Sophisticated Saigon & Confused Conflict


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January 30th 2014
Published: January 30th 2014
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Saigon, Peoples Committee HallSaigon, Peoples Committee HallSaigon, Peoples Committee Hall

Beautiful building; ugly politics
Arrived in Saigon last night...no one here calls it Ho Chi Minh City...and immediately noticed the contrast with Hanoi and indeed Bangkok. Hanoi has the Communist govt and is the Capitol of unified Vietnam, whilst Saigon is the business and shopping capital. It oozes wealth and sophistication and could be any major city in the world, inc Paris or London..it has all the big name expensive stores, no visible street markets (although they do exist), and food and beer 50% more expensive! It does still have squadrons of scooters and m/cs, but also plenty of good cars..and no tuktuks.. We did still see chickens wandering the town center, which was a bit bizzare.

We visited the Chu Chi region where the surviving Viet Cong tunnels are. We had the rare privelidge of having as our guide, a Vietnamese war veteran of 65 yrs old, called Mr Hi, who was in the South Viet Army and served 3 yrs with the Americans as an interpreter, before being called to fight with the S Viet Army. He was actually stationed at the US base 3 km from the tunnels he was showing us and so gave us a rare first hand account
Saigon,  Catholic CathedralSaigon,  Catholic CathedralSaigon, Catholic Cathedral

Beautiful building; Crazy logic
of the conflict, ...history, politics, the psychological aspects and the horror of the reality on the ground. After the war, he was sent, along with all SVA officers, to a communist re-education' camp for 3 yrs..the senior officers, lawyers, doctors, etc had to stay up to 17 yrs...in what amounted to POW camps, where many died of overwork and starvation. He also explained why the Americans could never win...they couldn't tell the difference between ally or enemy, as the SVA and the Viet Cong were all local peasant farmers, often from the same villages. The villagers were promised better lives by the commies, so supported them and waged guerrilla warfare against the Yanks, and the SVA, many of whom changed sides anyway, during the conflict. He was a very humorous and happy man, mainly due to his appreciation of how lucky he was to have survived. Many of his friends, both American and Vietnamese didn't. It was a very emotional experience. We went down the tunnels, and later went to the Saigon War Museum, where many American tanks, guns, and aircraft were displayed, most of which were just abandoned in the hasty evacuation / retreat, when Saigon was taken by
Saigon,  Opera houseSaigon,  Opera houseSaigon, Opera house

Beautiful building; culture for the privileged
the North. It was salutary to recall that Saigon was not just a city, but also a battlefield that saw much hand to hand fighting. We also saw many more limbless men, landmine victims, who had to beg on the streets due to lack of govt support.

I met a doctor from Hanoi in the pub next to our hotel, who trained at Harvard, then returned to establish an Oncology hospital in Hanoi.. He was visiting his parents in Saigon for the Tet (new year) holiday. He explained that if you got cancer in Vietnam, basically, you died..treatment that we take for granted is just not available, there is no state support, only private docs. He runs a charitable outfit, recruited several oncologists, and funds an educational prevention programme, and some basic chemo, from overcharging wealthy patients and treating poor patients for free. Dr Robin Hood! He has Xray and some lab facilities but no scanners...too expensive. The Communist govt turns a blind eye to the huge majority of poor peasant farmers, who had been fooled into believing they would be better off under communism, and so became Viet Cong to fight with the north.

The communists were
Saigon, Tet Dragon DanceSaigon, Tet Dragon DanceSaigon, Tet Dragon Dance

Let the festivities begin
/ are experts at propaganda and brainwashing, much evidence of which we saw both at the tunnels and in the museum.

We are so lucky to be here, coincidentally, at the Tet celebrations, the lunar new year starts on the 30th Jan...the excitement during the build up is obvious and infectious, with acres of flowers, lanterns, street decorations, and dancing dragons everywhere.. On their equivalent of new years eve, the 30th....1m people pack into the city center....500 mtrs from our hotel, to party, with fireworks at midnight. We had a meal out with our group...we said goodbye to the older Canadian couple who left, and hello to 2 new members, and retreated to our hotel. We are not big crowd, or city people, and although we have a enjoyed the differing cities immensely, we prefer the more rural scene. One member had his wallet 'borrowed' whilst we were jostling through crowds last night (on our way to a fantastic jazz club), and another had his phone stolen from his locked room today....so we will give the partying crowds a bodyswerve.

On a sadder note, got a message from my brother today to inform me that my parents had
SaigonSaigonSaigon

Not really a dragon...2 men dressed up.
been in a car accident on their way home from inverness a week ago, but they didn't want to worry us by telling us. Thankfully they got away with bruising, but were hospitalized for a couple of days, and the car was a right off. They had a very lucky escape by all accounts, but in their mid 80s, it is bound to have shaken them up a lot. On a brighter note though, it sounds like our daughter- in- law is doing well, and coping with her extensive and unpleasant chemo regime. Go Louise! We realize how fortunate we are to be able to be doing what we are doing, and how so many things could have conspired to have prevented or shortened our sojourn, but happily, have not yet done so. We are nearing our adventures end, and can soon look forward to catching up, and thanking everyone who helped us to make this trip work.

As I am finishing this blog, I can hear explosions and gunfire all around, which is very creepy considering what we have seen and heard today....actually its 00.30am and the fireworks have been going on for 30 mins now...quite the loudest
Saigon, Tet Street PartySaigon, Tet Street PartySaigon, Tet Street Party

Vietnam New years eve.
and longest we have ever heard. It really does sound as if we are under attack. These guys work long and hard, but give them a day off and they know how to party!!


Additional photos below
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SaigonSaigon
Saigon

Never far from the red flag...lest they forget!
Chu Chi. VC Sniper hatchChu Chi. VC Sniper hatch
Chu Chi. VC Sniper hatch

If you want to get ahead, get a hat...
Chu Chi TunnelChu Chi Tunnel
Chu Chi Tunnel

220 km of these!
Abandoned tankAbandoned tank
Abandoned tank

Near Chu Chi
US medivac helicopterUS medivac helicopter
US medivac helicopter

The MASH chopper !
Hoi AnHoi An
Hoi An

Peaceful morning fishing trip
Hoi AnHoi An
Hoi An

Killing, cleaning, and preparing chooks for market..under shade of bridge
Hoi An, Hoi An,
Hoi An,

Early morning street life.


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