Many items sold along Chiang Mai’s walking street are locally made like this postcard. It is designed by a group of University student. So many kind and style. I picked this one “Ho Chi Minh” as I have heard and read some Great story of Vietnamese who fought for independent and freedom from Great Powers like French and the United State. Recently I also watched movie series “Young Indiana Jones” that some scene featuring young Ho Chi Minh in Paris at the UN-like meeting whereby Young Indiana Jones acted as advisor to the US Envoy.

The word on the postcard reads  “Without terrible cold-snap winter, we would never appreciate the warmth and the beauty of the spring”. Sort of.

My recollection as I looked at postcard is the place I was born. It is along “Vietnamese Rd.” (ซอยวัดญวน) part of Aranyaprathet Municipality bordered with Cambodia where my childhood’s sense was influenced by vibrant culture of Vietnamese migrants – neighbors, food, temple and some dialects – as well as other Thai-speaking ethnic groups (Loa, Yo and Phuan).

There, people living peacefully together.

After all, like someone said, we are limited ourselves not by the place of birth, not by the color of skin, but by the size of our hope.