Texts from Vietnam
Vietnam 1
March 7, 2003
We have now left the country so it’s
time to send you a blurb on our trip to Vietnam. Where to start? The trip was
pretty tiring and long, from the Cambodia border and Mekong delta in the south
to the Chinese border in the northwest. We’ll have to try to calculate
the no. of kms involved. In hours we did: 10 hours of train, 2 hours of
airplane and 65 hours of bus and 10 hours of boat, all in one month. But
we’ve left the cool, overcast, and very comfortable weather of northern
Vietnam and are back to the +30º heat of the lowlands. So, of course, for
Pierre’s survival and my mental peace of mind, we agreed to take an
environmentally unfriendly air-conditionned room in Vientiane, Laos. But the
hotel has some environmentally friendly notices about not asking for the towels
to be washed every day, so I guess there’s some compensation there. And
we’re back to the mosquitos and flies, which were rare in the cool winter
of north Vietnam, even the butchery sections of the open markets were devoid of
flies (almost)! A few nights ago I got 52 mosquito bites while eating supper
along the main street. They must have found that my blood was getting too
difficult to suck out so they even got Pierre for a dozen or so.
I’m sure that Pierre and I have shared
highlights of the trip: Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin is assuredly one, the
Museum of American War Crimes (since renamed the Museum of War Remains) and the
Cu Chi tunnels were others. But we might differ on other highlights. Pierre
was fascinated by the old cities and ruins of the old capital Hue and the
coastal city of Hoi An. I loved the rugged trip through the northwestern
mountains, culminating in visiting the famous battle site at Dien Bien Phu. I
was so anxious to go there and see the battlefield where they snuffed out the
French army. But the bloody tourist agencies kept saying « but
there’s nothing to see » as though the only thing that interests
tourists are scenery, pagodas, beaches and shopping centres! But I really liked
the visit to this sleepy provincial capital town where, a scant 3 weeks before I
was born, the peasant forces of the Viet Minh crushed the arrogant French
colonial army, thus ending the long period of French colonialism. They (the
French) were trying to regain their colony after WWII. Rather than allow the
Vietnamese to have independance after driving out the Japanese, the Europeans
and allies decided to « give » Vietnam to the Chinese in the
north and the British in the south. But as the Chinese had to contend with their
own civil war and the British weren’t interested, they just decided to
invite the French back in. What jerks. They could have avoided 30 years of
some of the most horrendous war the world has ever seen by accepting the
Vietnamese declaration of independence in 1946. Incidentally, while we call it
the Vietnam war, here they call it the American war!
We exited the south of Vietnam to arrive in
the chilly north. We had to buy jackets and sweaters. It gets close to zero in
the mountains this time of year. I got a cold from touring the historic capital
of Hue...in the pouring rain and wind. Pierre spent a lot of time shopping as
the quality of cloth, laquerware, jevellery etc was good and the prices low to
reasonable. Hanoi is very pleasant and I think I enjoy it more than the frenzied
Ho Chi Minh, but get this, before Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city was the only place on
the entire trip where Pierre said he wouldn’t mind living for some time!
He doesn’t like noise, crowds, traffic, « communist
architecture », loud street music, lack of facilities but wants access
to culture, media, shopping, communications and a certain buzz about life.
Makes it easy doesn’t it?
I listened to CNN one morning before
breakfast. It was so annoying. Such a propaganda tool for the US government.
First they present the news with Colin Powell’s speech, then for a
« balanced » response, they interview a Republican and a
Democratic member of Congress, both to the right of the Canadian Alliance, then
a reporter from the Washington Post. Is that one sided or what? It was sick to
listen to them all say basically the same thing, never questionning the basic
premises. There’s no doubt in my mind that Bush decided even before he
became president, that he would invade Iraq. It was all planned in discussions
he had with his oil company backers. Get control of Iraqi oil. That’s
what it is all about. « Weapons of Mass destruction » is a
smoke screen. It all smacks so much of the lies and deception they used to
attack and invade Vietnam. « A US patrol boat was attacked by a
Vietnamese navy vessel in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 » In go the B-52
bombers, the jets with their napalm and agent Orange, and about 500 000 troops.
Later it was admitted that « Gulf of Tonkin Incident » was a
complete fabrication. But does it matter? They wanted to send troops and they
did. Bush wants to invade Iraq and he will. If it was about removing a
military threat and ending human rights abuses, why is there no plan for the
United Nations to take control of Iraq. The plan is that the US will take over
the country. The top 3 positions in all Iraqi ministries will be held by
Americans, who will also be in total control of all police and military action.
The US will have total control of the country for at least 2 full years before a
new constitution and new elections will be ready and therefore before a new
Iraqi government can take over. That should be enough time for them to gain
full and permanent control of Iraqi oil! And why is no one investigating the US
role in trying to get Chavez overthrown in Venezuela? Bush not only wants Iraqi
oil, he wants control of Venezuelan oil too. It is exactly like Chile in 1973:
organize economic sabotage and try to mount opposition or if that doesn’t
work, stage a coup. But this time their coup didn’t work. So keep working
on the economic destabilization. Where are the Canadian journalists and
political commentators in all of this? Jeeeezzzzzzzzz!
One CNN phone-in caller asked what would
happen if the US invaded and found no weapons of mass destruction. The bozo
from the Washington Post only said, « it would be virtually impossible
for that to happen », completely avoiding the question. Well, I know
what they’d do...they’d plant weapons all over the place and
fabricate evidence...while keeping the CNN reporters happy in some hotel bar
until the time to bring them out to see the proof...! They’ve done it
before. Anyway, I bet the US will be in Baghdad before we’re home. But
Bravo to the millions who took to the streets around the world to demonstrate
against war. I was particularly thrilled to see the students of Australia do
their own anti-war marches. It’s been a long time since student’s
were such a strong positive force. It was also great to see demonstrations
being held all over the world, even in Bangkok! If the UN won’t stop Bush
and US oil, maybe people all over the world can make sure it doesn’t
happen again.
Back to Vietnam and the trip to the
northwest.
