The Janssen Family World Travels: Vietnam

Three days in Cambodia wasn’t enough, but we’ve wanted to spend more time in just about every place we’ve stayed during our trip, with the possible exception of Egypt. From Cambodia to Vietnam was a very short flight. It was also the first flight on our entire trip that hasn’t been completely full. In fact it was half-empty, or most likely it was half-full, but I luxuriated in the 20 minutes where I moved to an exit row seat where my knees didn’t touch the seat in front of me and I could read and use my computer with normally prone arms and hands.

I’ve been looking forward to Vietnam the entire trip. My favorite class in college was a history class which focused largely on the Vietnam War. I’ve also had the pleasure and the pain of reading dozens of books about the war in the many (gulp) decades since. A quick historical synopsis is the French were jealous of the British and their trade via the British colony of Singapore, so they colonized Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) in the mid 1800’s. The natives were more and more restless and less desirous of French oversight around the turn of the century, and there was a developing sense of nationalism and resistance against the French up to WWII, when Japan came took over. In 1941, Ho Chi Minh, a nationalist and communist, with support from the US and China, became the resistance leader to the Japanese (and Vichy French) occupation. When Japan surrendered to end WWII, the nationalists, known as the Viet Minh after Ho Chi Minh, were delighted and declared independence in September, 1945. Yet the US and the other Allied powers, in fear of growing Soviet and communist influence, chose to appease the French and “gave” Vietnam back to the French. Feeling betrayed, the Viet Minh turned from fighting the Japanese to once again fighting the French, who were increasingly financially supported by the U.S. With significant support from the Soviet Union and China, the Viet Minh improved their organization, and procured sophisticated weapons, and after almost a decade defeated the French in 1954 in a place called Dien Bien Phu. Not that defeating the French was a historical surprise, but the Viet Minh’s organization, skills and Soviet weaponry surprised the U.S. and increased the fear of the further spread of communism. Over the next decade, under the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations, the U.S. continued to get sucked deeper and deeper into the vacuum created by the French withdrawal. Vietnam was divided in separate countries north and south at the 17^th parallel of latitude, with the U.S. financially supporting a series of ineffective and corrupt governments in South Vietnam (that had very little popular support), while Ho Chi Minh and the communists were established in Hanoi in North Vietnam. Tensions increased with Kennedy committing a host of advisors and secret troops, then all hell broke loose in 1964 under President Johnson when the U.S. bombed Hanoi, in retaliation for perceived attacks by Northern gunboats in the Gulf of Tonkin. The U.S. was soon thereafter committed to a land and air war. American forces made great strides in the ensuing years to defeat the Viet Cong (Vietnamese Communists) but our forces were subject to unclear war strategy, bungled leadership, and fighting an “unseen enemy” where it was hard to tell friend or foe. The tide of the war turned in January 1968. Known as the Tet Offensive, Viet Cong (or VC), using a series of tunnels, launched a surprise attack on Saigon (with many VC using the tunnels to show up behind American lines in the city). Casualties were particularly high among the VC but the ability of the VC to attack like this in the Capitol of the South, in contrast to the Johnson Administration’s rosy outlook for ending the war soon, the swayed the American people against the war. There were 5 more years of brutal fighting until a peace treaty was signed and the U.S. ingloriously withdrew in 1973. In the vacuum thus created without U.S. forces or funding, over the next two years the Viet Minh ignored the peace treaty and invaded the south, capturing Saigon and declaring independence on April 30^th, 1975. Almost 60,000 U.S. servicemen were killed, along with over one million Viet Cong and over two million civilians. Millions more were injured and disabled. Also left behind were decades of death and injury from landmines and the effects of defoliants such as dioxin/agent orange. In hindsight, the Viet Minh never intended to further their territorial ambitions and spread communism (with the exception of invading Cambodia and fighting the Khmer Rouge for a decade). They were primarily nationalists who wanted to be free from foreign rule and influence. At the same time, they were diehard communists and if you didn’t drink their Kool Aid you were killed or worse. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese were killed by Uncle Ho’s forces. After the American withdrawal, the Viet Cong then reunified South and North under Communist rule, and the country lived poorly and obscurely for the next 15 years or so. With the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 80’s, Vietnam’s government chose to allow a form of “Capitalism under Communism” and the economy has been opening up and growing ever since.

