The Rest of Vietnam

Other than our time spent learning about the Vietnam War, we mostly wandered the streets of Saigon taking in the sites, people and food.  We spent a few days doing homework in a bakery and coffee shop, which we found worked a lot better for all than just sitting in our dorm style accommodations. We also checked out a wide variety of shops and markets and even ordered a few custom tailored clothes - something Vietnam specializes in. Dad got a new completely custom suit, which cost $265 plus $50 shipping to get back home.  If one was buying a few, the savings would totally justify a trip here just to be outfitted!  The quality is as high, if not higher, than anything found back home. Mom got some altering done on a dress for a fraction of the cost at home. 

School at a coffee shop

Dad getting fitted for his suit

We went to Chinatown one day, as it's supposed to be the largest Chinatown in the world, but it was mostly wholesale and while it it was interesting to see, there wasn't much to do there.   We all agreed we felt in the way of the sellers trying to make a living, so we didn't stay long.  Most of the city is set up in unofficial districts, so if you want to buy something in particular, you head to that part of the city.  There is a street known as "guitar street" where there are roughly two blocks of guitar stores. Our oldest used his bargaining skills and Christmas money from grandparents to purchase a small guitar made out of koa wood.  

3 High-rise apartment buildings in Chinatown that were never lived in as
they are believed to be haunted, so 5 new ones are now being built!

Dad had some medical errands to run throughout our stay, as he continued to research medicines and care for his aching feet and psoriasis. We splurged one night, finding a real Argentinian steakhouse that served steaks as good as back home. This was a treat but also a dent in the dining budget.  In hindsight, we spent more time shopping and eating than we would've preferred, but in the crowded city, there wasn't much else for us to do unless we paid up for another tour of some type.  We realized that part of this had to do with our accommodation being so sparsely furnished so that it wasn't desirable to be there any more than was necessary. 

"Funny" moment of being duped into paying for a photo and unwanted coconuts!

Fun drinks our last night in Saigon, overlooking the city

As we walked the town, we passed several movie theaters and all the kids were intent on seeing the new Alvin and the Chipmunk's movie that came out - we were shocked, but figured if this was something they were into, it was better than other movie options!  So one afternoon Dad took the kids to the movie and sent mom to the spa. Figuring Alvin would be a bust Dad didn't "pre-buy" tickets (theaters assign seats here) only to find the movie almost sold out and attended entirely by adults - apparently Alvin is huge in Asia!  Meanwhile mom's massage was awesome!  She was walked on and had the therapist digging her heels, elbow and knees into her as well as doing acupressure on her feet!  It was so incredible that she insisted dad needed to experience it, so he was able to visit later in the week.

We learned a little about the people, government and language as we lived here. The language comes across far more difficult than Thai or Khmer (at least to us). It's a tonal language with 5 different tones used for various words and phrases which when mixed can change the meaning of the word dramatically. For example, the word 'thank you' (CAM-un) is something is we always try to learn in the language of each destination we visit, but if the tone of the "un"  is said differently (CAM-UN), you are saying "shut up". We tried and tried to get this right practicing over and over with our tour guide Ha, but having success only about 50% of the time we decided it might be better if we just gave up, not wanting to offend any of our new friends. Another example we found funny is the greeting "hello," which if emphasized incorrectly asks, "can I have a bowl of soup?"

While scooters are EVERYWHERE, an interesting observation was that there are people hired along the streets to watch parked scooters.  Our tour guide explained to us that stealing is good as it gives over 1000 people a job as a 'scooter-keeper'!  There is also an app called "Track My Bike" and there is an Uber for scooters as many are used as a 'taxi.'  Some of us had experiences being transported on a scooter and it was hard to find a rhyme or reason as to why the driver would go where he did - from a sidewalk on one side of the street, across the street, to drive on the sidewalk on the other side of the street - all the while the street traffic moving at a normal pace!

Watch out for sidewalk scooters!

Hard to see, but between the child and man in blue shirt, is a dog! Also scooter
behind has dude on his phone. These are common scooter scenes!

Many people in Vietnam where face masks.  These are sold everywhere and come in many designs.
Apparently some high-end ones even have carbon filters built into them!

The government here is "open communism" with the government making many of the decisions one might expect in a communist block, but their economy is opening more and more to outside investment. This is accounting for substantial growth of the country with more and more people moving from the country to the cities. There is an upbeat tone to most any of the locals when we inquire on their opportunities and many seem to feel becoming more "open-minded" is a positive thing for their country. 

