As goes the saying: "The Vietnamese plant the paddy, the Khmer look at it, and the Lao listen to it". As soon as one crosses the border from Vietnam into Cambodia, the contrast between the 2 people becomes obvious. Geographically neighbors, but physically, culturally, socially so different. You see from space! The border shows almost perfectly the limit between the non irrigated Cambodian landscapes and the green Vietnamese fields.

Is there no water? "It is 30 meters deep and we have motor pump". In Vietnam many pump by hand to save money. The mighty Mekong river flows not so far away, why does the government not build a canal for irrigation?

We are fascinated by the gentleness of the Khmer, their soft courtesy. The Vietnamese are more agressive, in a hurry and hard working. At 5 am, Sunday included, the country is already busy at work especially around the markets. At 9pm there are still trafic jams around the schools who provide night classes. The post office functions 7/7 15 hours a day...