Sing Chao, Vietnam!

What a country… It has such a personal history with the U.S. yet have moved on and live fully each day. Vietnam was a wonderful country to visit and I had a fabulous time there. Yet there were intense moments as realization hit of what has all taken place on those grounds, and I will share those with you as I tell you what I all did.

Vietnam has a history of fighting for independence, yet are always struggling to win it. The French colonized them for a hundred years and China also fought for power. Vietnam split into the North and South when they achieved independence from the French. America stepped in to “help” and solve the disputes… and there is much controversy from here on out. After standing on Vietnamese grounds and hearing stories from young and old, American and Vietnamese, I have a continued interest in the Vietnam War. If anyone has personal ties to this issue I would love to discuss it more. It’s still a sensitive subject for Americans, however the Vietnamese have moved on and it is only a part of history now to them. The war ended and the North took over the South, uniting Vietnam into a communist country. They are still an independent communist country today, and from my experience, are simply happy to finally be their own country under their own rule.

Tuesday morning we pulled into the Mekong River early for a 3-hour ride into Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as “Saigon”). This was so beautiful… with canoers fishing, dirt being transported, and some small villages along the shore.

As soon as the ship was cleared my friends and I ventured into the city for a self-tour. The first challenge was crossing the street. Oh, this may sound silly at first… but Vietnamese traffic is another world! There are more motorbikes in Vietnam than any other country- it is simply how people travel- and they don’t really follow many traffic rules. We were advised first on the ship how to cross a street: look to make sure no one was immediately coming, step out, and just walk at a steady pace and the thick traffic will go around you. Don’t hesitate or change pace. Drivers will read you and adjust their route right around you. So we came to a street to test this strategy… and succeeded! The celebrated the first few times we successfully crossed streets! Haha. And then it just started coming natural that we step off and nonchalantly walk across the dense traffic lol. We took a stroll through the Ben Thanh Market, which is HUGE, and saw live sea creatures, internal organs (liver, intestines, who knows what else), jewelry, and cheap DVDs. We continued our tour and viewed the Reunification Palace, which is where the independence treaties were signed.

We then went to the War Remnance Museum. This was just… honestly, difficult to go through. There were very gory pictures showing innocent villagers ripped to pieces, terrified kids who had just lost their parents, last few pictures soldiers had taken seconds before they died, the effects of Agent Orange (a terrible nuclear toxin that thousands were exposed to) and has on many generations (handicaps, deformed bodies, bodies shaped where they have to crawl like a dog, huge foreheads with small lowerheads, disfigured bodies, lack of limbs, etc.), soldiers laying and dying in their blood, US torturing the Viet Congs and vice versa. I honestly couldn’t even believe they were showing some of the pictures that were up. But I guess it shows the truth to guerrilla warfare and this controversial war. It ended with a children’s drawing contest on the topic of “What a Unified World Means to You.” A small light was shed at the end of the dark journey through these kids’ drawings. Then we walked outside… onto this ground where these pictures had taken place, surrounded by people who had been a part of the war… I’m honestly still trying to process it all.

We continued our tour (we may or may not have taken a detour to get ice cream…) to see the town cathedral. 10% of Vietnamese practice Catholicism, as the French had brought it over when they colonized it. We also viewed the Post Office, which is actually very large and beautiful, and searched, but failed, for the Botanical Gardens.

The weather was very hot with a few quick downpours throughout the day. We didn’t realize these downpours were short, so during the first one a vendor sold us these stylish polka-dotted ponchos for 10,000 dong (less than 50 cents). We definitely looked good with those on! We thought we REALLY looked like tourists then, but we saw lots of motorbikers with ponchos on, even polka-dot ones! So then we felt like we fit right in and were just embracing their culture through polka-dotted ponchos ☺ haha.

We had dinner at a local spot and it was very tasty. That evening we went to a place that ended up being quite a unique cultural experience… a Water Puppet Show! The puppets showed Vietnamese life with farming, fishing, etc. but popping up in water. Musicians sat on the sides of the stage and also talked for the water puppets. I took some videos that really show its uniqueness. It’s one of those events that you’re glad it happened because it’s cultural, but you’re okay if it never happens again. Haha…

Wednesday morning I went on a SAS service trip to a school for the disabled. We first met with the principal who told us about his school. It is for deaf and “dumb” kids. “Dumb” isn’t offensive in Vietnam, it simply is the category for Down’s Syndrome, mental retardation (MR), ADHD, etc. The kids come from very poor families, but it doesn’t cost them anything since it is government owned. They will graduate at about 16 or 17 and then go on to get jobs. Then it was time to interact! I spent a few hours in a classroom for the young children with Down’s, MR, and ADHD. What a wonderful time! One girl just loved to laugh and would mimic everything I did. Another girl liked playing with the Frisbee I brought. One boy liked to wrestle and play ball. Another boy REALLY liked to climb me haha. One girl was really shy, but I eventually got her to warm up and play ball. They had loooots of fun with stickers too. I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable time.

