A gateway: Vietnam

Vietnam seemed like a gateway for me as I spent only the first and the last days of our 5 days in country with a wonderful 3-day trip over to Cambodia sandwiched in the middle 3 days. Perhaps just two days were insufficient to accurately form an enduring feeling for Vietnam today. Nevertheless, here are some reflections on Vietnam.

At 4 a.m. the Pilot boarded the ship for the long ride up the Saigon River. Sunrise was mysterious and rather emotional. For several days in the pre-port seminars and discussions on the ship we had sessions "Protest and Civil Disobedience," "Vietnam, Then and Now," "Vietnam and the Draft." Strong feelings and issues were aroused in many Faculty, Staff, and Life Long Learners who were actively or politically engaged in the Vietnam war and protest in the 60's and 70's. The several-hour ride up the Saigon River to Ho Chi Minh City was intense as the sun rose through the thick river mists.

Those little dragons are traditional Vietnamese water puppets - totally amusing, swirling, & fun.

Ho Chi Minh City: bustling with people and motorcycles and motorbikes and cars and a few bicycles. Though in the minority, I did not love HCMC, primarily because it is nearly impossible for a pedestrian to walk across any street especially after dark. Well, that's not exactly true: all one has to do is begin to slowly walk out into the oncoming flow of traffic and (hopefully) all the motor vehicles will go around you, one side or another. Some folks found this exhilarating but I experienced it as annoying and frightening. Those who loved HCMC were the shoppers - you could buy 'knock offs' of any and every product such as North Face, Nike, Ray Bans, any DVD in the world, and more. Believe it, I did not actually go shopping.

In a Vietnamese Buddhist temple, a grim reminder of the self-emmolation protests to the Vietnamese War, which is here called "The American War." Vietnamese people are warm, welcoming, and apparently forgiving to Americans (and their dollars).

A Vietnamese-Chinese temple, air thick with incense, dedicated to a female goddess. Chinese have a fairly large presence in Vietnam.

The Mekong River Delta

Vietnam has many interesting fruits and foods, preparations and presentations. Unfamiliar fruits, ginger being candied, a variety of eggs, and food animal sculptures.

The Mekong is the main or central river for 5 Southeast Asian countries. Originating in China, the Mekong flows through Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and out at the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Alarmingly, China is "borrowing the water" putting up multiple hydroelectric and reservoir dams which may, perhaps, stop or reduce the water supply for all the other countries. Negotiations and international pressure is being applied on China.

We enjoyed a ride in sampans (like broad, stable canoes) paddled mostly by lovely Vietnamese women (though there were a few men too). Although pleasant, this part of the day felt a bit too much like an amusement park ride because the boats were all quickly circling back up the waterway to hurry-up and pick up the next load of tourists. At one point I caught this photo of the traditional sampan woman quickly and quietly conversing on her contemporary cell phone! And why not?

Water buffalo spend a portion of the day .... in the water! This buffalo was tethered near where we enjoyed a lovely lunch in an open dining structure in the jungle. His job, apparently, was to swish around in the water .... probably for the tourists. It's a good job if you can get it!