On Feb. 6 we checked for a flight from Hanoi
to Dien Bien Phu and unfortunately, they were fully booked for a week. We
checked for other options and they were mostly expensive rentals of jeeps or
motorbikes...or the dreaded public transport. It worked that we could get a
ticket from Dien Bien Phu to Hanoi a week later so we did the circuit in
reverse, starting out on the night train to Lau Cai on the Chinese border and
then bus to Sapa, thinking that we would rent a jeep in Sapa to go to Dien Bien
Phu. The train (Feb 8) was at night so we saw nothing, but the minibus ride
through the mountains and fog to Sapa was beautiful. Lau Cai, incidentally was
completely destroyed by the Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979, in retaliation
for the invasion of the Khmer Rouge’s Kampuchea (Cambodia)...which was in
retaliation for Khmer Rouge attacks across the border into Vietnam!
Sapa itself was spectacular and we
thoroughly enjoyed the time there.
The view from our hotel was similar to the
view in Innsbruck, Austria:
tall mountains and rolling hills across the
valley. It is also an area of many ethnic minorities, also known as hill
tribes, and also known as Montagnards. We were having quite a time trying to
identify the ones we saw. There are White Hmong, Black Hmong, Red Hmong, Flower
Hmong, Striped Hmong, White, Red and Black Dzao, Dzay, Black Thai, the latter
are always dressed formally!!!! And the Black Hmong make beautiful indigo
cloth. They’re the easiest to identify because their hands are
purple.
To get beyond Sapa was a bit of a challenge.
The jeep to Dien Bien Phu was a minimum of $US 110 and we couldn’t find
anyone to share. So we decided to really rough it (we’re 48 and 46 years
old!) and go by public transport. As there were no buses leaving Sapa, we had
to hop on one (the only one) coming from Lau Cai. Up early on Feb 11 to get to
the petrol station in Sapa, on the road to Lai Chau by 07:00. It doubled as a
bus stop. Waited, two buses arrived but weren’t going to Lai Chau, the
half way spot. So we watched the little restaurant across the street, the
Vietnamese version of the local Dunkin Donuts, the entire police force must have
been in there Finally the Lai Chau bus arrived around 08:30, but it was full and
several people were standing. The driver came around and only 1 person got off
the bus. There were 5 of us to get on. He initially said
« NO » to us and proceeded to process the local travellers.
We stood our ground (in front of the door and we’re bigger than the
Vietnamese, especially Trevor, and finally the driver said we could go. It
would only cost us 100 000 dong each. Regular fare was 30 000. We protested
but he was having none of if. Pay or Stay. Did he ever work for Greyhound? So
I let Pierre pay and we found a nice place to stand in the middle of the bus,
which we did for the next two hours before a place on the engine cover became
free! One other chap just layed down in the alleyway and slept. Not as bad as
it sounds but at one point, when they asked all the people standing to squat
down to avoid detection by the police of overloading, I felt like saying that I
would only squat down for 50 000 dongs. I was surely softenned by the preceding
scenery of the Tram Ton mountain pass, which was magnificent and well worth the
hassle of standing. And Pierre grabbed me and pulled me down too.
We got as far as Tam Duong and the bus
stopped, we thought for lunch but no, he was going no further. But there was a
crumpled old mini-bus with what looked like scooter tires ready to take us the
rest of the way to Lai Chau. Our driver gracefully paid our way on the new
mini-bus. (We found out later that we were only half the way, so he should
normally have paid 50 000 for each of us (100 000 divided by 2) to the other
driver but he only paid him 15 000 for each of us) The scam lives on. Anyway,
we waited an hour to fill up with passengers and then took off, again through
beautiful country all the way to Lai Chau where we stopped for the night. We
particularly liked the numerous pyramid-like hills in the valleys, the flowering
fruit trees, the hills covered with tea bushes. And even when the little boy
sitting behind me threw up his lunch, it missed me...by inches, but it missed
me.
I should point out that the road was in fine
condition, paved, as we say, or asphalted, all the way from Sapa to Tam Duong
and for most of the way to Lai Chau. (as far as a village called Pa Tan). There
were then two stretches of very rough road lasting a total of about an hour. It
might not have been too bad if the vehicle had shock absorbers! And
Pierre’s dentures only fell out twice. But at least all these roads were
under repair. Piles of various sizes of rock lined the sides of the road and we
even occasionally saw workers. Unfortunately, Lai Chau to Dien Bien Phu was
rough most of the way (4 hours) but significant work was being done. Again the
scenery was beautiful except in the many areas where the hills were stripped of
forest to make way for farming: bananas, field rice, poppies (hmmmmm!). So, we
arrived in one piece and saved about $90, not bad for two old
farts.
During the trip from Sapa to D.B.P., we
stopped half way in the river valley town of Lai Chau (I renamed it Light Show,
so I could remember it), also the sight of major fighting with the French and
now, because of flooding, destined to be abandonned to construct a dam to
control the river flow. Anyway, we stayed in the jeep-stop hotel, where there
were all these tourists who could afford the US $250 to do the week-long circuit
in a private jeep. But there were also the really adventurous who rented
motorcycles and arrived there sunburned, completely filthy and drenched from
sweat. Yech! Anyway, it was peaceful and we enjoyed it, getting a chuckle from
their menu:
Sanny side egg; Roat chiken with cegetabies;
Fried hoodles with vegetabiles (I guess they served it in a pre-digesting
sauce); Pinc Apple (would that be a pink pineapple?); Cantroneese Rice (a recipe
of the sister of George Bush’s National Security Advisor? - Condoleesa
Rice for you who prefer hockey or Crocodile Hunter to the news)
Dien Bien Phu was sleepy, hot and definitely
not a tourist trap. We rarely saw other tourists, services were rare and the
hotels were overpriced for the quality. We stayed at the Binh Long Hotel for
$10 including breakfast. It was adequate and the family hosting us was nice and
helpful, but didn’t speak English. The museum of the battle with the
French was excellent. A 10 square meter scale model of the Dien Bien Phu area
of 1954 with various emplacements of the two opposing forces was very helpful.
A video of the battle includes a synchronized light display on the model showing
the phases of the battle and ultimate Vietnamese victory. Quite impressive.