Vietnam is set up in 24 districts, like 'the Hunger Games but with 24' we are told. One oddity is that you can only buy a car in the district where you are born. So if you move to Saigon from the north, you have to go back up north to purchase a car. The license plates then all have the district number embedded in their code, so you can tell from looking at the plate where any car and driver are from. Another rule is if you work for the government, you are limited to having two children or else your benefits get cut dramatically, but if you work in a private industry, no such statute exists. Lastly, we learned that gambling is strictly forbidden for Vietnamese but allowed for foreigners. So there are large casinos around Saigon but the locals can't go (big with the Chinese). When we checked into our Airbnb, one of the first things our host told us was that if we played cards, to be sure to shut the doors as it's not allowed and the police station is just down the street. Then he went on to tell us that all the police play cards even though they are not supposed to but we should still shut the door (yeah ponder that for a bit). This is funny because, despite gambling being illegal, there is also a government run lottery, which has people all over running around selling tickets. Everyday the numbers are posted online at 4pm. Lots of people buy these tickets but are also skeptical about the whole thing, not really believing it's real. The grand prize is $50,000 USD we are told and 'no one knows anyone who knows anyone who has ever won' but they buy them anyway. 

The highlight of our time here in Vietnam was the tour of the Mekong Valley.  We learned so much that impacted our understanding and time in this country and we were grateful we did that at the beginning of our time in Vietnam.  While the Vietnam War is surrounded by different feeling and ideas of all that was happening during that time in history, learning about it first hand and hearing about its impact on the Vietnamese people, will stick with us as we continue to learn history throughout our lives.  In general, Vietnam is more developed than Cambodia but less so than Thailand. The food and language is different but the people are just as friendly. While we would have loved to visit northern Vietnam, we are all ready to move on, hoping for some softer beds, and looking forward to some down time in Koh Samui, Thailand.

Dining In The Dark

One highlight of our dining experiences in Siagon was the restaurant Noir, which we visited on the last evening before flying to Koh Samui, Thailand. Noir is an experience which they call "dining in the dark," and it is exactly that. Upon finding the restaurant at the end of an otherwise nameless alley, we were greeted and taken to a room where they explained that we would be eating in complete blackness and served by blind people (we knew this ahead of time but had kept this detail from the kids). They took our drink order, brought us some bread and also brought each of us a simple wooden puzzle with 9 different shapes that one might present to a two year old. We were blindfold and told to complete the puzzle. Doing it purely by touch is more challenging than one might expect. After we all completed this exercise they brought out a bowl filled with rice and some paper clips and explained that we were to remove the 4 paperclips in the rice - while blindfolded. We all thought this would be super easy and we were all super wrong. It proved to be incredibly challenging and we asked why. Our host explained that sight makes up more than 50% of our senses with the other four senses making up a combined 50%. When vision is taken away, our brains struggle to do other tasks. 

Family puzzle time - blind-folded!

Who's surprised that he's still the fastest puzzler with a blindfold?

G testing Dad to make sure he truly can't see

After these exercises we were taken to a different room where we were instructed to put our hands on each other's shoulders and follow our blind waiter to our table. We were lead through a seashell like chamber that opened to a room that was pitch black with tables of other guests dining in the dark also. We couldn't see our own hands! Our waiter seated us at our table and gave us some instructions about our beverage glasses and silverware location. At the beginning this was all very disorienting and we were concerned about having actual glass cups and the mess that we were going to make of ourselves and possibly the evening. Our eyes were trying to work, but without the slightest light available, they served no purpose. 

The meal consisted of three courses.  Our first course was served to each of us on a plate consisting of four small bowls, each with its own soup.  The chef was creatively amazing and combined ingredients in unique ways, so we struggled to figure out all of the ingredients of what we were eating, but had fun guessing!  Our second course was another plate with four bowls each containing a different food item.  One bowl consisted of a thick duck stew, another pork belly with chocolate mashed potatoes and bananas, the third bowl contained vegetables and the final bowl was filled with a roast and potatoes.  Our final course was a dessert plate with 3 different bowls, one containing a bacon crumbled sea salt caramel ice cream, another bowl held a pear and cream tart, and finally there was a fried chocolate and nut dough ball.

