Mekong Delta and the Vietnam war

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Who ever told us not to come in August - really got it wrong. Now maybe we were lucky but, for the last 9 days we have enjoyed nice warm sunny weather witnessing rain only on the days that we are to leave. We are off today and it's pouring just as it poured the day we left Hanoi.

We definitly feel the difference in the heat between the North and the South. We were so happy that we started in the North because the weather in Ho CHi Min city has just been a pleasure and we were so use to the humid heat in Hanoi that being here now is just great.

We took a two hour car trip down to the Mekong Delta and on the way I noticed that on the side of the boulevard (which they call - highway) was lined with coffee shops that had rows and rows of hammocks. Each hammock had next to it a small table. I asked our guide what were these shops were and he told us that when people go home for the weekends they need a break from the drive and so they have a nice drink and then a nap!! I love it . I would love to open a coffee shop like this on the way to Eilat. Actually I probably need a hammock in my office.

This region , southwestern Vietnam is where the Mekong river approaches and empties into the sea through a network of water systems. The Mekong Delta has recently been dubbed as a 'biological treasure trove'. Over 10,000 new species have been discovered in previously unexplored areas of Mekong Delta.

Boarding another boat we crossed the river till we got to some small islands. Vietnam excells in trying to sell anything to tourists. It's rather annoying since most of the time these sell pitches come just as you would like a little down time to enjoy the scenery. At Mekong we floated down canals, saw strange fruit, heard vietnamese songs and drank coconut water from the coconut. It was a real experience.

AND OF COURSE ....

You can't go to Vietnam and not deal with the wars that took place here - so we decided that Wednesday was a day we would go to all of the museums and learn about the history from the Vientnamese perspective. I have to admit that I really don't have any recollection of the war- which is curious . I definitly noticed my older friends looking at me bewildered as I told them we were off to Vietnam for VACATION.

Off we went to the Palace of Reunification, - I know I'm being Shallow here (I do have that tendency) but I loved their decorator of that place. The rugs and light fixtures were just the most beautiful I 've ever seen. Then off to the Museum of War Remnants. One has to be prepared for an emotional and sometimes confronting experience. Obviously, we are use to museums that are created on some methodology. Bias goes without saying, but with that in mind, it was enlightening to be made aware of another perspective. We began to understand something of the collective psyche of the Vietnamese people. There is a display of US helicopters and tanks as well as a moving exhibition of photographs detailing the Vietnam War especially the effects of agent orange.

All of our tour guides discussed how they won't forget what the French and Americans did but they do forgive and in the same breath they discuss how unhappy they are with the communist government. So not only did they fight for something they also hate what they ended up with! I do have to note in china only one guide was willing to tell us what he thought the rest gave us the party line .. here they all spoke their mind freely to us- without us even asking!

We finished the evening with a Water Puppet Show- Jeff really wanted to see it- I figured I could go along. I have to admit it was a great way to end our trip because it really sumerizes everything we saw from Sapa to Ho chi min. It was very authentic and beautiful in it's simplicity. It was only in Vietnamese but we understood all the same. So if I was just going in the begining to please my husband It should be on everyones list of things to do.

As we left the theater I heard some loud american swing music playing and figured we should check it out. In a huge hall with no a/c were about 50 couple, young and old, learning swing to the instructions of a small and tough dance sergent. Ha Ma Bar ( 1, 2, 3 and turn). We watched them for about 20 minutes and I new we had to leave before I joined in with all of the fun.

So that's our trip to Vietnam. I really felt we challanged ourselves and did things I would have never done.

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Photos

Jealous at the ..
abitliy just to slow down!