That afternoon my friends and I went to a spa since they are really cheap in Vietnam! Oh, how relaxing! I got an hour massage and hour facial, which were just amazing… and yet adventures too! Once I understood what they lady wanted me to wear, she just stood there and watched as I changed! Then when she started the massage she climbed onto the bed and straddled my back! She pulled down my underwear and included my entire bare butt in the massage! Ha, wow! But I embraced the awkwardness and just enjoyed the massage with an understanding of the cultural differences. I really enjoyed the facial, as it is the first one I’ve ever had. I felt soooo relaxed after those 2 hours! They finished it with time to sip tea and just relax in a comfortable chair.

That evening we spent exploring Ho Chi Minh City more. I actually grabbed the fabric I had bought in Ghana with intentions of getting a dress made and took it to a Vietnamese tailor! So now I have a beautiful sundress from Ghanaian fabric but made in Vietnam!

Thursday I went on a trip that explored Southern Vietnam. We drove a few hours then ate a delicious authentic lunch. We then went to a Cao Dai Temple, which is a unique religion to Vietnam. It combines the philosophies behind Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Confucianism to form this religion called Cao Dai (pronounced Cow-Die). They worship each deity for what good it brings to the world. The women wear all white and the men where either all red, blue, yellow, or white. They believe that animals and nature are like our siblings, so they don’t eat animals and they try to have “jungles” surrounding the temples. The temple was HUGE. We went into the balcony to watch the service take place. Solemn music was played while the Cao Dai followers walked in one by one. The service consisted of continued music, some gong hits, and much meditation, bowing, and worshipping. It was very interesting.

Our next stop was a war memorial where they have tombstones for 10,000 Vietnamese from the war, only a small fraction of the many that died. Seeing so many markers helped me visualize how many deaths there were. This is where I started to really wonder about our activity in the war. Was it right to intrude on their dispute? And how did the South Vietnamese feel about it? Were they thankful that we had tried to help even though we lost? Were they mad that we pushed ourselves on them and didn’t even win? Where they angry that we possibly made the war worse and deaths more than what it should’ve been? I’m sure it is different for each person… but now it is over and the Vietnamese have moved on… They showed absolutely no signs of hostility towards us. The only markers I saw still from the war were 1) memorials like this and the museum, 2) the Cu Chi Tunnels, which comes next, and 3) beggers on the street and people in disabled homes that are physically still affected by exposure to the Agent Orange toxin.

We then went to the Cu Chi (Koo Chee) Tunnels. Again, we were truly on the grounds where the war was fought. It didn’t get any more real than this. Years ago the Cu Chi people were being chased through these trees and killed on this soil… so to help protect themselves they built an underground tunnel system. They lived in these tunnels… yes lived, including sleeping, eating, urinating, studying, and, as our tour guide said, rotting. The tunnels run for an estimated 200 miles all over the area layer upon layer. They also included many traps so they could quickly escape from Americans. The Cu Chi people had to stay within their own “neighborhoods” because each one was booby-trapped according to the people living there. If they were above ground and freaked out, they had the chance of hurting themselves if they went into their neighbors’ unknown trapped grounds. Our guide first took us to a spot in the woods that looked normal to me. Then he brushed off some ground, uncovered a wood piece, picked it up to reveal a small hole, placed his body in the hole, picked the wood piece up, put leaves back on top of it, and closed himself in this hole. It was as if he was never there. This hole provided for a quick escape when they were being chased and it appeared as if they had just disappeared into thin air. We then were shown a trick door. It looked like normal ground once again, but when one stepped on it the door flipped revealing a huge pit with spikes sticking straight up ready to quickly pierce whoever fell in. Another hole was shown to us that connected to a tunnel that opened up in the middle of American camps (Americans placed a Base right on top of the tunnels without ever realizing it) in which the Cu Chi people would go in and shoot them in the middle of the night. We then saw an anthill, which was used to stick a hollow bamboo pole in that allowed them to get fresh air into their tunnels. They then showed us a row of many different traps that were used… this was true guerrilla warfare, and honestly, the Cu Chi people were geniuses with this system. Then it was time for us to crawl through the tunnels. The part we went through was the tunnels’ typical size, about 2 ft wide and 3 ft high… which meant we were on our hands and knees in a very DARK space. The tunnels weaved around, up and down, and connected to other tunnels as well. I can’t even imagine living in those… literally, there is not room to live. And it was incredibly hot in tiny spaces with tons of people. But it saved their lives from innocent killings. This was just an incredible, very real experience. In addition, I was reminded that the American soldiers fighting were about 22 years old, my exact age. I can’t even begin to imagine being on that ground for a much different purpose than I was. Wow, just simply… WOW.

Friday I went on a service trip to a school for the deaf and then took them to the zoo! We first went to the school, which is in District 8, the poorest section in Ho Chi Minh City. The kids range on how much they can hear and talk. They get a late start into school so they graduate after 5th grade when they’re about 20 years old. We interacted with them for a while, playing different group and individual games.

