We had a little shy of 48 hours in Vietnam, and we truly just scratched the surface. Vietnam has a population around 100 million, with an official language of Vietnamese and most people practicing no religion. They originally declared independence from China, only to be split into two areas (north and south) with the south colonialized by the French into French Indochina. After WWII independence was declared again, but France returned to regain power with the support of the United States in the very controversial Vietnam War. In 1975 Vietnam was again restored as one nation with a socialist republic.
There is a lot of growth, but also a lot of poverty. It is one of the fastest growing economies, but at the same time there is a high level of corruption, censorship, poor human rights, and freedoms. People are quiet, not a lot of smiles. The many people you see selling on the streets are truly just getting by. The weather was incredibly hot and muggy.
We spent one full day in Ho Chi Min City/Saigon, seeing as much as we could on foot. It isn’t really a pedestrian friendly city, more of a motorbike friendly city. They are everywhere…. going the right and wrong directions on streets, disobeying the limited stop lights that exist, traveling on sidewalks, and carrying up to 5 people on the same bike. It is chaos…. somewhat organized. Walking across any street is a game of Frogger. You make your way as far out as you can, in as little time as you can, moving in between the scooters as fast as you can. The minimal traffic lights that do exist in the city last for maybe 10 seconds, so you must move incredibly fast across 6 or more lanes. It is anxiety provoking!
We were able to see the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Post office, shopping markets, Notre Dame Cathedral, a temple, and skyscrapers everywhere. The French influence is very strong in the beautiful architecture. This is a foodie town…. we ate local cuisine every chance we got and were surprised to find many plant-based restaurants. Not many people speak English here, so it was difficult at times to connect to locals. We did have one opportunity to help a French family communicate with a restaurant owner (believe it or not I was the translator) who rewarded us with a free desert upon our assistance.
The most moving thing we experienced in the city was the War Remnants Museum, a perspective on the Vietnam War from the eyes of the Vietnamese. It was biased of course, but given the amount of information we saw, the only word I can come up with to describe my feeling is shame. Did you know that 4th generation Vietnamese people are still suffering from massive debilitating birth defects from Agent Orange? The pictures and newspaper articles from US photographers and writers were overwhelming. We happened upon the US Ambassador to Vietnam that was there for a ceremony, and he talked to us about what progress this museum was for our relations between our countries. For me, it was an eye opener regarding my naivety.
Day two was spent on the Mekong Delta with a tour guide, visiting a few islands. We saw a honey making farm, a coconut candy making facility, rode bicycles, listened to local singers, shopped, had lunch, visited pagodas, and learned so much from our tour guide. The advancement in highway infrastructure pushed the farmers out of their fields and extended poverty for his family personally. We heard about the desires of youth to make their way to the city for opportunity and the general acceptance of prostitution to achieve this independence and financial security. We provided the tour guide with a $20 tip, and he was overwhelmed by our gift. He said, “I know this isn’t much for you…. $20….but it will bring so much for me and my family. Thank you so much for your generosity.” It didn’t feel generous in the moment, but the smile that spread across his face as well as the prayers he said for us as we left warmed out hearts.
There is so much natural beauty in Vietnam along the coast and in the jungle…. we just didn’t have enough time to experience these wonders. Next time.
We are on our way back to Singapore and will be making a marathon flight pattern back to the US tomorrow…. Singapore to Tokyo to Dallas to Chicago to Toledo. This journey has been epic and life changing regarding our understanding, learning, and connection to this area of the world; making the time in flight so worth it. And none of this would have been possible without the generosity of time, teaching, and patience from our friends Krishna and Chris. We are indebted to them.
Back to Ohio for a few days, and then we embark on our longest and most aggressive Adventure Van trip so far!
