sofimofi: Ship Ahoy! Zheng He's sailors in Saigon!

Last Tuesday, on just another normal day, I was at the General Post Office taking care of some tasks. I had just been looking through some of the neat cultural books on sale at the central desk, while at the same time eavesdropping on a nearby tour group wherein the guide was explaining some interesting facts about an old worker well beyond retirement-age still working enthusiastically in the post office. The guide pointed out the cheery old man aiding at the writing benches, who then came to have a chat with the tourists. He is in his 80s, and speaks impeccable French and English, and he helps visitors with their mailing and writing translation needs everyday. As I was thinking to myself how this city was so full of incredibly interesting people in random places, I turned around to head out and suddenly got slammed with an astonishing fairytale-like scene. In front of my eyes were a group of happy sailors in crisp white naval uniforms, looking at the souvenirs round the desk and being attended to by two Vietnamese ladies in beautiful pearl-blue traditional ao dai dresses. I was gobsmacked.

I instantly started taking pictures of the sailors as they nonchalantly went about their touristic activities, browsing through goods, mailing letters, and even taking pictures of each other with their cameras hanging round their necks in true tourist style. Bu-! But! Am I seeing things?!! Am I the only one seeing these giant robust sailor men spread out all over the post office doing casual tourist sight-seeing things?!! Curiosity grabbed over the reins of my motor-sensory faculty and led me to a sailor to inquire and even to get some pictures taken with them.

The sailor told me that they were from the Chinese Navy and they were here on a visit. His English was not very good, but the two sailors I took a picture with were very receptive to my curiosity and photo-taking. As I grudgingly dragged myself out of the post office (while trying to take as many non-invasive photos of the jolly sailors as possible) I was left in sheer wonder and delight at the whole random happening. I made my way through downtown and was amused to see more sailors on the street, taking pictures of each other. Later on in the day, I was on a scheduled task at the wharf and happened to take pictures of some grand ships. Only later on when I researched on the internet did I realize that I had snapped a picture of the very Chinese Naval Vessel from which the sailors came. If this day was not a day of sheer coincidence and marvel, I don't know what day is!

The Chinese Navy was in Ho Chi Minh from Monday April 23rd to 26th as part of a global goodwill voyage aimed at deepening Chinese relations with the world, fostering friendship between Chinese navies and international navies, and promoting "harmony at oceans". The Chinese Navy vessel, named Zheng He after a famed Chinese marine explorer who commanded seven epic maiden voyages throughout the world in the 1400s, started its journey on April 16th from the port of Dalian in China's northeastern coast, and sailed to Ho Chi Minh port as the first leg of its five-month round-the-world journey. In total, Zheng He will cover more than 30,000 nautical miles as it will sail and carry out naval exchanges with ports from 11 countries around the world: Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Italy, Spain, Canada, Ecuador, French Polynesia, Tonga, Indonesia, Brunei, Djibouti, Jamaica, and Australia. The vessel is carrying 308 sailors, including 110 students from the Dalian Naval Academy undergoing a vigorous naval internship program, as well as representatives from 13 navy colleges around the world, including 13 females. In Ho Chi Minh City, exchanges included visiting a naval technological academy, playing volleyball and tug-o-war with Vietnamese naval students, inviting Chinese expats and delegates as well as the Vietnamese Navy on board to tour its ship, amongst other cooperative activities.

One Chinese navy student said: "We understand that the Vietnamese volleyball team is well trained. In addition, we also feel that the friendship between China and Vietnam is an all-weather friendship. Ours is a friendship among good friends, good comrades and good partners." As the Chinese training vessel continues its expedition around the globe, following the maritime routes of one of the world's greatest maritime navigators and great source of Chinese pride from which the vessel is named, Wu Shengli, commander of the Chinese Navy, hopes to capture Zheng He's spirit of harbouring respect and understanding between the peoples of the world to create a harmonious maritime environment.