Good Morning Vietnam!

VIETNAM DAY 1:

The sunrise this morning was beautiful as we crept slowly up the Saigon River toward Ho Chi Minh City.  Small thatched roof huts and hand-made wooden boats popped out of the tree-covered shoreline at the same time as we passed large import ships and cranes on the other side.  This scene is a perfect representation of current-day Vietnam and the struggle between modern industrialism and traditional culture.  We ported around 9am and I got to waive to my mom and brother for the first time in six weeks. It was so exciting to see them, introduce them, and show them my shipboard life.  We explored the ship but quickly caught a cab to a local seamstress to have dresses made.  The one thing that most people on Semester at Sea wanted to do while in Vietnam was design their own suit or formal dress to wear at the Ambassador’s Ball toward the end of the voyage.  Tammy and I picked out bright fabric and designed our dream dresses!

My mom, Trent, Tammy, and I went to a great lunch at Temple Club restaurant right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh city.  We walked through the candle-lit, incense-covered hallway, up a flight of narrow stairs and into this traditional Vietnamese, beautifully decorated restaurant.  We sat right by the window overlooking the crowded streets and enjoyed our spread of chicken, beef, and seafood dishes served family-style for tasting. One of the most defining characteristics of Ho Chi Minh city is the traffic patterns.  Thousands of motorbikes crowd the narrow streets ignoring street crossings or traffic lights completely.  It isn’t uncommon to see a family of four or even five piled on one bike weaving through the busy traffic.  As a pedestrian wanting to cross the street, it is at first quite daunting.  After the first few times of waiting several minutes to follow a local through what seemed to be a suicide attempt, it became quite fun just to step off the curb without a pause and keep walking as the traffic split around you.  The occasional taxicab or car would come far too close to hitting these motorbikes as they crossed intersections simultaneously.  The locals seemed completely at ease, however.

After braving our way back to the peace of our western-style hotel, we met our guide to take us to the Cu Chi Tunnels outside of Ho Chi Minh City.  These tunnels were dug prior to the beginning of the Vietnam War when the French were the main enemy.  However, within just one year, these underground mazes spread to over 200 km including subterranean sleeping quarters, kitchens, and even hospitals. We walked through the trees identifying exit holes no larger than 12’’ by 8’’ every few paces in the ground.  We got to drop down into a few of the holes and even crawl through a tunnel that had been expanded 30% for us larger American tourists.  Even that tunnel was incredibly claustrophobic and hot.  We only made it 40 meters out of the possible 120m before quickly turning out one of the escapes.  Tapioca and tea beneath a camouflage tent brought the experience together a bit more before we headed to the shooting range.  We all tried our hand at shooting AK-47s and M60s.  The M60 was a machine gun so powerful that I had to let go after only 3 shots had been fired.  The AK47 even made me deaf in one ear for a few seconds after being blown back by the force.  Shooting these guns made me think about how different my life would be if I were in Iraq or Afghanistan fighting a war like so many people my age.   Just as in Hiroshima and Tiananmen Square, I felt overwhelmed by the concept humans killing other humans.  Holding those guns also made me think about the last Global Studies class before port where two Vietnam War veterans spoke in a panel with two Anti-War Protestors.  Hearing the perspectives from all four people about the war was emotionally draining as tears were shed, but also enlightening, as I completely understood the reasoning behind both sides. In my traditional American upbringing the Vietnam wartime era heavily impacted the lives of many of my peers parents through the draft or culture at home.  Still to this day there is a stigma about Vietnam that gives it a negative image and false representation.  For this, I am so glad to have seen the real nature of the rapidly developing country while also learning about the war with America on site.  While Americans still hold a grudge against Vietnam, they do not have hostility toward us because our war with them was one of many in their rough history.  

We drove back through the countryside toward the busy city and got dropped off at the market for fake merchandise. Rows and rows of knock-off backpacks, purses, wallets, and clothing lined this market and food of all sorts was being prepared on the outside.  The ‘Night-Market’ of street-food was assembled incredibly quickly as people ran around on fast-forward speed setting up shop for the evening dinner rush.  We walked through the local food market constantly stepping out of the way of all forms of traffic as we headed back to our hotel before dinner. 

Tonight my mom and brother treated me and 9 of my friends to dinner at a great outdoor Vietnamese restaurant.  The dinner lasted forever as dish after dish was served and rounds of Tiger beer kept coming. Many of my guy friends on the voyage are from CU Boulder so my brother had the chance to get all the inside scoop for his freshman year next fall!  We all hopped in cabs and headed for the famous Rex Hotel for rooftop drinks and live music.  This hotel was the central location for all American reporters during the Vietnam War as they returned here after a full day of work and watched the war continue on the streets below.  To finish off the night we all made our way to the popular Semester at Sea nightclub, Apocalypse Now, for some American music and dancing.  Tomorrow we will make our way to Cambodia!