Author: backpackingbill

Emma joined us this morning. Although we have started to rebel against museum’s, we did go to the Ho Chi Minh museum. Went to his mosuleum but did not get in as it is closed on Fridays. Uncle Ho seems to be quite the hero here. Scads of buses and lots of tours even though the mosuleum was closed, many were going to the gardens on the same location. The honor guard at the mosuleum was in splendid attire. Honoring Ho Chi Minh here is akin to our honoring George Washington. I was not comfortable taking photos here. I promised no more politics or downers so I will leave it at that.

I get the feeling that this country is breaking into prosperity. Prices are going up and there are a lot of western tourists.

Walked along a lake that had many pagodas. People were out enjoying the great weather. It must be a blessing in Budism to release a captured animal. A couple purchased turtles for their children to release in the lake. Vendors sell snails, turtles or fish to be let go into the water. The parents were more interested than the kids.

Christmas is much in evidence here; however, it is more in the background than in your face as it seems to be at home. Christmas music is in many restaurants and stores. Children have Santa outfits. Emma is doing Christmas activities with her class. Jim attended Emma’s class this afternoon. Emma did have to jump through some hoops to make this happen. This is a very regimented society like many other Asian countries.

We made plans to visit Halong Bay. An overnight on a boat should be fun. I am sure that this will be a very touristy thing, but it will be fun.

One can get really good deals on clothing here. Emma tells me that the low priced merchandise is not knockoff but over production. I bought a North Face jacket for the equivalent of $17. It lists in US for $199.

Have not ventured into the street food much yet. Emma tells me that the street food is famous and great. Perhaps I will get into it tomorrow.

Emma came to our B+B this morning,
and it was great to see her. We spent most of the day together. We had breakfast at a somewhat western type of place.
, then saw some sights.

This is culturally as different from West Hartford as it can be. Also, the air quality is a challenge and traffic is truly amazing. The motorbikes swarm like bees. I commented to Emma that instead of fighting the war, we should have given them all cars. They would have done themselves in.

Went to the prison where John McCain was held, then to the Vietnam Women’s Museum. I was curious as to how the war would be presented. I should not have wondered as the answer is obvious and predictable. It is presented as it probably should to the people of Vietnam and visitors. The Hanoi Hilton was presented as Hogan’s Heroes light. Games, good times and great medical care. Seems like a missed opportunity to teach a lesson. The brutality of the French Colonial period was presented in stark images. Even the gilotine that was put to all too grim purposes.

Again I am going to stop the downers.

The food is wonderful, the experience is exotic, and the people are great. I have a feeling that we are seeing Vietnam’s transition to a prosperous nation. I sincerely hope that the native culture is not lost. It would be a shame to see it become something less; that is to say, commercialized.

The three of us, Tina, Jim and I, are on our way. Julia Sauter was so kind as to take us with our luggage to the Hartford train station. Transferred to Metro North at New Haven and on to NYC where we will spend the night. I feel like I am on the Camino again.

Kind of an adventure getting through NYC. Decided to take the train to the airport then shuttle to hotel. Subway was an adventure since we hit the peak rush hour, 5:00 pm. But, made it to the hotel. Now just a shuttle to the airport in the morning. 7:00 am flight; suggestion is that we get there three hours before flight. Ouch!

First leg just about completed, heading into Seattle. Slept most of the way. Tina slept a lot as well. The next leg is the big one to Seoul, Korea.

Middle of the leg to Korea. Grief, this is a long trip. We have a grand visit planned with Emma and I am setting in the lap of luxury on this flight; I should not fuss about the flight. How must a new second lieutenant have felt on this same route to this same country fifty years ago. I am going to see my daughter he was going into harm’s way. No possible comparison.

Passed through the Seoul airport, what a beautiful airport. The kind but methodical people we’re great. Now looking forward to Hanoi.

Made it to Hanoi. Visa processing is cumbersome. Partly my fault for neglecting to get photos. They took them at visa desk, no issue. Emma had a driver for us at the airport. Got to the Airbnb. Nice place but little hot water. Have to remember that we are not in the Hamptons. Sleep tonight and adventure with Emma starts tomorrow.

I will soon be traveling to Vietnam with Tina and Jim to visit Emma. Time is becoming short and Delta is goofing around with the flight times and connections.

I previously wrote that Vietnam is large in my memory.  It is so significant that I am often not aware that others do not remember it as clearly. There are some 30 years between the Vietnam war and the birth of my children. As a comparison, Vietnam is in time to them what World War I was in time to me. So, I should not be surprised when there is little meaning to younger people, beyond a few paragraphs in a history book.

I am curious about the presentation of the war to the Vietnamese people.  I have read that the “American War” is presented in a very bad light.  After all, the history is written by the victors. I thought of this when I was reflecting on My Lai. As evil as that was, I am now feeling that putting that atrocity front and center in the U. S. conscience was the correct thing to do. I pray that doing so has lessened the possibility of a reoccurrence.  I am curious to see to how like occurrences on the other side are presented, if at all.

No more downers on this trip.  We leave in the morning. Looking forward to seeing Emma, warm weather and a mind expanding experience.

I plan take plenty of photos and will be loading them to this site.  However,  I do not believe I will be able to move them to the gallery that is viewable until I have access to a computer. However, the new WordPress editor may let me add them.  Or, my WordPress savvy daughter may educate me.

Our daughter, Emma, is working in Vietnam. She accepted a teaching job in Hanoi after graduating from UCONN. Tina Jim and I are going to visit her later this year. This has unleashed a wave of thoughts about Vietnam.  I delight in telling people that at Emma’s age I could have gotten a free trip to Vietnam.  However, I would have had to wear green.

Vietnam looms large in my memory.   From 1970 to 1974 I served in the Air Force.  I elected to join AFROTC in college and was commissioned into the Air Force upon graduation.  I did not serve in Vietnam; I served at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM. Running research projects on protective structures in the NM desert was as far from the jungles of Vietnam as one could get.  Many of my colleagues at the lab were recent returnees from Southeast Asia. Their recollections were as close as I got to being in harms way:

• Simple things were different in country. It became an automatic task as part of the coffee ritual to spoon in sugar then spoon off the bugs that would accumulate on the surface of the coffee.
• A light hearted recollection from a guy who was a navigator. He had to “punch out” of his aircraft over North Vietnam. He spent several days evading capture before he was rescued. He lamented losing his tobacco pipe,
• The one time I recall getting emotional.  I attended a field fortification seminar in Texas. One of the presentations was earth fortifications in Vietnam. Pictures flashed on the screen (This was before PowerPoint). Pictures of muddy trenches with sandbags and log structures below the surface, not unlike pictures of trench warfare in World War 1. Some of the Army guys recalled the locations, talking among themselves about the times spent on this hilltop or that. Speaking fondly of times there. These discussions confounded me. I had to leave the room and compose myself.  I do not know what it was that bothered me so very much, possibly their speaking of these places like they were home.