A better cross section than they thought.

Cindy and I had been on a "mountain" trek with a guide in the morning and were on a tour of the city Dalat when our guide got a call. He smiled at us during the call and then after hanging up he said " special offer tonight". That should have been enough fore warning but instead our ears perked up. "You come to village for dance, barbeque and music; half price tonight". "Well maybe" we thought, "free food" I thought, and soon the answer was yes. Later that night we found ourselves on a bus bound for ... little did we know ...glory. Cindy and I, as fate would have it, took the front seat behind the driver. Soon after setting down a man with a huge video camera and serious light started filming people getting on the bus and Cindy and I talking in the front seat. I of course was complaining while being filmed about these canned tours and how they were now going to sell us a film of the whole event. He filmed us while the bus was moving, and us getting off the bus, us going into the "long house" and us sitting down on the tiny benches lining the walls. When I say "us" I mean us in particular. He was filming others but seemed to focus on Cindy and I and an Aussie couple. "This is weird" I said. All night the camera man ran around like crazy filming the ceremony and seemingly, the white people enjoying themselves. While we danced (see the pictures), while we drank wine from a crock ( after everyone else in the place), while we listened to the music and clapped, and every time we participated in any of the ceremonies (see me with the chief). We were offered a barbeque sandwich but poor Cindy ended up with bread and butter (vegetarian). She did get a beer (which helped wash the bread and butter down) and we both drank rice wine. We toasted to good times with the Vietnamese guides many times over. We had a good time really. It was fun to dance and sing but it felt strangely disneylandish. And it was. The film was not for us to buy, it was the beginnings of a tourism commercial to intice Americans and Westerners to Vietnam. We represented a cross section of tourist. They got more than they wanted I am sure.