18: Xin chao (Hello) Vietnam!

City Hall serves as a backdrop to the statue of Ho Chi Minh.

Our shipboard preparation and introduction to Vietnam was actually quite good, as we were fortunate to have not only Ambassador Hoang Thuy on board between Hong Kong and Vietnam, but also Robert Brigham on board as faculty. Bob, a professor of International Relations at Vassar University, was instrumental in the push for normalization of relations with Vietnam and co-wrote the book Argument Without End: In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy, with former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara and James Blight. The events portrayed in this book and photographed by artist Monica Church (Bob’s wife) became the basis of the Academy Award winning documentary Fog of War.

Gracious old hotels exist among the new tall buildings.

Woman selling fruit from her bicycle.

For the younger voyagers, Vietnam was a treat. Students were looking forward to spending money on great meals, some nice silk and maybe a custom tailored suit or dress, as this was the first port we had come to where our money seemed to go further than it did in the US. The $1 = 21,000 VND (Dong) exchange rate meant we could all enjoy being millionaires for a few hours.

For the older American voyagers with a memory of the Vietnam War, and United State’s role, there were more difficult feelings, especially when strolling through the War Museum, where the forecourt displayed scavenged old US tanks and missiles, and the inside graphically documented the many horrors of war.

Old American tanks and other tools of war in the forecourt of the War Museum.

But it was obvious that the Vietnamese were very resilient and had moved on. Those we encountered were friendly and pleasant, more interested in making a sale than anything else. As one Vietnamese said to a professor, “I have no problem working with Americans, after all, we won the war…” Indeed the country is doing well. According to Ambassador Thuy, literacy is 93%, they have a very comfortable trade surplus (petroleum, rice, coffee and cashew nuts), and great plans to continue striving for more and becoming an “industrialized” nation by 2020.

Workers taking a lunch break in front of the Opera House.

Gary and I had scheduled a trip up to Cambodia for three days, so we only had two days in Vietnam, one day before our trip and one after. The traffic took some getting used to, but we thoroughly enjoyed walking the leafy neighborhoods of Ho Chi Minh City, stopping for a good latte and mocha and experiencing the hustle and bustle of the markets.

Scooter and motorcyclists are required to wear helmets....however, it does not seem to apply to the three passengers.

School children make a visit to the Temple.

Happy to have his picture taken, he waves as the school bus leaves the temple.