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Published: January 22nd 2009
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The Reunification Express was half an hour late arriving at the station in Hue. Prior to its arrival, the passengers were directed out to the platform where we all gazed down the tracks expecting a train to arrive at any minute. We boarded and had a soft seat in an air conditioned car which costs about $2.25. Before, I mentioned "soft seat" and "hard seat" and that is just exactly what they mean. A hard seat has no padding whereas a soft seat does. This one reclined and there were flat screen TV sets projecting out from the luggage racks. An American movie was playing with Vietnamese subtitles. The fellow across the aisle from us was eating something with chopsticks and watching it as were others on the train, at least those who weren't sleeping. He reminded me of some people in the states who sit with fast food watching some mindless reality show or soap opera.
As Hue faded into the distance, the train snaked its way through the villeges and rice fields of the Central Highlands. There was a two lane highway which paralled the tracks. Our journey took us through several tunnels and over numerous small bridges.
Soon, we could see that part of the South China Sea which separates the coast from a small barrier island off the coast. Somewhat later, we entered a tunnel and, upon coming through it, could view the sea in all of its majesty. This was a very scenic trip and much better than the one from Hanoi to Haiphong and back. The trip took about three hours and finally we pulled into Da Nang.
The Blue Sea Hotel sent a car to pick us up. We drove through the city, across the Han River, and into the area which was know as China Beach when the Americans were in Vietnam. On down the boulevard, one could view bunkers which the Americans built to house their aircraft and protect it against rocket and morter attacks. The hotel was located just off the boulevard which ran parallel to the beach. Just a short walk from the hotel were several large seafood restaurants which we patronized during our stay in Da Nang.
I had looked into joining the Communist Party while here in Vietnam. I thought that a card in that organization would get me discounts in hotels, airlines, rail trips,
and so on and so forth. Sort of like AARP or AAA in the states. Just flash the old card, learn the Vietnamese word for Comrade and you're okay. However, I learned differently from our guide who worked for the hotel.
Our guide had been in the South Vietnamese Air Force and had spent a year in the U.S. for training. After the fall of Saigon, he was sent to a re-education camp for a few months and turned loose. Life had been hard for him. When I asked why he didn't join the Communist Party, he replied that not everyone could and that you had to be asked to join. He further said that any of those who had worked for the South Vietnamese government in an official capacity were not eligible. According to him, those in the Party, such as military officers, police, and government bureacrats have the good jobs and a good life. He said that there are only three million members out of a population of over 80,000,000 in Vietnam. One can make it in the party by marrying someone who is already in. Then he can get his family members in. This sounds almost
like the Mafia.
Having lived during the Cold War, I had a negative impression of Communists and really didn't understand anything about Communism. The government said they were bad and I believed them. However, in Hanoi, we were at a crowded intersection and one of the police officers, who was stationed at the intersection, walked with us across the street. It was if the Red Sea had parted when he walked with us. You don't want to hit a party member in this country. It's probably close to assassinating a head of state. I didn't think he was such a bad person even though he was probably a Commie.
The next morning, we booked a trip to the My Son Holyland which is a mistaken name. It should be called what it is, the Cham Ruins. It was about a 90 minute trip one way and we crossed several branches of the Han River while driving there. We really enjoyed these ruins. We have been to the Maya and Inca Ruins in Latin America and these were not as spectacular. However, they were really worth seeing. There are four sections and some are older than the others. The
most recent ones, in the best shape, are several centuries old and the others are even older. The Chams once occupied the central part of the country and were wiped out in war with the Vietnamese. Today, there are still some Chams remaining in the country.
Following this tour, we took a taxi to the Military Museum in Da Nang. This city was labeled Rocket City during the war because so many rockets and morters fell around it during that time. The museum is another interesting place to visit and reminded me of the Army and Air Force Museums in Hanoi. It has military equipment captured from the French, Americans, and South Vietnamese, There are tanks, artillery pieces, trucks, howitzers, and all kinds of weapons used during the wars that the Vietnamese have fought. I especially liked viewing the weapons captured from the French as it seemed such a long time ago that France had anything to do with Vietnam.
The following morning, we booked a trip and spent a day in Hoi An. This is an old city, very colorful, and is a World Heritage Site just like the Cham Ruins. There's an ancient Japanese Bridge that
crosses one of the small canals. There are museums, pagodas, and various other attractions. In fact, the place is becoming a major tourist attraction and there were a lot of tourists from various countries while we were there. While walking around the town, we witnessed a bicycle accident in which it hit a Japanese tourist and knock her down. The woman on the bicycle also went down. Both seemed to be okay, but, if it had been a motorcycle, the results might have been much different. One can't be too careful when walking the streets here. And the traffic in Hoi An is nothing compared to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The next morning, we bid goodbye to the scenic beaches of Da Nang and took a taxi to the airport. Our flight ended up leaving an hour later than scheduled and, to everyone's surprise, a bus took us out to the tarmac to board a China Airlines flight in lieu of the Vietnam Airlines flight. About an hour after takeoff we landed at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City.
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