Saigon - Ho Chi Min City

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The thriving former capitol of South Vietnam, now named for the Communist Vietnamese hero, is a vehicular sea of movement with the horn used as a warning device of intended entrance into traffic flow. While there are daily traffic deaths reported, truck and bus drivers do receive several months of training in advance of licensure. There are 5 ½ million scooters here. This country of 90 million people, where only 5% are Communist Party members, displays a capitalistic environment. 90% of the population is Buddhist with 3% Christian. (A note to Dade City, FL residents: Buddhists must plant 2 Kumquat Trees a year as part of their faith.) Our visit to the Yen Tu Monastery in the Ha Long countryside reveals many beautiful Buda representations as we doff our shoes out of respect.

Although evidence of governmental control appears minimal, the secret police are reported present and criticism of the government will get you a prison sentence. All land in the country is owned by the government which specifically penalizes farmers and deters from volume crop production. Many younger people are foregoing staying on the farms and moving to the more vibrant (and crowded) cities. The country’s flag’s stars represent Students, Workers, Farmers, Commercial Persons, and Soldiers while the yellow color represents the Vietnamese skin color with the red of Communism. Our visit to a “typical” farmer’s house displays a two room rustic house, separate kitchen with no running water, and separate sheds for cattle, chickens, etc. They grow crops for consumption and selling on a small scale and graciously welcome us with tea and fruit. Bamboo construction has been replaced with limestone bricks, made in a homegrown “factory” down the road. Rural citizens earn a daily wage of $2 (20,000 Dong to the dollar) while factory workers earn $500/month. Inflation is now “only” 12%. We are again treated to the historical impacts of colonialism with the influence of the French on what they called Indochina (including Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) which mirrors the other European countries pressures on Asian countries for subservience and trade requirements.

The history museum depicts the centuries of culture and political change. We are treated to a Vietnamese cultural icon, the Water Puppet Show where puppeteers display their puppets from behind a curtain on a water-pond stage. Words are not needed as the ancient stories are told through magnificent display of lacquered and fancily dressed manikins. The Post Office is a spacious building from the French colonial era with restored Indochina murals above counters servicing citizens posting items and paying bills. Souvenirs are expectantly awaiting buyers. The Reunification Palace is the former South Vietnamese governmental ceremonial building and we tour its basement where the commanders ran their unsuccessful defensive war. War era communications equipment has been restored for authenticity. Walking through the market is a food merchandizing marvel with bags of nuts, dried shark fins and other exotic foods. On to the Sea Goddess Temple and then the lacqerware factory and GIFT SHOP! Just like Disney there’s always a chance to buy a momento.

Our visit to the Co Chi Tunnels revealed the latent hostility of the Communists toward America. These tunnels were originally built to operate against the French and expanded (literally) under the American occupied territory, including tunneling under an American military base. Busloads of tourists view examples of the various booby traps, dug out machine shops and ammunitions manufacturing facilities along with the hospital and dining halls. We even get to experience crawling through a portion of the tunnels. The ending 1967 film relates the heroism of a village girl killing Americans. I could only wish that our political leadership could see how “the winners” tell the story before we try to force our Western style of government on the rest of the world. Yes, it’s better for us, and maybe them, if so many people didn’t get killed along the way, but watching countries that have gravitated in our political direction on their own appears to be a more stable approach.

Our lunch at a local restaurant is a novel experience as we dine in separate porch like covered platforms with a variety of native dishes. The restaurant itself is located in the country overlooking a small stream with well-manicured surroundings. Returning to the ship we share in the traffic.

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