Other historical sites worth seeing were the cemetary (across from the museum),
Aliane or A1 Hill where major fighting took place, the bunker where the French
surrendered and some war relics at different places. Otherwise, Dien Bien Phu
is in a beautiful valley and we found it a nice place to rest for a few days,
though finding a good restaurant was difficult. We tended to eat at the same
little soup stall at the edge of the market. Great Pho Bo (beef soup). But
they had a little table at the entry where people would go after eating to have
a cup of tea...and smoke! Not sure what though, as they sucked on a long bamboo
tube which gurgled and then looked around with a big smile!
I don’t quite understand why such an
important and interesting historical site (Dien Bien Phu) is not included in
tours of the Northwest. We definitely recommend it. We did hear that official
government policy and likely the attitude of many people, especially the young,
is to forget the war and move on. Having access to US markets and US investment
is a major reason. But for the people who still die or are wounded by
unexploded mines or bombs (which the Americans ridiculously call
« ordonnance »), the people who are suffering because they,
or their loved ones, are suffering from horrible physical and mental deformities
from the US’s chemical warfare and the older people who lived through the
horror of the bombing (the US dropped 3 times more bombs on Vietnam then it did
during the entire second World War), it may not be so easy to
forget.
And while there is significant trade between
the two countries today, the US government, which pushes « Free
Trade », « Free Investment », etc. has recently
blocked Vietnamese imports of fish and some clothing products to protect their
own industries.
Well, I should have started this at the
beginning ie. the South but I’ll back up in the next message so you can
wait to get it and read it first or forget which happenned first.
Until the next installment. Take care and
enjoy the wonderful winter.
Trev
Vietnam 2,
March 9,
2003
The South of Vietnam was very interesting as it is the rice-basket for the country, it was where most of the actual conflict took place during the "American war" and it is also where most of the investment and economic development is taking place. So, it is more simlar to countries like Thailand or Malaysia, where money means everything, where "development" is taking place in a frenzied, ad hoc and unbalanced way but where there is also an openness to new ideas, to change and to connecting to the rest of the world. It does mean too that the youth want to wear Nike and Benneton...sigh!
We entered by boat from Cambodia on Feb 19 and arrived at a small city (Chau Doc, which we confirmed does not mean a pier for eating) on the Bassac River, a branch of the Mekong. We were dragged to one hotel by a "promoter" but it was drab and when Pierre insisted on a double bed and the receptionnist replied "A double bed for 2 men???????" it didn't take long for Pierre to say no way. (It won't come as much of a surprise to know that Pierre assumes the responsability for checking out rooms and deciding if we'll stay in a place or not. In my job, I am used to staying in the residences of the Fathers of the Holy Sacrifice or the Sisters of the Perpetual Blood of Jeeezuz, so it's better to leave this job to Pierre) It was a good thing he said no to the 1st hotel as we then found a cheaper one where our room overlooked the river, so much so that if, Pierre for example, fell out the window it would be right into the Mekong. But even though he often sat on a pillow on the windowsill, drinking beer, he managed to avoid his second dip in the river (see Cambodia report). It was a fascinating place to be as there was so much river life, boats of all shapes and sizes: big river barges, elongated speedboats, ferries and even little dugouts serving as local passenger ferries, carrying 1-4 people usually paddled by a woman, standing erect at the back, dressed in a traditional long silk dress (Ao Dai), conical hat, pink slippers and elbow length gloves. We were amazed that they were never swamped by the heavy river traffic and it was quite a sight to see them manouevre all day back and forth in their elegance.
At the end of the day, for some reason, great globs of water hyacinthe floated past. Maybe it had to do with the tides as we noticed that even as far inland as the Cambodian border, there were meter high tides in the river...
As well, there were dozens of floating houses along the shore. We looked right into the homes and lives of the people, watching with curiosity as they went about their daily chores, oblivious to our presence. Washing, cooking, eating, playing, harvesting fish, which they kept in large cages under their house, and going and coming. We have some great video footage, we hope, but it was a fabulous introduction to Vietnam.
We tried learning the language which was very hard. Apparently, a French academic developed the Romanized script but it is very hard to properly pronounce it given all the tones (7 I think) and odd pronunciations of various letters. Still, we enjoyed trying and learning and the Vietnamese had quite a laugh teaching us.
We left Chau Doc for further adventures in the Mekong Delta, a vast area (22,000 square kms) of flat, flooded plains, ideal for rice growing. Fields of lime-green rice plants were everywhere and Vietnamese farmers were busy at many of the manual tasks involved from ploughing with buffalo or bullock, transplanting seedlings, irrigating, harvesting, threshing, marketing. Vietnam now occupies second place in the world for the export of rice and we could see why.
We took a local bus to Can Tho city as the much more agreeable river travel seemed unavailable. It was quite the adventure. As soon as we departed about 8 women on the bus started opening big plastic garbage bags, hauling out belts of cartons of cigarettes and strapping them to legs, bodies, arms, under hats. Then the bus stopped and more bulky women got on and a few kids, looking like a Pillsbury dough-boy. It was such a scream. If anyone got onto the bus and couldn't tell that something was funny, they would have to have been on opium. After awhile the bus lurched to a spot and there was a frantic mass exodus of the Pillsbury crowd, some of whom disappeared into houses, others of whom hopped onto waiting motorbikes. Pierre asked someone on the bus it they were Vietnamese or Mohawks? The guy didn't understand the question. Anyway, it was quite something and no I did not make a report to the police upon arriving in the next town. (No time)
At Can Tho, we booked what is called a "Home Stay", where a tourist can spend the night with a family. Well, we took a nice little boat ride and rather that arriving at a thatch bamboo hut in a village, we arrived at a humungous modern house in the equivalent of the suburbs. We were a bit overwhelmed until they showed us our "bedrooms". OK, so there are the thatched huts... perched on stilts over fishponds... Do I need to mention the major product of the fish ponds being mosquitos? Well, they showed me to my hut and Pierre diligently trotted along behind, deposing his bags too. Oh no, the host showed Pierre that he had another hut a couple of fishponds away. "No, no, OK here" Pierre said. "No, no, go there" our host said. So Pierre finally accepted, went to his hut until the guy was out of view and then trundled back with his bags to my hut.