So we arrived in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City for a brief tour. Today Saigon (as the locals prefer to call it) is the largest city in Southeast Asia with a population north of 10 million. As we drove to our hotel from the airport, we were shocked by the number of scooters and motorbikes. Our guide told us that there were over 5 million scooters in the city, and it was the preferred method of transportation. The minority of cars and trucks on the road were surrounded by swarms of scooters. It was not unusual to see a family of 4 on one scooter, cruising along in a care-free manner. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels about 50 miles NW of Saigon. This was an area that was at the heart of the VC war efforts, over 400 miles of underground tunnels and rooms that housed tens of thousands of VC right under the noses of the American forces. It was fascinating to see the weapons, climb through a small tunnel (that wasn’t so fascinating for me) and to view a 1967 VC propaganda video. Following this, we did a walking tour of central Saigon, and in the evening enjoyed a “Vespa Tour” throughout the city. Definitely a family highlight, we each rode on the back of a scooter piloted by a local driver. We stopped at several places for drinks, exotic food (the kids ate their first mussels, clams and frog legs or “jumping chicken”), and a bit of local music before returning to our hotel. It was an incredible way to see, hear and smell the city and most of its neighborhoods. The city was amazingly vibrant and the people very kind.

Next we boarded a flight to Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital. Saigon, despite the banners and the communist propaganda at the Cu Chi tunnels, felt very western with an intriguing taste of a 3^rd world, communist country. Hanoi, on the other hand, was much more of a mix. The airport was fairly decrepit, the roads and infrastructure seem lacking, and it just seemed that there was a bit more of “big brother is watching.” At the same time, the city was beautiful with many wide-tree lined roads, big parks, and many buildings remaining from the time of the French. Our first stop was to the Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the “Hanoi Hilton” where captured US pilots were held during the war, with the most famous being John McCain. It was weird seeing this place. I had empathy for the Vietnamese, with their being invaded and occupied thousands of years, and at the same time I felt disgusted to see their propaganda at the museum describing how well the prisoners were treated: “During the war the economy was difficult but Vietnamese government had created the best living conditions to U.S. pilots for they had a stable life during the temporary detention period.” In reality they were brutally tortured. Current U.S. Senator John McCain was imprisoned there for 5 years and repeatedly was beaten to near death. McCain wrote of one instance of what happened to a fellow airman in his biography: “His captors had looped rope around his shoulders, tightened it until his shoulders were almost touching, and then hung him by the arms from the rafter of the torture room, tearing his shoulders apart.” War is hell and here there were many fresh, vivid reminders. Next up was the war museum which again glorified their victories and skimmed over their defeats. Weird seeing downed U.S. choppers and warplanes being presented as trophies, and seeing videos of them shooting them down.

After the prison and war museum, we had a brief respite before heading out on a tuk tuk ride. I thought this would be like Thai tuk tuks, which are motorcycle taxis, and we would enjoy a respite from the heat with a refreshing breeze. Not to be. These were bicycles with a small seat that served as the front handlebars. They were driven by rather foul gents who I’m sure were saying foul things about us in Vietnamese. We threw our lives into the traffic and covered about 8 sweltering blocks in 1 hour. If you’re in the area and this is presented as an option, I’d strongly recommend walking.