Then it was time to take them to the zoo! They were SOOO excited and had SOOO much energy. When we arrived they literally jumped off the bus and started running towards the elephants. Their running didn’t calm… they literally ran the whole day from animal to animal because they were so excited—yet this makes it pretty exhausting and difficult for their group leader! There were all kinds of animals in the zoo. The kids would look at them for maybe 2 seconds, if not 1, then run off to the next animal lol. After a half hour we had already seen the entire zoo! Although this was a great trip and I really enjoyed it, the language barriers were an issue… we not only couldn’t speak Vietnamese, but the kids also can’t hear. So when they were running in opposite directions we couldn’t yell after them to get their attention. You must actually run and catch up to them and then try to gesture slowing down or to go in the other direction. So it made for an exhausting and interesting day… but definitely still rewarding. These kids were so excited to go to the zoo… so excited to hang out with foreigners… so excited to hang out with older kids (I mean… young adults) and I felt so blessed by their energy and presence.

Saturday I went on a trip to the Mekong Delta. It was awesome! The Mekong River is the 10th largest in the world and runs through 4 different countries. Along the way we stopped at another Cao Dai Temple, but much smaller than the other one, and also walked through a local non-touristy market. Meat-cutters were just sitting on top of their tables beside their meat, some even in hammocks! When we arrived to the Mekong River Delta we got on a big boat that held our entire group of about 40 people. It took us for a ride and then we got off and walked through the “jungles of the Delta” to a small hut where they showed us how they make coconut candy. We then got on carts that hold about 5 people that are pulled by horses. They took us through a couple of villages on dirt paths and we waved to the friendly locals. We then walked to a hut where we had snack time. We tried many different exotic fruits and nuts while listening to village music performers. And then…. they showed us a giant snake and offered to let people hold it! A few people out of our group did hold it… including me! Oh my… Our guide placed it on my shoulders and in my hands… oh my goodness! And then he got distracted, walked away, and sat down as I was holding this huge snake! Eventually he realized he was in the middle of something and came and got the snake off me! haha. Oh, what an experience!

We then walked to a small river feeding into the main Mekong where we got on canoes! So there we were… floating on a Mekong canal, 4 in a row, wearing Asian straw triangle hats, as our river guide stood rowing on the end. Oh, it was just sooo wonderful. I love being so close to water and just gliding through it… and that’s surely what we were doing, but in Vietnam! How awesome. When it ended we were dropped off canoe by canoe onto a floating dock (granted, not like ours for sure) that the larger boats tied to. However, as the more people got onto this tiny thing, it started going under! The lady with the nearest large boat said that it wasn’t our boat so we couldn’t get on… but our guide wasn’t around and we didn’t know where our boat was! Then one more person stepped on and we all started sinking! So we said, hey lady we’re jumping on your boat temporarily! Deal with it! Haha! So we did, and no one sunk lol. The Mekong River is NOT a safe place to go under in and thankfully we stayed mostly dry! Eventually our guide came, unaware of all that had just happened, and we found our right boat lol.

The boat took us to lunch in a hut in the jungle. Mmmm mmm it was GOOD. The first dish was a large cooked fish propped upright! The waitress scraped it and put it in a thin wrap with rice noodles and leaves. That was one tasty dish! After lunch we headed back on our bigger boat to cross the delta one last time to get back on the bus. Once we were back in Ho Chi Minh City, sadly it was time to board the ship. However, we didn’t disembark until early the next morning, which was the first time we’ve done it this way. It’s because it was night out and the Vietnam Port authorities refuse to let ships venture out of the long Mekong River when it is dark. That morning I slept very lightly and kept waking up to look outside my porthole to watch Vietnam pass by.

I really loved Vietnam and felt my time there was spent as best as it could be. However, I want to tell you about 2 things that were of slight difficulties for me (note that these are very petty and more silly things opposed to the seriousness of being on war grounds).

1) $1 USD is equivalent to 17,500 Vietnamese Dong… now, we’ve had to constantly do calculations in every port whenever we buy something, eat, pay a taxi, etc…. but they’ve been in 1.5s, 7s, 10s, and 50s, but 17,500?!?! That took some getting used to!
2) They drove on the right side of the road! Can you believe it?! It felt so weird! Yes, I said the RIGHT side felt weird… The last few ports they drive on the left side so when I finally get used to it, Vietnam switched back on me! It’s probably going to be smart if I don’t drive for a few days when I get back to US… just so I can get reused to the driving rules!

So Vietnam was a wonderful and intense experience.We had 3 days on the ship and tomorrow we arrive in Hong Kong! I’m excited because I was just there in May and feel pretty familiar with it. Many SASers are taking trips to Beijing, Xi’an, or the Great Wall and meeting the ship in Shanghai. However since I was just to these amazing sites 5 months ago, I decided to stay on the ship and save a few Yuan. I’m excited to see a country that I spent a month in and really fell in love with!

Blessings to each of you ☺