They also had a little zoo and garden for our entertainment. The crocodile pond was quite interesting and so was the 7 meter long python, which had a duck in its cage (for a friend maybe). The duck was still there the next morning! But most of the animals: porcupine, wildcats, monkeys, bats, various birds... were kept in tiny cages. Of course we complained officially to Can Tho tourism and the family but they didn't seem to understand. They also paid no attention to us for the time we were there except to feed us and sell us drinks... the food was excellent, mind you. So much for the "home" stay.
The next day was great though as we toured the canals and rivers of the area in a small boat, stopping at an orchard where we got a very nice tour and show of the various trees and plants. We were even encouraged to have a drink of their famous snake wine... bottle of rice wine with one or more snakes curled up inside, often a cobra or two. Apparently the killing of snakes for food and for wine led to an increase in the rat population, which soon started reduing rice yields. So for this reason, we declined drinking the snake wine.
But we were on a tight schedule so had to get to Ho Chi Minh Ville as soon as possible. Pierre prefers the old name of Saigon, which he sees as a more romantic, exotic, historical name. I countered that Saigon had become a city of corruption, crime and the centre of the American war effort and it was appropriate that a city be named after the heroic leader for independence: Ho Chi Minh. We have the Pearson airport, the US capital city is Washington, Vancouver is Vancouver, but Pierre countered that he wouldn't want Quebec City to be named Parizeauville or Montreal to become Jean Drapeau City. He does have a point there.
Anyway Ho Chi Minh City is a large, busy, congested place with people everywhere. I'm sure that there are almost more motorcycles than people too. It is Honda heaven. And the only way to cross the street, except between midnight and 4 am when the traffic isn't so bad, is to focus on a spot on the other side and then walk across, maintaining a steady pace and definitely not stopping. The traffic simply adjusts and goes around you. It worked fine. But with so much traffic and apparently no traffic regulations, accidents are inevitable. Apparently 3 people die every day in the city from traffic accidents and who knows how many are injured. Despite a government law requiring helmets, only 1 in about 50 comply.
We found a very nice hotel down a quiet lane, too narrow for cars. So pleasant. We had to tour the downtown ie. past the luxury shops and smart boutiques and 5 star hotels...guess whose idea this was? But I did enjoy a drink on the top of the famous Rex Hotel, where all the journalists hung out during the war.
We also visited the War Remains museum, formally the American War Crimes Museum but changed just before Bill Clinton's visit. It was very well done and it documented through video, photo and war objects just how horrendous and devastating the was had been for the people. (7,85 million tons of bombs dropped 3 times more than the US dropped in World War II, 75 million litres of chemicals, including dioxin, sprayed over the country, almost 3000 schools, 1850 hospitals and almost a thousand temples, pagodas and churches destroyed or heavily damaged, 3 million deaths, 4 million injured and birth defects and unexploded bombs continue to take their toll even today. The photos of those burned and mutilated by the chemical bombs and their deformed offspring were particularly hard to look at. It is something that everyone who travels to Vietnam should see and I think it would be good too if some of the material could be copied and used as part of the history curriculum in US schools...but then there'll likely be more up-to-date photos of the horrors from bombing, very soon, from Iraq.
We also went about 70 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh Ville to the Cu Chi tunnels, a vast underground maze of 200 kms of tunnels, three levels deep, where the Vietcong (South Vietnamese who fought against the Americans) hid and protected themselves from ground attack and some of the worst bombing of the war. It was also the end of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, which passed through Laos and Cambodia before re-entering Vietnam. The trail served to supply the fighters in the south of the country. We had an opportunity to climb down and through the tunnels to get a feeling for them and then see the kitchens etc. We both went through the first level, barely large enough for us to pass and totally dark and claustrophobic. I thought I'd panic and/or get stuck but managed ok. So I even tried the second level but wisely jumped in after the guide who had a flashlight. It was longer and much hotter and I had to crawl on all fours to get through. Just as I was regaining courage enough to continue, bats started flying by, in the tiny spaces on either side of my head. One women even got a bat momentarily stuck in her hair. But I made it and was so glad to have fresh air and light at the other end. To imagine being in there with bombs blasting the land everywhere around is beyond my capacity. But the tunnels worked extremely well and even permitted the Vietcong to attack Ho Chi Minh during the famous Tet (New Year's) Festival in 1968. This was a turning point in the war as the American generals had been claiming that they were winning the war for 4 years and then the Viet Cong launched attacks all over Vietnam including downtown Saigon thus demonstrating that the US was not winning the war at all. It was the beginning of the end for the US war effort and only the election of a fool called Richard Nixon with his sidekick, the evil Henry Kissinger, prevented the war from ending soon thereafter.
Unfortunately, while the Tunnels were very interesting we had a guide that was not. He had worked as a translator for the US forces during the war and had been sent to a re-education camp after the war. As far as we were concerned he must have failed all his courses because he was terrible and I had to keep pinching myself to remind myself that what he was saying was not in a dream. He talked about how horrible it was to be fired on my the Vietnamese and how the war really wasn't with the Americans!! (because there were also some Australian, Phillipino, New Zealand and other troups involved). He said that there were two countries fighting each other rather than explaining that after the French defeat the Geneva convention called for the Vietnamese forces to withdraw to the north and the French to the south for final evacuation. But then the Americans set up a puppet government in the southern part which cancelled the planned nation-wide election in 1956, effectively dividing the country into two parts, not two countries. And on and on. Well, we told the manager of the tourist office all about it when we got back and he seemed very surprised but we doubt that he would have fired the guide. I wanted to suggest he be sent back to the re-education camp. And I may still write to the Government about him... Grrrr!
But apart from that rather disappointing episode, we enjoyed the rest of the time in Ho Chi Minh but eventually left for our long bus trip up the coast. Train travel would have been preferred but it is more expensive and the schedules are more difficult. It is possible to get a bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi for about $22 with stops in at least 5 cities along the way. Hard to beat even though the air conditionning was so-so and seemed to be turned off at the hottest time of the day and even though the no-smoking travel didn't seem to incude the drivers. Don't worry, my letter of complaint has already been sent.
