4/16/07
18° 39.05N
113° 22.10E

Chalk up another unforgettable port-of-call. On the morning of Monday, April 9th, we sailed up the Saigon River to port in the wonderful city of Ho Chi Minh. The Saigon River was narrow and twisty with enormous ships sailing in both directions on what could be considered a two-lane superhighway. Thoughts ran through my head of what I would think of Vietnam – the home of the infamous Vietnam War (or American War if you are in Vietnam). Have the Vietnamese forgiven the Americans? Will I see hostility toward Americans in the average citizen? Although much of what I have learned about Vietnam is related to the war, what else the does the country have to offer? Well, these questions were quickly stolen from my head when I jumped on the back of a cyclo (or what could be considered a small motorcycle) for a ride into town. For one U.S. dollar, I flew into town swerving between trucks, cars and other cyclos without any regard for stop signs and traffic lights. Without a doubt the most dangerous thing I’ve done in the last year. I’ll tell you one thing, the horn takes on an entirely new meaning in Vietnam. In the United States, the horn is usually used to signal “I’m frustrated and you are making me mad.” In Vietnam however, the horn is typically used to signal “I’m am on a small cyclo passing you in the big truck, please don’t kill me” or “here I come into the crowded intersection at 60km/hr with three people on my cyclo, get out of my way or we will both die.” Thank god for horns.

The first day in Ho Chi Minh City, I set out to explore the city and get a taste for life in Vietnam. Several friends and I visited crowded markets filled with imitation products, stopped at couple of tailors to get cheap suits fitted, ate an awesome Vietnamese lunch, and spent hours in the Vietnamese Airlines office trying to book tickets out of the city. The communist controlled government runs the Vietnamese Airline office and it was a pain. It felt like the DMV in Boulder, CO, which is probably one of my least favorite places in the entire world. Take a ticket and wait forever. Finally, we were able to book a flight to Danang at 6:00am the next morning. After a great - and totally exhausting - first day, we headed back to the ship for some shut-eye.

The next several days, Logan, Bob, Frank and I backpacked through the cities of Danang, Hoi An, and Hue in central Vietnam. It was a blast traveling with no plans, no time schedule, and no idea what we were about to see. Danang had little to offer, but it was great to see an authentic Vietnamese city uninfluenced by tourism. We met some Americans who had been living in Vietnam for the last 13 years. While talking to the 26-year-old son, I asked what he thought about the government. Very casually and without hesitation, he declined to comment. He said that Vietnamese don’t openly talk about their government. Pretty crazy notion coming from the United States! A quick drive from Danang is the beautiful Vietnamese coastline and the renowned China Beach. China Beach and the surrounding area are gorgeous. White sand beaches, blue water, elevated restaurants hanging precariously over the water, and no more than five people on the entire beach. Hoi An was much more of a tourist town. Markets and small shops lined the small town located some 50km south of Danang. Everything was cheap, cheap, cheap in Hoi An. We stayed at a modest hotel with a pool and breakfast included for $17 per night (that is, for the entire room), bought silk ties for $2, and incredible canvas paintings for less than $20. One evening we ate dinner at a small, two-story restaurant on the river. A filling Vietnamese meal of rice, stir-fried noodles, chicken, beef, vegetables, spring rolls and several rounds of beer ran us $4 per person. I’ll tell you what; my chopstick stills are getting good! After catching a grungy train (worse than India) to Hue, we checked out the Imperial City and the many scars left by the American War. Several days of wondering aimlessly around central Vietnam later, we caught our flight back to Ho Chi Minh City.

The final day in Vietnam, I went to the American War Museum with a couple of friends from the ship. Wow, what an experience. The museum really showed the war from the Vietnamese perspective…there were many comments about “the evil American enemy.” It was cool to see their side of the story because it certainly was not something one would find in very many American textbooks. The death, destruction, complexities, and extent of the war astounded me. If you ever make it to Ho Chi Minh City, be sure to swing by this museum. It will change your perspective of war.

I will undoubtedly return to Vietnam one day. As I look back on my thoughts before arrival, I now know how much Vietnam has to offer. As our interport lecturer said, “It’s a country, not a war.” Also, when I asked the Americans in Danang about Vietnamese attitudes toward Americans, they said that they have been warmly welcomed into the country. According to the son, the Vietnamese have forgiven the Americans, but the Americans have not yet fully forgiven the Vietnamese. Now there’s some food for thought.

Thanks for stopping by,

-Mike