When we were done eating, we were led out of the dark room and to another area where the owner came and showed us pictures on an iPad of the foods we had eaten as he explained each of the courses and talked to us about our experience.  This was an interesting personal touch to complete the evening. As we reflected on the night, we were relieved that no one had to go to the bathroom during our dinner.  We all agreed that this had truly been an experience in understanding life from a different perspective, not only in our struggles through dinner, but in the way that we were served and how things were ordered and placed "just so" for our blind server to be able to do his job well.  We observed that time felt different when we couldn't see - it felt like our meal lasted several hours when in reality it was maybe an hour and a half at most.  We were encouraged that the kids had good attitudes about this, even our picky eater, who was willing to try most foods.  Dad had the extra adventure of not only feeding himself but helping our daughter who was a trooper to play along.  And we had some laughs when a child would burp or do or say something inappropriate, and mom realized how much she gives a "knowing" facial expression, which in this case, made absolutely no difference!  It was also funny when our daughter dropped her fork somewhere, and there was no way we were going to find it!  We all moved much slower and more intentionally as we weren't sure if we were going to set something out of place or knock over a glass of water - the results being much more severe in this setting.  We were grateful for this unique restaurant which provides work for blind people in the Saigon area, who often are unable to find jobs.  This restaurant is teaching them a trade, helping them to learn English, and giving them confidence as they do their jobs well, all while providing an educational and enjoyable dinner experience for guests.

Cu Chi Tunnels and Vietnam War Museum

[Real time update: We are a bit behind on blogging but hoping to catch up - posts coming. Currently we are in Chiang Mai, Thailand after spending 10 days in Koh Samui. We have a few posts in the works still from Vietnam, then Koh Samui, and then Chiang Mai. We are currently heading south to Lampang for a week to serve with missionaries from church, which was actually one of the very first face to face convos we had about this trip, taking place before we even officially decided to do it - we are excited to be with them! From there we head to South Africa where we will serve a week with a campus from our church, then safari for a week and then spend another week serving before flying to Egypt, where a friend will meet us. Lots of upcoming changes.] 

Our first excursion to learn about the Vietnam War was a trip to the War Museum. This was a very interesting place because it presented the story from the North Vietnamese side. There was little to no history of the French occupation and war they started in 1954, other than to say that the U.S. funded a good portion of it (which is true in later years). The displays then went on to describe all the horrible war crimes committed by the Americans, with no mention of those committed by the Vietcong. Many locals had warned us ahead of time that it was a bit over-the-top in its one-sided presentation. It was interestingly awkward to walk around and feel a bit defensive, but war is awful no matter which side one views it from and we can only hope future generations will learn from the past. Thankfully we were all reading books about the war and so we were able to discuss some of the inaccuracies that we noticed the museum presented when compared to what we were reading.  Some of the displays were too graphic for younger eyes, so we had to split up at times and did not spend as much time here as we could have.  There were several exhibits on the impact of Agent Orange and these were challenging to take in.  There was also a fascinating exhibit, donated by the state of Kentucky, that celebrated the importance of photographers during the war.  This exhibit truly gave us an appreciate for the photographers who used their talents, risking their lives, to inform people half-a-world away of what the war actually looked like.  Maybe this exhibit was impactful because of the overload of propaganda in the rest of the museum, but the exhibit showed the reality of both sides as it looked in-depth at a profession which stared death and war in the eye.

CH-47 Chinook

Kids in front of planes used during the Vietnam War

In the play room, taking a break from a heavy day. The concerned employees felt compelled to
point out these were girl clothes. We laughed so hard that they left confused.

In 1954 the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu by Ho Chi Minh, who led North Vietnam, which was significantly more populated than South Vietnam.  Also at this time, the Geneva Conference divided North and South Vietnam with a 5-mile-wide "safe zone" called the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), and instructed all communists to move north of this border.  The North Vietnamese communists did not honor these instructions and it's estimated that 5,000-10,000 communists remained in South Vietnam undercover.

These events, along with China, Cuba and the Soviet Union's communist governments, had the US concerned about the 'domino theory' of communist expansion.  However, not wanting to send troops to back the South Vietnamese, President Eisenhower sent support in the forms of weapons, supplies, economic aid and advisors.  As time went on, it was apparent that South Vietnam needed more troops to help fight the battles and in 1965, President Johnson sent troops to Vietnam.

Meanwhile, North Vietnam was having trouble getting supplies to their undercover communists in South Vietnam, also known as guerrillas or Vietcong.  This is where the Ho Chi Minh Trail came into play as it passed through Laos and allowed supplies to flow into Southern Vietnam at multiple places along the western border.  This trail also allowed Ho Chi Minh and his soldiers to attack and set up base at Cu Chi, using it as a launch site.  The years of 1966-1968 were the worst years of fighting in the Vietnam War and Cu Chi was the location of the most horrific battles.

