Hanoi, Vietnam
To our western eyes, this organized chaos shouldn't work, yet the bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trucks all manage to get through the narrow streets of Hanoi. On the narrow sidewalks, pedestrians weave their way around parked vehicles and vendors. Crossing the street is an act of faith.
Half the size of Saskatchewan, Vietnam has a population of 76 million. Amid the noise and confusion, Jake and Louise Buhler's home here reflects their 20 years in Asia. Their one-bedroom apartment, in a French-built structure that used to be a seminary, is a comfortable blend of east and west: some Asian furniture, delicious Vietnamese food prepared by Louise, classical CDs and English reading material.
The Buhlers arrived in Asia in 1981 with their young daughters for what they thought was a few years with Mennonite Central Committee. Jake was MCC representative for Thailand, Louise for Vietnam. Louise was based in Bangkok since foreigners were not permitted to live in Vietnam at the time. She travelled to Vietnam for weeks at a time. Jake's work included refugee and development work in Thailand, as well as support for the MCC staff in Laos and Cambodia.
Louise's early work in Vietnam, from 1981-1987, was pioneering.
"As a western woman, by herself, in the post-war years in north Vietnam, she developed some key relationships by being able to spot people with potential for leadership and providing opportunities for those people to study outside Vietnam," said Jake.
Louise was always accompanied by state security staff in those years.
"People watching me had to travel with me for weeks at a time; they became my best friends," she said. Her excellent relationship with officials developed because she followed through on her commitments. If books or mechanical parts were needed, she tried to get them. Vietnamese officials soon knew she was totally trustworthy.
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After six years with MCC, Louise accepted a position with Bread for the World, a German aid agency. She continued with that agency until 1999. Bread for the World provides money for local groups, while MCC says people (volunteers) are their best resource, she observed.
"Both approaches are important," said Louise. Currently she is human resource specialist at the Canadian embassy, working on Vietnam-Canada bilateral programs.
Her status as a foreign aid worker in Vietnam may well be unparalleled, and was facilitated by her passable knowledge of the language. Senior officials introduce Jake and Louise to diplomatic visitors as "our oldest friends."
In 1988, Louise was one of the first westerners invited to northern Vietnam to assess the damage of an earlier Chinese invasion. In 1999, the president of Vietnam presented her with the highest award given a foreigner: the Friendship Medal for outstanding contributions to Vietnam.
Louise has also received awards for her contributions to agriculture, higher education, and development from central and provincial governments in Vietnam.
When asked what made her work effective, she said, "Doing something concrete and not just talking." Building relationships was also important.
"I worked a lot at getting scholarships for Vietnamese professionals in southeast Asia; they were very isolated," she said. She arranged the first visit of a Vietnamese delegation to Canada in 1985.
Louise arranged for Dr. Khai to study in Thailand and establish a "doctor on the spot program." Together they setup a training program for health volunteers, teaching about basic hygiene, immunization and nutrition. She also arranged irrigation projects enabling two crops per year rather than one.
Jake began work for CIDA's Canada Aid Fund in Thailand in 1987, and continued with this work in Vietnam when they moved to Hanoi in 1996. He visited nearly every province in Vietnam, focusing on rural poverty reduction.
"Vietnamese people are very confident and daring," said Jake, "and have a great sense of humour. Poverty does not stop people from having fun and being hospitable."
Some projects for which he arranged funding include a school dormitory for hill tribe children, providing drinking water for villages, assisting women entrepreneurs to get credit, building schools that require a certain number of girls be enrolled, and helping hill tribe groups grow grapes. All projects are local initiatives with Canadian assistance.
Nguyen Huong succeeded Jake as head of the Canada Fund in April.
"Jake and Louise are very kind and generous; they understand the culture," she said. She called Jake "an ordinary person," paying him a high compliment. In the Vietnamese context, "ordinary" means he treats all people with respect and relates to others as an equal rather than a superior.
The Buhlers plan to return to Saskatoon later this year. They realize that life there might feel remote after 20 years in Asian urban centres. They'll miss the International Church of Hanoi where Jake is a leader.
They do look forward to being closer to friends and relatives. Their two daughters are attending university in Canada. Louise thinks the culture shock will come from not working full time.
"It's been a stimulating, most exciting time here," she said. Despite their considerable accomplishments, Jake and Louise play down their contributions.
"We have tried to do our work with much the same spirit and energy that we followed in Canada, and probably with less effectiveness than many people who work in social, education or development in Canada."
Meanwhile, they have made a profound and lasting impact on thousands of people in Vietnam. Their passionate concern will leave a strong legacy of the best of the Christian faith.
Henry and Tena Neufeld, from Delta, B.C., worked with MCC in Thailand from 1985-88, while Jake Buhler was the MCC representative there.
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