Our first stop was Nha Trang, on the south central coast, only for one day as it is touted as the best place to scuba dive and I hadn't had the opportunity to scuba dive elsewhere on the trip. It was also only $44 for 2 dives which is cheap. Well, we had a fabulous day with about 10 other tourists from Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Australia and the UK and the diving was lots of fun. Pierre snorkelled even though, without his glasses, he couldn't see anything. At one point he thought he saw the looming shadow of a shark just below him but after a few seconds the shiny reflection from the back of the head reassured him that it was just me. There weren't many fish, due to overfishing and much of the coral had been broken but still it was a nice little adventure for the day.
Afterwards we travelled about 13 hours to the next stop, the UNESCO cultural site of Hoi An, a small traditional town on the coast halfway up the country. It was a former port with many of the very old buildings still standing. We were there for the Tet festival and enjoyed the frantic shopping and decorations prior to the big day. The flower market was spectacular. But the day after all was closed and the town was quiet and peaceful. Only 5 hours away is the old capital of Hue, our next stop. So we toured the old city, most of it unfortunately destroyed by US bombing and attacks during the Tet offensive in 1968, when the Vietnamese seized and controlled the city for over 3 weeks. We arrived at the inner gates where we were required to pay but we were at the side, not the front so our charming gatekeeper directed us to the right place. Noticing that he was generally more effeminate that many, we started chatted with him (using the phrase books of course as he knew no English). Eventually, we told him that we were gay and he nodded that he understood. They we asked if he was. He froze for a few seconds and then smiled broadly and said "OK, OK". So we then bombarded him with questions about the gay bars in Hue and were we could go in the evening and would he like to accompany us. But Vietnam hasn't modernized that much and the conversation seemed to get far too complicated. We didn't manage to see him later or go anywhere interesting, but he did let us in free.
The next day was cool and rainy. We'd booked ourselves for a motorcycle tour of the area around Hue and decided to brave the weather and go, with only our t-shirt and plastic poncho. It was fun initially, cool and refreshing and even fun in the rain, stopping at a pagoda, the old palace of the Nguyen Emporer, a monestary where we were treated to a session of music and prayer, then on to old bunkers from the anti-colonial war and then through the rice fields and rural villages. A very entertaining day but I caught a cold and Pierre thinks he caught hemmorhoids. We did have to complain (again) though, when the guide was explaining that the Emporer Tu Duc (whose palace and tomb we visited) had 104 wives but no children. The guide explained, thinking himself a comedian that "either his banana was broken or he was a f...ing homosexual!" We liked the banana part but just had to raise the level of the young man's consciousness about sexual orientation. Which we did.
The next stage was a long, overnight bus ride all the way to Hanoi, the capital. The 18 hour scheduled trip was miraculously reduced to 12 hours, likely because I refused to let the driver smoke! So while we dozed, he flew along the mostly deserted highway and just as I was drifting off to my Beauty sleep, the bus stopped at 6 am in Hanoi. He got his revenge. With our Australian friends, Kim and Kate, we packed up and wandered off in search of a place to stay, pounding on hotel doors only to be told they were full or waking up the reception staff only to turn them down because the rooms weren't too clean, because there were no windows or whatever... I waited outside. So we eventually found a place and settled in for our northern adventure.
We loved Hanoi and the old quarter, which was bustling and well-serviced. It was here that our Australian friends introduced us to Bia Hoi (draft beer), which sold for 17 cents a glass. It would take Australians to sniff out the beer so we returned the favor and introduced them to dogmeat, eaten fairly often in Vietnam. Well, it was part of the adventure and it was no dog that we knew! Pierre kept saying to himself: "Just think of the stupid dog next door that wakes us up every day at 5 a.m.) And he enjoyed it. But don't worry, we have no intention of making it a regular part of our diet so you are still welcome for supper.
The final chapter in our trip to Vietnam (aren't you lucky that I've already covered the North of Vietnam in my last message), is our 2 day trip to Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the Northeastern coast of Vietnam.
This is a magnificently beautiful and rather large area with what look like mountain peaks sticking out of the water, forming tall scraggy islands, mostly uninhabited. We took a boat tour with Australians (they're everywhere), Americans, Germans and a very informed and engaging young Vietnamese guide. She continuously entertained us with stories and explanations of Vietnamese culture. We travelled all day through the limitless islands on a quiet sea with a bright sun. Apparently it is often foggy this time of year so we were very lucky.
On one island we stopped and toured a huge cave, complete with a sidewalk and colored lighting. Very beautiful.
The boat finally dropped anchor in a protected bay and we settled in for the night. Food on the boat was very good and there were even hot showers. The latter were needed. We were invited to swim but the wintry weather seemed to discourage everyone. Well they needed a Canadian to show the way so I volunteered and jumped into the invitingly blue water from the prow of the boat. It was very cold but would I tell them? Of course I had to, to avoid heart attacks and revenge during the night but soon most had taken their turn before rushing into the hot shower.
The next day was foggy and we could barely see the islands around us. But it gave a much different and eerie impression so we were happy to have had both. A quick lunch on the mainland and the bus back to Hanoi through the rice fields of the Red River (only 15 000 square kms) and back to Hanoi.
We did go out to the movies to see "the Quiet American" based on the novel by Graham Greene. It is a good movie starring Michael Cain and our favorite Brendan Fraser but filmed in Vietnam. It is a good movie and well worth seeing. Reports were that the release was delayed in North America as it is a bit too revealing about how US foreign policy works as the country prepares itself for war.
Unfortunately most of our time in Hanoi was spent organizing ourselves, shopping or well, drinking Bia Hoi. Darn Kim and Kate. We have learned a lot about Australia and will likely make it our next travel destination. With such fine hosts in view, we'd be foolish not to take advantage. By the way, the famous couple are planning to visit us next November so drop by if you want to see real live Australians.
So we didn't really have a lot of time to explore the city very much. Still, what we saw of it was very pleasant and we wouldn't hesitate to come back.
We flew to Vientiane Laos on February 19 for the last country to visit. Stay tuned for the Laos report, coming soon.
