections"), I succintly stated my ideas in this paper. I believe I understood the topic well and realized how to approach it, which made for a successful essay. I avoided being repetitive (improvement from the last assignment), and I was free of grammatical errors. I have improved a lot in the area of grammar especially since high school, making less and less mistakes on timed assignments.