Dripping with sweat, we had the good fortune to walk into a cool theatre to see one of the locally famous “water puppet shows.” The good fortune ended with the air conditioned room. The theatre seats looked like kindergarten seats. As I sat in my seat my knees pushed violently into the seats in front of me, pushing their patrons forward about 6” each. I mumbled an apology that clearly wasn’t understood, tried unsuccessfully to sit sideways in the aisle seat, and was saved by a kindly escort who set up a folding chair for me in the aisle. I guess most puppet show patrons are of the medium to smaller variety. It got worse. The show was of course in Vietnamese, but it consisted of puppets in a swimming pool, being controlled by long sticks from behind a screen. Apparently the “art” form is over 1,000 years old. I think it should have died of natural causes a long time ago but the communist government here probably has a lot to do with it still being offered to suspecting tourists. After about 10 minutes of the show, I couldn’t believe that we lost a war to these people. Afterwards, our family spoke about it and we decided that it was the second best show we’ve seen. The Lion King, in London, was approximately 1,000 times better than this show. This received second place because Hayden laughed when a fish puppet pulled a fisherman puppet into the water. In third place was a Thai dancing show in Chiang Mai, Thailand where we sat cross-legged (not my favorite pose) at a dinner theatre then watched Thai ladies whirl about the stage bending their hands backwards. Very gentle but it did nothing for us. The unanimous choice for worst show was the infamous “whirling dervishes” in Turkey. I expected some type of kung fu, world wrestling federation action, but instead the “dervishes” are these monk wannabes with issues who spend a lot of time training themselves to spin. They dress in plain robes and put their hands above their heads and spin for about 45 minutes, while the master monk barks some type of spin slower or spin faster command. I haven’t enjoyed such a good nap during my global cultural enlightenment since seeing “the Nutcracker” after a long work week when Traci and I were engaged.

So back to the present… April 30^th, Vietnamese Independence Day. There are flags everywhere, no doubt distributed and set up by the government, celebrating their independence from…..us...America. OK. That’s kinda weird. 1975-2012. We toured a “ceramic” village where it seemed like most of the world’s ceramic cups and bowls are produced, and the kids enjoyed a little pottery creation and painting. Art class…check. After that we biked for about 5 miles through the countryside on 1970’s bicycles that were fine specimens of the shortcomings of central planning. In true “one size fits all” thinking, my bike was a one speed, unisex model that was built for an average unisex citizen of approximately 5’1”. I still have bruises on my chin from my knees. Despite the mini-bike, we all enjoyed the exercise and the experience. Recess…check. We also hunkered down for a full afternoon of studying…check. Followed by a nice long walk through downtown and the markets. History, Geography, Social Studies…check. The energy and bustle of the streets of SE Asia is incomparable; kind of like a Mardi Gras in terms of crowds and scenery but sparing the debauchery. Very fun to just walk, see, hear and smell. In addition, we’ve encountered very few rude people. Most people are friendly and considerate. Maybe that’s just part of the benefit of being King Kong. It was a great day.

Our final stop in Vietnam was Ha Long Bay, about a 3 hour drive east of Hanoi. According to our guide, it is one of the seven wonders of the natural world (this makes it the approximately 26^th “7^th wonder” that we’ve seen). It is a wondrous world. And Ha Long Bay was truly wonderful. Ha Long Bay is featured in the James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies” with Pierce Brosnan against the bad media guy Carver. After the bad guy’s stealth catamaran torpedoes the British ship, it goes into hiding in Ha Long Bay. The bay is full of limestone islands, spires, cliffs and caves; sort of Avatar like but lots of Vietnamese “Junks” and tourists. We stayed 2 nights aboard the “Victory Star 6”, a nice old boat about 60’ long. We kayaked through caves and around small islands, fished for squid at night, explored floating villages and beautiful beaches, swam in the murky waters that we were told were fairly clean, and just absolutely enjoyed the time and place.

Vietnam treated us great. The people have long forgotten the war and are optimistic about their future. There is just enough quirkiness in the way things are run to make it interesting. For example, the government dictates that all boats in Ha Long Bay have to be painted white. The beautiful woods, naturally finished would be spectacular and blend in to the lush islands much better…but no, let’s have them all white. English is not nearly as widespread which makes it interesting. The people are very friendly. Traveling is very affordable. The seafood is sensational. The Janssen family table manners are a constant battle between Miss Manners (Traci) and Caveman (Brian). Vietnamese table manners are pretty nonexistent. For example, there is a penchant for eating with mouth completely open throughout the meal which had Traci gagging at times. In addition, in a quiet café or at the dinner table, it appears that most young Vietnamese have a blackberry or iphone and they spend most of their time browsing and texting while their companion sits contentedly. This drove me nuts. We stayed on the beaten track but I’ve heard that the beaches are some of the best in the world. Tourism has been growing rapidly but it still doesn’t compare to Thailand. I’d love to return and explore more of the places further from the cities. Off to Beijing for a week. Less than 3 months remaining and it's all downhill from here!

