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| Claudio Duek |
It is the good life that Claudio Duek has been living as an expatriate in Ho Chi Minh City for the last six years.
A well-paid job as an orthopedic surgeon at the Medical Family Hospital in District 1, while his wife works for the VinaCapital Group, a house in District 2 and a son that is studying in the British International School nearby, rounds off a well-settled, comfortable lifestyle.
However, the Argentinean had something more up his sleeve when he decided to move and stay in Vietnam.
In 2003, when he visited Vietnam as a tourist, Duek came across a young woman in a local bar whose robust voice and style struck a chord. It also inflamed the passion he’d nurtured for rock music since his student days.
He has since formed a band with four Vietnamese musicians, including the girl, and another foreigner.
Playing a mix of rock and Latin music, the Bad Neighbor has performed at many locations in HCMC, from luxurious hotels like the Sheraton to smoky bars like Vasco and Cage, and even in neighboring countries like Cambodia and Thailand.
Duek’s day begins at 6 a.m. when he wakes up and ends late at night performing with his band. In the meantime, he works at the hospital, goes home for dinner with the family and spends some time with them.
It’s a busy life, yet it is a happy one, said Duek, because he is able to balance his work, family and passion for music. The band plans to celebrate their fifth anniversary with their first album, he said.
Duek’s is not a unique story.
Hundreds of foreigners in Vietnam, in fact, are performing at many hotels, bars and nightclubs every night, not to mention acting in local films and dramas. Some of them come here as professional musicians and are so disarmed by the reception they receive that they really want to stay on.
Setting the stage
Formed in 1998 in Cuba by Alex Gonzalez and his sister Garcia Gonzalez, the Warapo band came to HCMC last October to perform at the Caravelle Hotel.
Over the past few months, the six-member band, which represented Cuba at the Mundo Maya International Festival in Mexico three years ago, has introduced local audiences to songs composed with a mix of Cuban music, international rock and other genres.
It’s very tiring to practice by day and perform till 1 a.m. for six days a week, says vocalist Lissette Garcia Perez. They also strive to learn as much as they can about local audiences, especially young people while struggling with homesickness, according to the band members.
However, these challenges have not stopped them from spending their day off on learning about the country’s culture, food and drink and people, Alex Gonzalez says, adding that each of them has their own favorite Vietnamese food.
Trips to other places in Vietnam like Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue and Hoi An are other desires of the band, which has published two albums so far in Cuba – Mala vida (Bad life) and Tengo nada (I have nothing).
While the contract is for a fixed term, Warapo members say they hope to continue performing here, as it’s a “happiness” to play music and sing in a peaceful country with friendly and heartwarming audiences.
Kindling interest
Then there are those expats who discover their passion after they arrive here.
Kris Wilkinson from England’s Manchester City, says it is only after he got here five years ago that his interest in the film industry was born.
Wilkinson, who used to teach history in his hometown before coming to HCMC, looking for a change, has so far acted in 13 dramas and movies over the past two years.
Whether his appearance lasts for several minutes or just tens of seconds and pays less money than his main job as an English teacher (in Vietnam), the 32-year-old man says it doesn’t bother him as long as it can entertain audiences.
He is also happy when people recognize him and call him by the role he played in some dramas.
Wilkinson is also a broker who arranges for foreigners to play roles in local films. He is enthusiastic about this job as well.
The British expat, meanwhile, says he hopes, in the future, to make a film about the life of foreigners in Vietnam.
“A long love affair”
Aaron Toronto’s “long love affair” with Vietnam began 14 years ago when he took a Vietnamese class, although he only arrived here six years ago.
Toronto, who is majored in Film and East Asian Studies at the University of Southern California, came first to Hanoi in 2002 for an abroad semester and returned after graduation to direct a music video as requested by his Vietnamese friend.
It was then that Toronto met composer Tuan Khanh, who introduced him to the Vietnamese film industry, where he has since worked “on too many projects to remember,” including four features as an assistant director.
“Working here has definitely helped me develop my career,” says Toronto, not to mention his already impressive language skills. Toronto speaks Vietnamese fluently and can also manage conversations comfortably in Japanese.
Not only has he been offered chances to work on a variety of projects from music videos to features in different roles from producer to writer, but “More significantly, living here has given me a new perspective on life and humanity,” says the American, who has visited 18 countries so far.
“This kind of understanding is the most important thing you can develop in striving to become a good filmmaker.
“In the end, a good movie is not about what camera you use, or what special effects you can afford, but it’s about people and life,” says Toronto, who also teaches at the Performing Arts Academy in HCMC.
While he is yet think about how many more years he will stay in Vietnam, Toronto says he wants to stay here at least long enough to make two movies from his own scripts, including one based on a short story by award-winning author Nguyen Ngoc Tu.
VietNamNet/Thanh Nien
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