Yeah, we could man this thing!

The Cu Chi Tunnels are one of the unique things we really wanted to do while visiting Saigon.  They are about 45 minutes outside of the city in an area where the dirt is literally like concrete. This is one of the reasons the tunnels were built in that particular location.  We were so pleased with our previous tour that we opted to use the same company, which offered a half day tour to the tunnels. Unfortunately we could not get Ha again as he was already booked.  We were picked up and driven to the tunnel location, stopping along the way for some baguettes.

G covering up as he heads into a tunnel

Dad scrunched into the tunnel

Down they go - into the tunnels!

A more spacious section of the tunnel

Tunnels not built for even average sized Americans

Even in dirty tunnels, she's still good lookin' :)

One tunnel leads to a trap while the other is real

Boys reenacting a shootout as if they'd been coming out of a tunnel

Clipping armpit trap! 

The See Saw trap would swing and get the victim several times

Barbed arrow waiting for the enemy - often coated with feces
in order to cause infection

This baby would swing down form trees at troops

This door trap was hidden above doors

The tunnels are truly amazing to see and experience as the vast complexity leaves one's mind spinning. The Vietcong incredible use of guerrilla warfare included fake tunnels, trap doors, and booby trapped trails with various devices straight out of the movie Predator. There are 3 different levels of tunnels with over 250km of distance covered. The tunnels range from 25-40 inches wide, meaning Americans are almost certainly unable to fit through the smaller ones. Some tunnels started out larger and then slowly shrank so to trap Americans who might be pursuing. They were designed to drain to the nearby river should they get flooded and there was no map of this tunnel system ever made. The Vietcong cleverly dug beneath actual termite mounds, which provided natural ventilation with a perfect camouflage (termites are considered some of the worlds best architects as their mounds stay the same temperature day and night, year round, no matter what the outside weather may be because of how they regulate air flow). Additionally they diverted the smoke from the kitchen to a far away exit point, so as to not give away their location. Vietcong soldiers would literally live in these tunnels for 1-2 weeks before switching with the next round of soldiers.  After crawling through a small section of these tunnels (that mind you, had been made larger for us Americans), this is almost unbelievable to fathom as we felt incredible claustrophobic and the air was stifling, with the reality that there was little room to do anything but crawl on one's belly!  While these tunnels are cramped, one can't see them without realizing why it was so difficult to defeat the Vietcong on their own turf.

Kitchen area under ground

Diverted smoke escape hole from kitchen

The Vietcong recycled most of the American supplies to fight against them. They used bomb shells as shovels, our own flashlights and guns from killed veterans, built traps from our bomb parts, and dumped our shampoo and clothes in various places to throw off their scent from the American dogs. Anything the Americans left behind was used to fight against them. Even the dirt taken from the tunnels they dug, was simply used to fill back in the bomb craters so as to go unnoticed.

Shoes were built to wear backwards so that the tracks they made appeared to go the opposite direction

Kids standing in a bomb crater

Our tour guide, we learned, had a brother who tried to escape from Vietnam during the war. His first attempt left him captured and sent to prison for two years. He later organized 15 guys to man an escape boat, which eventually capsized, stranding them at sea for 6 hours before being picked up by a Dutch boat. They then spent 6 months in Hong Kong before being sent to the U.S.  Adding to his pro-American stance, we learned more than once, that our guide was very proud of the fact that his father fought alongside the Americans. His dad was shot in the leg at one point during the war.  At the end of the war he received a letter in the mail telling him he was being sent to "reeducation camp," where he stayed for two years. 

Our guide explained how in 1972, when the US withdrew troops from South Vietnam, they were sad they lost American support as they viewed Americans as their brothers.  South Vietnam was not strong enough to prevail, and North Vietnam took over.  Our guide explained that this closeness is why America took in so many Vietnamese refugees.  Apparently after the war, there was a "black list" of families, and if your name was on that list, you were not allowed many opportunities.  Bill Clinton was the first US President to visit Vietnam after the war.  During his visit the black list was eliminated and so he is highly regarded among the people.  So while Vietnam is considered an open-communist country, capitalism seems to be on the rise.

Of course, I'd like to shoot a machine gun!

