Port Vila Market is not just a place to sell vegetables; vendors can stay overnight, and you might occasionally encounter presidential election campaigning. In short, you can understand every aspect of daily life for the people of Vanuatu through this market.
It takes less than ten minutes to walk from the Iririki Island Resort pier where I stayed to the center of Port Vila. I pass by the Port Vila Market every time, and markets are always the best places to understand the lives of local people. "Port Vila Market is different from others; vendors have to stay here overnight for three days a week." Hearing this from a local friend made me even more interested. Since Vanuatu is a country with over 80 islands and this is the only vegetable market in the capital, people cannot return to their respective islands on the same day and must stay at the market overnight. Over time, this has formed a unique market culture.
The market is filled with a dazzling array of local crops and fruits: copra, sweet potatoes, cocoa, coffee, taro, cassava, yams, and bananas are the most common, laid out on the ground in piles, each with a price. It turns out that vegetables here are not sold by weight, but by the bundle or by the piece. Items like sweet potatoes, mangoes, and chickens are kept in specially woven cages, not weighed, but categorized by size. Nuts and similar items are tied into strings, with prices marked on cardboard. In addition to vegetables, fruits, and meat, there are handicrafts, clothing, and daily necessities. People sit on the ground, and they sleep on the ground like this at night.
Don't let Vanuatu's poverty fool you; the cost of living is extremely high. This island nation has no industry, and all kinds of goods—from large items like ships, airplanes, cars, and machinery to small items like rice, flour, oil, salt, and daily necessities—are all imported, so the prices are naturally high. Even in a place like the vegetable market where goods are self-produced and sold, I found it wasn't cheap after walking around. A pound of cucumbers costs 100 Vatu (equivalent to about 7 RMB, with 1 RMB being approximately 15 Vatu). A bundle of Chinese cabbage or cabbage weighing about a pound sells for 50-100 Vatu (4-7 RMB), and small tomatoes or chili peppers can cost up to 10 RMB per pound; fruits are slightly cheaper. Life in rural areas is a bit better, at least you won't starve, but in the city, I really don't know how people survive compared to their meager incomes.
I saw a tied-up crab that looked very strange; this is Vanuatu's famous Coconut Crab. As the name suggests, it is a hermit crab that lives in coconut groves and feeds on coconut meat. It is large in size and skilled at climbing trees. Because its two claws are very powerful, it can easily climb high trees to cut down coconuts and crack the shells to eat the meat. The price was 4,000 Vatu each, about 300 RMB. It is said that the coconut crab cooked by local Chinese restaurants is the most delicious, so I secretly added it to my food list for the trip to Vanuatu.
Vanuatu people sell things at a fixed price and do not shout. When a customer chooses an item and hands over the money, the seller takes it expressionlessly without even standing up, continuing with their own business. Because they have to stay overnight at the market, eating and living there, the atmosphere of daily life is very strong. You can often see women from adjacent stalls gathering together with their children, chatting and playing with the kids; running a stall seems to have become a side job.
Suddenly, it became noisy outside the market, and passionate speeches came from loudspeakers. It turns out that this year is an election year in Vanuatu, with a government term of five years; the last one was in 2009. The campaigning reached the vegetable market, and people put down their work to run over and watch the excitement. I squeezed in too. I couldn't understand what was being said, but after the presidential candidate's speech ended, music started playing, and there were even singers performing to liven up the atmosphere, which was very joyful.
The market on Tanna Island is smaller in scale but also very lively. There are even roadside stalls where a wooden frame counter is set up. The stall owners often run to the shade to chat in groups, leaving their goods unattended on the roadside with prices marked. It becomes an unmanned stall. A wooden box or jar is placed on the shelf for people to drop in banknotes and coins. No one cares how much is paid; it all depends on the conscience of the buyer. On one hand, this shows the simple folk customs; on the other hand, it also reflects the values of the Vanuatu people. Their lifestyle from the primitive communal era and the custom of living in houses made of trees and grass have formed the local indigenous virtue of self-reliance. However, relying on the mountains and the sea for a long time has led to a lack of commercial awareness. The unique natural conditions have fostered a habit among the locals of not enjoying production or feeling the need to use their brains to create material wealth.
Vanuatu became independent in 1980 and is listed by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries in the world, but the people of Vanuatu are indeed very happy. Firstly, the produce is abundant, they are self-sufficient in food and clothing, primary education is free, medical care is free, and there is no industry or pollution. Secondly, a simple life allows the people of Vanuatu to maintain the virtues of simplicity and kindness, making them easily content. Compared to making money, the people of Vanuatu care more about their families and communities. They never consider themselves the "masters" of the country, but rather the "caretakers" of these islands. "Wear a piece of cloth, eat from a tree, and live in a shed." Apart from typhoons and earthquakes, there is really nothing to worry about.