The swarm of scooters in Saigon

Nice little outing on a scooter for a family of four

Nice waitress at dinner in Saigon. Note her height compared to Halle

Our wonderful guide Than, who sounded remarkably like Yoda in Star Wars,explains how rubber is extracted from a rubber tree

Hayden tries to hide at the Cu Chi tunnels to avoid math homework

Sydney can barely fit

Speaking of barely fitting and barely sweating.. In a tunnel at Cu Chi. Woof woof

Nice photo Sydney. What a sweet child. You should have heard her laughing. It made it hard to hear in the tunnels. The only person who would be more miserable than me in this tunnel would be my father-in-law. Makes me chuckle to think of him doing this.

The "clipping armpit trap". Set up sideways and then if you step in the spears point up into your armpits as you try to arrest your fall.

American tank destroyed by a mine in 1970. It was so unbearably hot that the 4 operators of the tank would often risk their lives by opening the top hatch and trading fresh air for the risk of a grenade.

"These tunnels are so cool!"

"These tunnels are so not cool!" Note the brat Sydney laughing in the back of Traci...I had already bailed at this point

B52 bomb crater. Tough to tell but it was about 15' deep and 60' in diameter, and that's with the addition of 40 or so years of growth of vegetation and infill from the monsoons

Your tax dollars hard at work. A variety of American bombshells

Outside Hoa Loa Prison or "the Hanoi Hilton"

Syd and Halle. John McCain's flight suit is in the glass case in the background

A sign in a small room where the previous photo was taken. Check out the third paragraph. This is the official government position. Not exactly fair and balanced but then they survived the hell on earth of our bombing.

Wreckage of an American F4 plane (the type McCain was flying)

Sorry Grandparents. We told each of the kids not to smile and look like you weren't enjoying it when your parents put your lives at risk.

"Whatever dad. This is awesome!"

"What she said!"

Look at the smile on her face. Traci took the scooter without handholds of any kind (on purpose) so she could feel abs for the first time in decades.

Enjoyment? of fresh mussels

Eating "jumping chicken" also know as frog's legs

On the baking tuk tuk or cyclo ride in Hanoi

The water puppet show...wait...it gets better

Check out that awesome action!

Hayden with a buffalo

Aforementioned buffalo. I thought this buffalo was really cool. Its face was spooky. Not sure if it was being tethered through the nose or being dog like or having human like eyes. Maybe I have EBD (excessive blogging disease)

Halle at work in the ceramic workshop

Sydney riding the pride of 50 years of central planning.

Independence Day Flags. There were tens of thousands of these around Saigon and Hanoi

The government still relying on propoganda from 40 years past.

More propoganda...this one of a famous picture of a North Vietnamese tank breaking through the walls of Saigon's presidential palace on April 30,1975

Ha Long Bay

Part of a floating village in Ha Long Bay

My finest over the head and backwards photo of our skiff driver at the floating village in Ha Long Bay

Our boat the Victory Star 6

Halle with some extra credit studying at the Ha Long Bay floating village school

Sweet sisters leaping hand in hand!

Sydney doing a front flip from about 12'. Traci and I were too scared to attempt. She over rotated a little and may be reluctant to do the same next time.

Hayden diving fromthe top on the last morning. He thought about this for 2 days and finally did it. Super proud of him.

Interesting photo. Those who think I'm a rookie photographer who missed the timing of the shot don't know me nor my skills. I think it is sensational, and it may be my finest photograph of all time.