"Peoples party of South Vietnam Revolution"

At the end of our tour we were served steamed
tapioca w/ salt sugar & chopped peanuts

A woman on site was making rice paper the old fashioned way

After having visited the one-sided War Museum, it was refreshing to have a tour guide that was pro-American and to hear his perspective of the events during the war.  However, as our youngest son commented, "It's easier and more confusing at the same time," as it showed us our own stereotype/ignorance of viewing the war and struggling to grasp that Vietnamese people themselves were divided and fighting their own countrymen. During all of our time in Vietnam, we did not run across a local who had a cross view of Americans, as they all seemed to understand the war well and feel their government's propaganda was a bit over done. At the same point, there was a sense of pride in their independence and growing economy. Granted, we were only in south Vietnam, not having time to make it to the north. This is something that we wish we could have done as the people, food, and country are beautiful.

To wrap up our Vietnam War field trip, we visited the Reunification Palace, where the head of the South Vietnamese state lived during the war.  On April 30, 1975 a Communist tank drove through the palace gates signaling the defeat of South Vietnam.  The palace stands empty and decorated in the '70's style of that day, as it has not been lived in since.  The architecture of this building was unique in its combination of traditional and modern '60's Asian influences.

A tank that stormed the Palace gates symbolizing South Vietnamese's defeat

Bike Tour in the Mekong Delta - Day 3

Our third morning we rose at 5AM to meet Ha, and headed to the floating markets.  First we visited Phong Dien, a smaller retail market with many locals rowing boats out to get the day's fresh produce as the sun was just peeking out above.

Sunrise on the Mekong

GOOD MORNING Mekong Markets!

Phong Dien Market - the Mekong Delta version of a "Target run"

This cheerful lady has a fast-food breakfast service

This man mixes coffees on his boat - the floating Starbucks of the Mekong River

Our boat is even equipped with a coffee holder!

Man loaded down with his many goods!

Unguarded bananas in a pile on the side of the river
-no one sells or steals these as they are so plentiful here

View into a home on the Mekong

Woman walking her wash down to the river

Woman doing her wash in the river

This is "monkey bridge" that is literally just branches - one has to climb and swing their way across!

We stopped for a quick visit at a local river-side village where we learned about the unbelievable form of labor-intensive processes for planting seeds to create nurseries - this process has not changed for over three generations!  One person will use banana leaves and roll them to form tiny hollow tubes.  Another laborer will fill the tubes with a mixture of soil and ash from the kilns used to bake local bricks.  Another laborer will plant a seed in each tube.  Each of these laborers will make roughly $4-5 a day.

This man has rigged up a high chair and infant carrier
to keep this child safe while riding on the motorcycle

Banana leaves rolled into "cup" that will biodegrade when planted in the soil

Mixing soil with ash

Soil & ash mixture fill each "cup"

These wooden planks set on top of the banana leaf "cups" so that laborers
can squat and plant the seeds without squishing the "cups"

Laborer squatting to plant seeds

Look at them grow!

We saw this fisherman empty his morning catch!

From the village, we traveled to Cai Rang, the largest market on the Mekong and one of the main attractions of the tour.  It's a wholesale market so the people buying tend to take the goods to sell elsewhere.  Many will boat from other parts of the country and stay about 3 days to get their supplies full before heading back to their homes to sell the goods.  Boats will put up a small pole with the items they are selling tied to it, to indicate to buyers what they have to offer.  Most of the boats are about 3 generations old and look like something out of a movie set.

Approaching Cai Rang Market on the Mekong River

This boat advertises that it is selling squash

This woman sells beverages and behind her a multi-level boat is selling pineapples

They call this Mekong rugby - items are thrown from boat to boat!

Following the markets, we began our journey back towards Saigon, stopping at a Cao Dai Temple to observe their noon ceremony.  Cao Dai was founded in Vietnam in 1926 and requires daily ceremonies to worship the Supreme Being at 6:00am, noon, 6:00pm, and midnight, as well as practicing vegetarianism ten days each month to purify oneself.  The Cao Dai religion has elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Roman Catholocism as its saints include Confucius, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Muhammad, Pericles, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, and Victor Hugo, a famous French writer.  This religion, whose purpose is to create a more tolerant world, grew in popularity during the war because if you lived or worked in a temple, you were not called to fight and were considered "safe."  However, today less than 5% of Vietnamese claim to practice Cao Dai.

Woman walking into worship at the Cao Dai temple

Worshipers inside temple

Interesting altar designs

SJ's first squatting experience nearby temple

Outside the temple, men play dominos

Ha dropped us off, after stopping for our tenth bag of lyches (local fruit we love) and we thanked him for the amazing tour.  We learned so much about the culture and people of this area of Vietnam and are so grateful for this background and experience as we spend the next week exploring Ho Chi Minh city, or Saigon as the locals call it informally.