Communist Connection

One thing that has surprised me about Vietnam is the large number of Russian tourists. This is the first place I have encountered that has Russian tourists, but it makes sense when you think about for two reasons. 1. Russia is relatively close to Vietnam 2. Vietnam is still a communist country.
The other night we were having dinner at a close by seafood restaurant that was infiltrated by 3 big tables of Russians. I did infact hear many long drinking toasts in Russian and the name Yuri (my little brother's name) called out several times, which I enjoyed. What is also interesting is that you can pick out who are the Russians even before they speak. The men are very tall and buff and just big in general, while the women are tall , skinny, beautiful and have sharp facial features.
Last night, there was a ladies night gathering that I decided to go to that was a blast. We all met (about 20 of us) at a nearby restaurant for dinner and wine. We then went to the kiteboarding school hut on the beach and proceeded to drink more and play Truth or Dare. After that, we went to WAX, the closeby beach lounge/bar for more drinks and dancing. What I enjoyed most is the fact that it was like a mini-UN meeting with women from all over the world getting together. Some women work in Mui Ne as kiteboard instructors or managers during the tourist season while others were long-term vacationers. Of the 20 or so girls there I was the only American and only 1 of 2 native English speakers. The rest were a mix of German, Danish, French, Finnish, Flemish, Hungarian, Vietnamese and Russian.
I especially enjoyed hanging out with the Russian girls from Moscow. They are very lively, spirited and have great accents. I think this fascination also comes from the fact that I grew up during the end of the Cold War and we were always told that the Russians were our enemies. That makes them more exotic somehow. I am now happy to report that I have two new comrade friends named Zoya and Maya.