Trev
The South of Vietnam was very interesting as it is the rice-basket for the country, it was where most of the actual conflict took place during the "American war" and it is also where most of the investment and economic development is taking place. So, it is more simlar to countries like Thailand or Malaysia, where money means everything, where "development" is taking place in a frenzied, ad hoc and unbalanced way but where there is also an openness to new ideas, to change and to connecting to the rest of the world. It does mean too that the youth want to wear Nike and Benneton...sigh!
We entered by boat from Cambodia on Feb 19 and arrived at a small city (Chau Doc, which we confirmed does not mean a pier for eating) on the Bassac River, a branch of the Mekong. We were dragged to one hotel by a "promoter" but it was drab and when Pierre insisted on a double bed and the receptionnist replied "A double bed for 2 men???????" it didn't take long for Pierre to say no way. (It won't come as much of a surprise to know that Pierre assumes the responsability for checking out rooms and deciding if we'll stay in a place or not. In my job, I am used to staying in the residences of the Fathers of the Holy Sacrifice or the Sisters of the Perpetual Blood of Jeeezuz, so it's better to leave this job to Pierre) It was a good thing he said no to the 1st hotel as we then found a cheaper one where our room overlooked the river, so much so that if, Pierre for example, fell out the window it would be right into the Mekong. But even though he often sat on a pillow on the windowsill, drinking beer, he managed to avoid his second dip in the river (see Cambodia report). It was a fascinating place to be as there was so much river life, boats of all shapes and sizes: big river barges, elongated speedboats, ferries and even little dugouts serving as local passenger ferries, carrying 1-4 people usually paddled by a woman, standing erect at the back, dressed in a traditional long silk dress (Ao Dai), conical hat, pink slippers and elbow length gloves. We were amazed that they were never swamped by the heavy river traffic and it was quite a sight to see them manouevre all day back and forth in their elegance.
At the end of the day, for some reason, great globs of water hyacinthe floated past. Maybe it had to do with the tides as we noticed that even as far inland as the Cambodian border, there were meter high tides in the river...
As well, there were dozens of floating houses along the shore. We looked right into the homes and lives of the people, watching with curiosity as they went about their daily chores, oblivious to our presence. Washing, cooking, eating, playing, harvesting fish, which they kept in large cages under their house, and going and coming. We have some great video footage, we hope, but it was a fabulous introduction to Vietnam.
We tried learning the language which was very hard. Apparently, a French academic developed the Romanized script but it is very hard to properly pronounce it given all the tones (7 I think) and odd pronunciations of various letters. Still, we enjoyed trying and learning and the Vietnamese had quite a laugh teaching us.
We left Chau Doc for further adventures in the Mekong Delta, a vast area (22,000 square kms) of flat, flooded plains, ideal for rice growing. Fields of lime-green rice plants were everywhere and Vietnamese farmers were busy at many of the manual tasks involved from ploughing with buffalo or bullock, transplanting seedlings, irrigating, harvesting, threshing, marketing. Vietnam now occupies second place in the world for the export of rice and we could see why.
We took a local bus to Can Tho city as the much more agreeable river travel seemed unavailable. It was quite the adventure. As soon as we departed about 8 women on the bus started opening big plastic garbage bags, hauling out belts of cartons of cigarettes and strapping them to legs, bodies, arms, under hats. Then the bus stopped and more bulky women got on and a few kids, looking like a Pillsbury dough-boy. It was such a scream. If anyone got onto the bus and couldn't tell that something was funny, they would have to have been on opium. After awhile the bus lurched to a spot and there was a frantic mass exodus of the Pillsbury crowd, some of whom disappeared into houses, others of whom hopped onto waiting motorbikes. Pierre asked someone on the bus it they were Vietnamese or Mohawks? The guy didn't understand the question. Anyway, it was quite something and no I did not make a report to the police upon arriving in the next town. (No time)
At Can Tho, we booked what is called a "Home Stay", where a tourist can spend the night with a family. Well, we took a nice little boat ride and rather that arriving at a thatch bamboo hut in a village, we arrived at a humungous modern house in the equivalent of the suburbs. We were a bit overwhelmed until they showed us our "bedrooms". OK, so there are the thatched huts... perched on stilts over fishponds... Do I need to mention the major product of the fish ponds being mosquitos? Well, they showed me to my hut and Pierre diligently trotted along behind, deposing his bags too. Oh no, the host showed Pierre that he had another hut a couple of fishponds away. "No, no, OK here" Pierre said. "No, no, go there" our host said. So Pierre finally accepted, went to his hut until the guy was out of view and then trundled back with his bags to my hut.
They also had a little zoo and garden for our entertainment. The crocodile pond was quite interesting and so was the 7 meter long python, which had a duck in its cage (for a friend maybe). The duck was still there the next morning! But most of the animals: porcupine, wildcats, monkeys, bats, various birds... were kept in tiny cages. Of course we complained officially to Can Tho tourism and the family but they didn't seem to understand. They also paid no attention to us for the time we were there except to feed us and sell us drinks... the food was excellent, mind you. So much for the "home" stay.
The next day was great though as we toured the canals and rivers of the area in a small boat, stopping at an orchard where we got a very nice tour and show of the various trees and plants. We were even encouraged to have a drink of their famous snake wine... bottle of rice wine with one or more snakes curled up inside, often a cobra or two. Apparently the killing of snakes for food and for wine led to an increase in the rat population, which soon started reduing rice yields. So for this reason, we declined drinking the snake wine.
But we were on a tight schedule so had to get to Ho Chi Minh Ville as soon as possible. Pierre prefers the old name of Saigon, which he sees as a more romantic, exotic, historical name. I countered that Saigon had become a city of corruption, crime and the centre of the American war effort and it was appropriate that a city be named after the heroic leader for independence: Ho Chi Minh. We have the Pearson airport, the US capital city is Washington, Vancouver is Vancouver, but Pierre countered that he wouldn't want Quebec City to be named Parizeauville or Montreal to become Jean Drapeau City. He does have a point there.
Anyway Ho Chi Minh City is a large, busy, congested place with people everywhere. I'm sure that there are almost more motorcycles than people too. It is Honda heaven. And the only way to cross the street, except between midnight and 4 am when the traffic isn't so bad, is to focus on a spot on the other side and then walk across, maintaining a steady pace and definitely not stopping. The traffic simply adjusts and goes around you. It worked fine. But with so much traffic and apparently no traffic regulations, accidents are inevitable. Apparently 3 people die every day in the city from traffic accidents and who knows how many are injured. Despite a government law requiring helmets, only 1 in about 50 comply.
