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shimoto Akemi, my youngest sister, used to say: "I like Vietnam very much." After she died in 1994, I wanted to pay a visit to Vietnam, but I never had that opportunity. Last summer I joined the group organized by Japa Vietnam and went to the country my sister liked so much.
One of our trips was to the Mekong delta. We hired a car for 10 persons and moved south towards the city of Can Tho by the Mekong river. After spending a night there, we headed next morning for Phung Hiep in the Mekong delta. We left the car in Phung Hiep to take a boat already waiting for our arrival.
r. Nam, a Catholic parish-priest working in that area, was waiting for us at the riverside and we rode together on a boat through the canals of the delta, for about 45 minutes. The boat chugged along breaking the water. We, often, met small engine boats at both sides of the canal, transporting people and agricultural products. Many of the people plying the oars were women and small girls. We saw houses at both sides built of bricks, but many were made of nipa leaves. Several of them were built almost at the water level.
he canals had many branches or intersections and very primitive small bridges were built across them. In fact, they were just trees pulled down with a simple handrail made out of bamboo. They are called "monkey bridges" and they are dangerous to cross, especially for children, pregnant women and old people. We could also see at both sides narrow (about 1mt wide) small bridges made out of concrete.
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Akimi Street
he canals had many branches or intersections and very primitive small bridges were built across them. In fact, they were just trees pulled down with a simple handrail made out of bamboo. They are called "monkey bridges" and they are dangerous to cross, especially for children, pregnant women and old people. We could also see at both sides narrow (about 1mt wide) small bridges made out of concrete.
e finally reached our destination. The church is about 10mt far from the canal. We landed and walked along a narrow road, made of bricks and stones, by the name of Akimi road. Japa Vietnam has been assisting those primitive villages helping the people to repair and build bridges and small roads, to dig wells and provide transport (boats) for the children to go to far away schools. Akimi, my deceased sister, was a co-founder of
Japa Vietnam and had been several times in the same place.
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hen we arrived at the church, 20 persons were waiting for us there. In their official welcoming speech they greeted us and expressed very kind remarks regarding the past visits of Akimi, my sister, to their village. Since she visited them, they added, Japa Vietnam has brought countless gifts to the villagers, like wells, concrete bridges, vital roads, etc. As a token of gratitude, and in order to always remember her, they named
the main road of their village: "Akimi road". That is a vital road for them and it was the first road in that region to be in good repair, thanks to Japa Vietnam.
he people accompanied us around showing us the wells, the bridges and roads. They brought us to the site of a new well they were digging with a drill. They explained to us that they usually could find good fresh water at a depth of between 80 and 110mt.
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hen we returned to the church they led us to the hall. In the center of the room there was a big photograph of Akimi, my deceased sister, with 3 sticks of incense. I stayed in front of her for the first time in several years remembering her words: "I'm ashamed, because, in spite that I didn't do anything special, everybody is full of joy". I muttered to
myself: "it's wonderful to realize how much loving respect they show to her".
hanks to small gifts from Japan, the villagers themselves can rebuild their roads and bridges. Small efforts are able to produce visible results in remote lands of Vietnam.
(Edited from "CHAO VIETNAM", n. 16)
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