Wednesday,
November 14, 2007—Vung Tau, (Ho Chi Minh), Viet Nam
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Reunification Palace |
Vung
Tau. Our “tender” this morning turns out to be a hydrofoil jet boat that holds
about 250 people. In ten minutes, we are ashore. The ship’s tenders we are
told, take almost a half hour.
On our two-and-a-half hour bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), we get a smattering of history. France and
Japan occupied Viet Nam for years. In 1954, the country was divided into South
and North Viet Nam. President Diem of South
Viet Nam was murdered along with his brother just 21 days before Kennedy was assassinated. It is questionable whether Kennedy was responsible for the murder of the brothers. (No wonder there were so many conspiracy theories in Dallas.)
Viet Nam was murdered along with his brother just 21 days before Kennedy was assassinated. It is questionable whether Kennedy was responsible for the murder of the brothers. (No wonder there were so many conspiracy theories in Dallas.)
If
you look beyond the clutter and shoddy buildings, the countryside is truly
beautiful. We pass some nice looking apartments and what appears to be a resort.
More
history: The war ended in 1975 and on April 28, 1986, the door opened to the
outside world. In 1994, the USA lifted the embargo and in 1995, the US embassy
opened in Hanoi. President Clinton was the first president to visit (2000)
after the war.
The
roads appear in good condition. There are few cars but quite a contingency of
scooters!
We
pass a tree farm. Something is made from the sap—latex?
Education
is not compulsory. People have to pay for their children to go to school.
Eighty percent receive an education.
Our
guide gives us the most profound statement of our whole trip: “Some people
think Viet Nam is a war but actually it is a country.” I will remember that for
a long time to come.
Hanoi
is the political capital of Viet Nam and Ho Chi Minh is the economic capital.



We
drive through the city and marvel at the pretty parks that are dotted
throughout. At the Notre Dame Cathedral, we stop for pictures and the
opportunity to run across the street to purchase stamps from the huge post
office. It resembles a large train station and reminds me of Grand Central in
New York City. The stamps we buy are very nice—blue with a whale on them—and
cheap.

In a small side room sits the god of good fortune and
while we are admiring the artwork, one of the locals is feverishly praying and
bowing with some sort of sheave of grain in his hands.
Lunch
is a buffet of delights at a five star hotel. It was very nice with local
spring rolls and unique pineapple fritters with chocolate sauce. Some of the
other food was considered “international” but I didn’t recognize it. Still it
was a delicious meal and there was no lazy susan.
We
finish eating early and slip out to get a cup of coffee at the coffee shop in
the lobby. It is a little bit of Western civilization and a welcome reprieve
from all the noise and shuffling of a large group of tourists.

Outside,
Bob enjoys an exchange with a street vendor over a lacquered box he wants for
his mother. He gets the price down to $1 but when another group of tourists
join him, the price suddenly jumps up to $3 again. We learn that if you get the
vendors alone, the price will be lower but they won’t admit selling that low to
a group of people.
Finally
we arrive at the history museum for the primary reason we have come on this
tour—to see the water puppets. We sit around a large square pool of water. At
one end, there is a “stage” with three green screens hanging down into the
water. Behind it is where the puppeteers stand.
We suspect the puppets must be on long poles. They fly through the water
and perform their dance and tell their story. There are pyrotechnics when the
dragon appears. It is amazing the control they have with all of their puppets.
After the show, the puppeteers appear. There are six of them and I am even more
amazed that so many could work in the small area behind the screen with all
that equipment.
We
walk through the rest of the museum, are fascinated by a mummy, and then dash
for the bus just before it begins to rain.
This
evening we have dinner in the personal choice restaurant with Molly and Fred. I
like the atmosphere better than the main dining room. It feels more like you’ve
gone out to eat at a nice restaurant.
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