Children of a Bru village in the Central Highlands.

The villages of Vietnam—North, Center and South—are unique cultures within a culture.  Since there have been many important books written about village life and customs, it is sad to see the lack of understanding about the importance of these areas of Vietnamese life.  The village suffers when the leaders make mistakes; the village suffers when the foreigner arrives; the village suffers before the country suffers—but the village endures.  In my experience in Vietnam, the Vietnamese villager displayed the true nature of the Vietnamese character—survival.  It is this characteristic that makes the Vietnamese nation unique.  The ability of the villager to survive the bad administration of their affairs by both the North and the South is a credit to their culture and their wisdom.  When the cities of the North, the Center, and the South make peace with the villages, then Vietnam will be at peace.