Like many Americans, the first thing I used to think of when I heard "Vietnam", was the Vietnam War. When the Vietnamese hear "America" they think of the American War. It is of course, the same war, but depending on which country you are from, you refer to it differently. That might seem obvious, but for some reason we were surprised when we heard it referred to as the American War. As an American, it was disturbing in many ways to learn about the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective.We spent 13 days traveling with our Intrepid group throughout Vietnam. The dynamics of the group changed some as 2 people left the group, having only signed up for the Cambodia portion of the trip and 3 new people came on for the Vietnam segment. Son, who is Vietnamese, was our new group leader.
Vietnam is a very diverse country. The south is relatively flat and tropical. The north is cooler, has mountains and a beautiful shoreline on the South China Sea. The heart and soul of the south is Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon. The city is modern and it's people are very open to tourists, western influences, and smiling and having fun. The pulse of the north is Hanoi, where the Communist Party is headquartered and Ho Chi Minh's preserved body is on display. The people are very serious, hard working, and less likely to welcome you with a smile.
Our travels in Vietnam were fast paced as we went to Chau Doc, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, and Halong Bay. We crossed the border from Cambodia to Vietnam on a boat along the Mekong River. Our first stop was Chau Doc where we took scooter rides up to a mountain overlooking the rice patties and then went to a karaoke bar. Since it was Valentine's Day and everyone was giving me a hard time about not buying Jennifer a Valentine's Day gift, I reluctantly stepped up to the mike for my first ever karaoke performance. I butchered the love song, "I will be right here waiting for you . . ." in hopes of redeeming myself. The bartender even helped me out by giving me a plastic flower bouquet to give to Jennifer while I was singing. It was a nice touch. At least Jennifer should remember this Valentine's Day! Noah prefers to forget it ever took place.
Next up was Ho Chi Minh City. The city is an example of the entrepreneurial growth in Vietnam's economy. We were surprised at how modern the city is. Even though Vietnam is a Communist country, they did open up their economy in 1986 to allow foreign investment and private business ownership. The city's name was changed from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City after the war when North and South Vietnam were united. We really enjoyed Ho Chi Minh City and felt welcome, but at times it was difficult as an American to read and view the Vietnamese descriptions of America's involvement in the war.
One day, we went to both the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum. The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground system that the Vietnamese used to hide from the Americans and take refuge from the bombing. In addition to the tunnels, we saw traps and weapons used to capture Americans and U.S. tanks that were destroyed by land mines. I even shot a U.S. issued M16 at the firing range. It took 2 days to regain full hearing in my ears. The War Remnants Museum has U.S. planes, tanks, and pictures documenting the war, including the affects of Agent Orange that was used during the war. Both of these sights were educational but disturbing to see what the U.S. and Vietnamese soldiers and Vietnamese civilians had to endure.
Besides being surprised at how modern Vietnam was, we were surprised at how beautiful the countryside is. We spent a couple nights at a wonderful riverside town called Hoi An where we ate first class meals, biked through rice paddies, took a boat cruise and had a great island BBQ meal. In Hue, we visited ancient Vietnamese tombs and palaces and dressed up as royalty for dinner. Since Jennifer and I were the only married people on the trip, we were elected King and Queen for the evening. Lucky us! After Hue, we took an overnight train to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. We were supposedly booked in 1st class, which led us to wonder what 2nd and 3rd class was like. It was an experience!
In addition to the overnight train, we took an overnight boat trip to Halong Bay. This overnight experience was first class as the accomodations onboard were very nice. Halong Bay is one of the more picturesque places that we have been to even though it was overcast and drizzling. As a result, the pictures don't do it justice. Halong Bay has 3,000 limestone tree covered islands that rise up from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. We kayaked in the bay, visited a large cave and watched Chinese "junks" sail by.We finished up in Hanoi, a city that we had a difficult time warming up to. The weather was poor, we didn't stay in the best part of town, and the people were not as friendly as they were in the south. It also probably had something to do with the fact that we were at the end of a travel period where we were constantly on the go. In the end, we have many fond memories of Vietnam and no longer only think of Vietnam as the location of the Vietnam/American War.
To see our Vietnam slide show, click on the following link ==> Vietnam Slide Show
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