We found a very nice hotel down a quiet lane, too narrow for cars. So pleasant. We had to tour the downtown ie. past the luxury shops and smart boutiques and 5 star hotels...guess whose idea this was? But I did enjoy a drink on the top of the famous Rex Hotel, where all the journalists hung out during the war.
We also visited the War Remains museum, formally the American War Crimes Museum but changed just before Bill Clinton's visit. It was very well done and it documented through video, photo and war objects just how horrendous and devastating the was had been for the people. (7,85 million tons of bombs dropped 3 times more than the US dropped in World War II, 75 million litres of chemicals, including dioxin, sprayed over the country, almost 3000 schools, 1850 hospitals and almost a thousand temples, pagodas and churches destroyed or heavily damaged, 3 million deaths, 4 million injured and birth defects and unexploded bombs continue to take their toll even today. The photos of those burned and mutilated by the chemical bombs and their deformed offspring were particularly hard to look at. It is something that everyone who travels to Vietnam should see and I think it would be good too if some of the material could be copied and used as part of the history curriculum in US schools...but then there'll likely be more up-to-date photos of the horrors from bombing, very soon, from Iraq.
We also went about 70 kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh Ville to the Cu Chi tunnels, a vast underground maze of 200 kms of tunnels, three levels deep, where the Vietcong (South Vietnamese who fought against the Americans) hid and protected themselves from ground attack and some of the worst bombing of the war. It was also the end of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, which passed through Laos and Cambodia before re-entering Vietnam. The trail served to supply the fighters in the south of the country. We had an opportunity to climb down and through the tunnels to get a feeling for them and then see the kitchens etc. We both went through the first level, barely large enough for us to pass and totally dark and claustrophobic. I thought I'd panic and/or get stuck but managed ok. So I even tried the second level but wisely jumped in after the guide who had a flashlight. It was longer and much hotter and I had to crawl on all fours to get through. Just as I was regaining courage enough to continue, bats started flying by, in the tiny spaces on either side of my head. One women even got a bat momentarily stuck in her hair. But I made it and was so glad to have fresh air and light at the other end. To imagine being in there with bombs blasting the land everywhere around is beyond my capacity. But the tunnels worked extremely well and even permitted the Vietcong to attack Ho Chi Minh during the famous Tet (New Year's) Festival in 1968. This was a turning point in the war as the American generals had been claiming that they were winning the war for 4 years and then the Viet Cong launched attacks all over Vietnam including downtown Saigon thus demonstrating that the US was not winning the war at all. It was the beginning of the end for the US war effort and only the election of a fool called Richard Nixon with his sidekick, the evil Henry Kissinger, prevented the war from ending soon thereafter.
Unfortunately, while the Tunnels were very interesting we had a guide that was not. He had worked as a translator for the US forces during the war and had been sent to a re-education camp after the war. As far as we were concerned he must have failed all his courses because he was terrible and I had to keep pinching myself to remind myself that what he was saying was not in a dream. He talked about how horrible it was to be fired on my the Vietnamese and how the war really wasn't with the Americans!! (because there were also some Australian, Phillipino, New Zealand and other troups involved). He said that there were two countries fighting each other rather than explaining that after the French defeat the Geneva convention called for the Vietnamese forces to withdraw to the north and the French to the south for final evacuation. But then the Americans set up a puppet government in the southern part which cancelled the planned nation-wide election in 1956, effectively dividing the country into two parts, not two countries. And on and on. Well, we told the manager of the tourist office all about it when we got back and he seemed very surprised but we doubt that he would have fired the guide. I wanted to suggest he be sent back to the re-education camp. And I may still write to the Government about him... Grrrr!
But apart from that rather disappointing episode, we enjoyed the rest of the time in Ho Chi Minh but eventually left for our long bus trip up the coast. Train travel would have been preferred but it is more expensive and the schedules are more difficult. It is possible to get a bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi for about $22 with stops in at least 5 cities along the way. Hard to beat even though the air conditionning was so-so and seemed to be turned off at the hottest time of the day and even though the no-smoking travel didn't seem to incude the drivers. Don't worry, my letter of complaint has already been sent.
Our first stop was Nha Trang, on the south central coast, only for one day as it is touted as the best place to scuba dive and I hadn't had the opportunity to scuba dive elsewhere on the trip. It was also only $44 for 2 dives which is cheap. Well, we had a fabulous day with about 10 other tourists from Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Australia and the UK and the diving was lots of fun. Pierre snorkelled even though, without his glasses, he couldn't see anything. At one point he thought he saw the looming shadow of a shark just below him but after a few seconds the shiny reflection from the back of the head reassured him that it was just me. There weren't many fish, due to overfishing and much of the coral had been broken but still it was a nice little adventure for the day.
Afterwards we travelled about 13 hours to the next stop, the UNESCO cultural site of Hoi An, a small traditional town on the coast halfway up the country. It was a former port with many of the very old buildings still standing. We were there for the Tet festival and enjoyed the frantic shopping and decorations prior to the big day. The flower market was spectacular. But the day after all was closed and the town was quiet and peaceful. Only 5 hours away is the old capital of Hue, our next stop. So we toured the old city, most of it unfortunately destroyed by US bombing and attacks during the Tet offensive in 1968, when the Vietnamese seized and controlled the city for over 3 weeks. We arrived at the inner gates where we were required to pay but we were at the side, not the front so our charming gatekeeper directed us to the right place. Noticing that he was generally more effeminate that many, we started chatted with him (using the phrase books of course as he knew no English). Eventually, we told him that we were gay and he nodded that he understood. They we asked if he was. He froze for a few seconds and then smiled broadly and said "OK, OK". So we then bombarded him with questions about the gay bars in Hue and were we could go in the evening and would he like to accompany us. But Vietnam hasn't modernized that much and the conversation seemed to get far too complicated. We didn't manage to see him later or go anywhere interesting, but he did let us in free.
