Book Review: Destination Saigon

Escape Travel Section
Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Herald Sun, Sunday Mail, Adelaide Now, Sunday Times
Sunday, 7th March 2010

Walter Mason captures the colour, smells, everyday life and cultural contradictions that is Vietnam in the 21st century.  

This is not a guidebook, but Mason takes the reader on an off-the-beaten-track tour of Vietnam's vast array of cities, beaches and villages.  

Through his experiences and the eyes of locals, Mason shows how this quirky country gets under the skin of travellers.

Travel tales with a spiritual edge

Fairfield Advance

By Carleen Frost
Wednesday, 3 March 2010

WALTER Mason hated his first trip to Vietnam.
Terrified of being approached by beggars, he spent the first three days of the journey locked in his hotel room.

When he returned, everything changed.

“I felt instantly connected,” he said.

“The beauty of the place and the wonderful atmosphere there outweighs any of the negatives.”
Mr Mason has lost count of how many times he has been to Vietnam since his first trip in 1994.

He spent six months studying Vietnamese at the Ho Chi Minh Social Sciences University in 1996, and went back for three months in 2008 to write his book Destination Saigon.

The travel memoir was last week named book of the month at the Better Read than Dead bookstore in Newtown.

“It’s about my love affair with Vietnam - I have been travelling there for almost 10 years,” he said. “There’s a real emphasis on spirituality because that’s my main interest.”

Born in 1970, Mr Mason grew up on a tin mine in rural North Queensland. He left Queensland to study theatre at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst before moving to Sydney in 1991.

Mr Mason spent years working in bookshops, and has studied at a number of the state’s best universities.

He is now part of the University of Western Sydney’s Writing and Society Research Unit, and has made a home in Cabramatta.

“Cabramatta really excites me. I love it because it reminds me of Vietnam.”

Mr Mason is working on his second book, which he hopes will also be about spiritual travel.

“People are reaching the stage where they don’t want to be on tour and they would not want to just be backpackers going out and getting drunk all the time,” he said.

Mr Mason will sign copies of Destination Saigon at Sydney Unitarian Church from 7pm this Thursday.

Destination Saigon, author reading

Walter Mason reads an extract from his new book, Destination Saigon at the book's official launch

Walter Mason speaking at Destination Saigon Book Launch

Walter Mason speaking at the launch of his book, Destination Saigon.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH

The official launch of Destination Saigon, by Walter Mason was held tonight at the Unitarian Church, East Sydney.

It completed exceeded all our expections, around 120 packed into the venue to hear Maggie Hamilton official launch Destination Saigon and to hear Walter describe his experience and excitement in writing the book.

 

 

Visits to Vietnam inspire an adventure into publishing

By Chris Boulous
Fairfield Champion, 3 March 2010

NEVER mind Kings Cross or Darlinghurst, Fairfield is the hub of cultural and religious inspiration according to Canley Vale author Walter Mason.

The 39-year-old released his first book, Destination Saigon: Adventures in Vietnam, on Monday.

And while he hopes his humorous travel/religious book will usher in a long and bright literary career, Mr Mason flagged the end of popular city attractions as creative outlets.

``They are dead and docile,'' Mr Mason said of places like Kings Cross and Darlinghurst.

``This area is very inspirational. The real stories are in the south-west.

``It [south west] is where it is happening today. There is a real buzz and energy in places like Cabramatta and it generates creative flair.''

Destination Saigon: Adventures in Vietnam is the culmination of a lifelong dream for the former North Queensland resident.

Ironically, he spent many of his junior years working as a book seller. Now he has his own book on the shelf after a rigorous seven-month process.

``It is very exciting. The book was the result of one of my many trips to Vietnam and travelling for three months from south to north,'' he said.

``The book is a funny and light-hearted look at Vietnam now. Modern Vietnam is a fascinating place probably the reason why I have visited countless number of times.

``So many people are obsessed with Vietnam as part of the war but Vietnam is about so much more. It's incredibly alive and a spiritual culture.''

Mr Mason, a UWS student, is also in the process of obtaining a PhD on the history of self-help books in Australia.

He hopes to publish another novel by the end of the year.

``I plan to go to Vietnam and write another book from a bit of a different angle but that is still in the planning phase,'' he said.

Picture: Wesley Lonergan, Fairfield Champion

Tea in Vietnam

During Tet, the Lunar New Year, Thang and I dutifully went to temple, and we discovered that the young monk there has recently constructed an outdoor tea-drinking room. Now, the Vietnamese have been creating outdoor rooms since long before Jamie Durie was even born, and I was reminded of the absolute mania for tea-drinking and tea-drinking paraphernalia that exists among monks in Vietnam.
While some monks drink coffee (which is viewed as a slightly disreputable tipple in Vietnam), and many monks smoke (though this is increasingly frowned-upon, particularly in the big cities), all monks cultivate an interest in tea. They consume tea the way some consume wine, buying expensive varieties and gathering together to enjoy a cup and reflect on its particular qualities.
Any visit to a monk will necessarily involve a reasonably formalised sharing of tea, normally of the bitterest variety, served in tiny little cups which are rarely washed, but always rinsed out with hot water before yours is poured. Temples are always equipped with guest reception rooms, both formal ones (with massive wooden furniture that is desperately uncomfortable), and less-formal ones which feature rustic flourishes and contemplative artworks, and normally entail sitting on the floor. Depending on how well they know you, it is in either of these rooms that monks will invite you to drink tea.
Tea is an export product for Vietnam, and I have noticed in the supermarkets of Cabramatta that increasingly kooky varieties of tea are coming out of Vietnam. I have been drinking mangosteen and guava teas, but I have also noticed artichoke and bitter melon teas along with the more standard jasmine and lotus.
When I am in Vietnam I often enjoy a delicious cup of Lipton served over ice in a glass, with lashings of condensed milk. But I have a sneaking suspicion that this may not be a traditional way to consume tea.