The next day was cool and rainy. We'd booked ourselves for a motorcycle tour of the area around Hue and decided to brave the weather and go, with only our t-shirt and plastic poncho. It was fun initially, cool and refreshing and even fun in the rain, stopping at a pagoda, the old palace of the Nguyen Emporer, a monestary where we were treated to a session of music and prayer, then on to old bunkers from the anti-colonial war and then through the rice fields and rural villages. A very entertaining day but I caught a cold and Pierre thinks he caught hemmorhoids. We did have to complain (again) though, when the guide was explaining that the Emporer Tu Duc (whose palace and tomb we visited) had 104 wives but no children. The guide explained, thinking himself a comedian that "either his banana was broken or he was a f...ing homosexual!" We liked the banana part but just had to raise the level of the young man's consciousness about sexual orientation. Which we did.
The next stage was a long, overnight bus ride all the way to Hanoi, the capital. The 18 hour scheduled trip was miraculously reduced to 12 hours, likely because I refused to let the driver smoke! So while we dozed, he flew along the mostly deserted highway and just as I was drifting off to my Beauty sleep, the bus stopped at 6 am in Hanoi. He got his revenge. With our Australian friends, Kim and Kate, we packed up and wandered off in search of a place to stay, pounding on hotel doors only to be told they were full or waking up the reception staff only to turn them down because the rooms weren't too clean, because there were no windows or whatever... I waited outside. So we eventually found a place and settled in for our northern adventure.
We loved Hanoi and the old quarter, which was bustling and well-serviced. It was here that our Australian friends introduced us to Bia Hoi (draft beer), which sold for 17 cents a glass. It would take Australians to sniff out the beer so we returned the favor and introduced them to dogmeat, eaten fairly often in Vietnam. Well, it was part of the adventure and it was no dog that we knew! Pierre kept saying to himself: "Just think of the stupid dog next door that wakes us up every day at 5 a.m.) And he enjoyed it. But don't worry, we have no intention of making it a regular part of our diet so you are still welcome for supper.
The final chapter in our trip to Vietnam (aren't you lucky that I've already covered the North of Vietnam in my last message), is our 2 day trip to Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the Northeastern coast of Vietnam.
This is a magnificently beautiful and rather large area with what look like mountain peaks sticking out of the water, forming tall scraggy islands, mostly uninhabited. We took a boat tour with Australians (they're everywhere), Americans, Germans and a very informed and engaging young Vietnamese guide. She continuously entertained us with stories and explanations of Vietnamese culture. We travelled all day through the limitless islands on a quiet sea with a bright sun. Apparently it is often foggy this time of year so we were very lucky.
On one island we stopped and toured a huge cave, complete with a sidewalk and colored lighting. Very beautiful.
The boat finally dropped anchor in a protected bay and we settled in for the night. Food on the boat was very good and there were even hot showers. The latter were needed. We were invited to swim but the wintry weather seemed to discourage everyone. Well they needed a Canadian to show the way so I volunteered and jumped into the invitingly blue water from the prow of the boat. It was very cold but would I tell them? Of course I had to, to avoid heart attacks and revenge during the night but soon most had taken their turn before rushing into the hot shower.
The next day was foggy and we could barely see the islands around us. But it gave a much different and eerie impression so we were happy to have had both. A quick lunch on the mainland and the bus back to Hanoi through the rice fields of the Red River (only 15 000 square kms) and back to Hanoi.
We did go out to the movies to see "the Quiet American" based on the novel by Graham Greene. It is a good movie starring Michael Cain and our favorite Brendan Fraser but filmed in Vietnam. It is a good movie and well worth seeing. Reports were that the release was delayed in North America as it is a bit too revealing about how US foreign policy works as the country prepares itself for war.
Unfortunately most of our time in Hanoi was spent organizing ourselves, shopping or well, drinking Bia Hoi. Darn Kim and Kate. We have learned a lot about Australia and will likely make it our next travel destination. With such fine hosts in view, we'd be foolish not to take advantage. By the way, the famous couple are planning to visit us next November so drop by if you want to see real live Australians.
So we didn't really have a lot of time to explore the city very much. Still, what we saw of it was very pleasant and we wouldn't hesitate to come back.
We flew to Vientiane Laos on February 19 for the last country to visit. Stay tuned for the Laos report, coming soon.
Trev
We're back
April 5, 2003
Hi everyone, Just so that you know, we arrived safely in Montreal around 10 pm on March 31 after about 30 hours of travel from Bangkok to Osaka (Thai Airways), then Air Canada to Vancouver and Montreal. The flights were fine except that Air Canada had the same movie on both flights. I didn't realize that there was a shortage of films in the world. We didn't kiss the ground in Vancouver (it would have had to be the floor of the Vancouver airport) but we did do some shopping at the 'Body Shop'. Surprisingly with the SARS scare, there was no medical screening except an information sheet that was available. Pierre thought he should cough excessively to see what reaction there would be but I suggested it was not a good idea. He could rather fake fainting and maybe he'd get a free mouth-to-mouth resusitation. Anyway, we were only in Hanoi among the SARS danger areas and that was in February so with the 10 day incubation period long past, we can safely claim to be free of SARS.
We were happy to be home even though the expected warm spring weather was not there to welcome us. But Gerard and Daniel gave us a warm welcome anyway. Despite it being about 11:30 a.m. for our bodies, we had no problem dropping off to sleep; 30 hours of being awake will do that to you. The house was in good shape thanks to our renter, Jean-Bernard, and to Glen who did a magnificent job keeping things clean and in good order.
The first week home has been extremely busy with a 2 foot high pile of mail to go through, unpacking our 4 big pieces of luggage and moving back in. (Much of our stuff was in storage while the house was rented) So I have another month before returning to work and Pierre has less time to find a job (I'm putting the pressure on). Soon we'll have the yardwork to get to and our social calendar is already filling up. I've started a final overall trip report that will be sent out in due course...likely before the end of summer at this rate.
We'll be in touch. Take care.
Trev
Posted: Thu - October 9, 2003 at 01:19 PM
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Published On: Nov 12, 2003 11:57 AM
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Published On: Nov 12, 2003 11:57 AM