We boarded a flight from Vientiane, Laos to begin our 3-week journey through Vietnam. I was pleased to have a companion to share what

The streets of Hanoi

would be one my most treasured adventures of all in South-East Asia. Troy was hesitant at first, and I was sure I`d be tackling this country on my own...Much to my surprise and delight, he finally gave in and decided to accompany me. Following is a condensed account of our journey through war-torn Vietnam.

We began this journey in the north (Hanoi), which proved a tad unsettling- people there were, at times, unfriendly. On one occasion, a young man who was trying to sell me a book, to which I politely declined, but proceeded to engage in casual conversation with, told me he would get paid to kill me...casual turned creepy in an instant! I had noticed that he had extremely long nails and asked him why...perhaps he was insulted by my inquiry and thought it would be funny to retort by declaring them weaponry? What spooked me was that he uttered the words while giving me a `once over`, scanning my shoulder bag, indicating that if he did do the `deed`, he`d come away with my wallet. In any event, Troy was inches away, it was broad daylight by the lake, and we simply wandered away without looking back. It did leave a very sour taste in my mouth and served to heighten my awareness. I should know better than to talk to strangers.

Halong Bay

We spent only 3 days in Hanoi where we visited Hoa Lo Prison, where many of the American P.O.W`s were held during the conflict, and the War History Museum. We did a 3-day tour of Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, which was absolutely spectacular. The island grottoes, some 3000 of them, were fascinating. Our boat moved slowly through the maze, which offered views that I can`t even begin to describe.

We boarded a night train in Hanoi, and made a 12 hour journey down the east coast to Hue, a city that was heavily bombed during the war. Our stay was short, but we did a private tour on the Perfume River with a local man who spoke no English but made more than a concerted effort to share some of the history with us through writings and sketches made on a notepad. He was able to communicate the horrors and tragedy suffered by all, during, and after, the war.

Jen riding a scooter on the way back from Mr. Phong`s Village

From Hue, we hopped a bus in mid-afternoon for a 3 hour trip southward, along the coast, to Hoi An. This tiny city managed to escape much of the destruction suffered by the rest of southern Vietnam, rendering it somewhat magical. We stayed on for 4 days getting clothes tailor made and frequenting the deserted beach. We were so fortunate to meet a local man by the name of Mr. Phong who opened his home and heart to us for an entire day by taking us on a complete tour of his village, where we visited his closest friends and relatives, some of whom were Vietcong guerillas and others who were South Vietnamese soldiers during the war. Mr. Phong was an officer for the south Vietnamese army, while his uncle, who lives next door to him, was on the opposing side. He told heart-wrenching tales of the horrors of life during that time. Families divided then, united now. Hard to believe what trials they suffered through. It was so comforting to see them now, living side by side, very obviously content. That day proved the highlight for me. We enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by his wife at the end of the day. Our time with him was by far the most precious of all in Vietnam. You can find Mr.Phong on the riverfront, soliciting foreigners to take this tour...should you decided to oblige, you will not be disappointed!

Jen and Troy with locals in Hoi An

We continued south, to the notorious beach town of Nha Trang. Spent a few days there and enjoyed my first attempt at scuba diving. I have apparently entered a cult! I now know what they say about there being a whole other world down there! And to think that I was only 10 meters below! I can only imagine what a 15-30 meter dive must be like.

We proceeded to Mui Ne, a more subtle and tranquil coastal town with a beautiful white-sand beach and housed ourselves in a beachside bungalow. 4 more days spent chilling out, one of which entailed a trip to catch the sunrise view over a local fishing village followed by 4X4 jeep safari through the rough back roads enroute to some pretty amazing sand dunes. The local people in these parts were incredibly hospitable and warm. It would seem, in the end, that the further south one travels, the more well-received one is.

Our 6th and final stop- Saigon. This city has so much character and despite it`s westernized appearance, one doesn`t have to venture very far to be in the thick of the true Vietnam. The city is busy with motorbikes,

Traffic in Saigon CLICK HERE to view video.

pedal bikes and cyclos that cover every square inch of pavement throughout the city. Food stands are plentiful, trinket shops run in the thousands and navigation is relatively simple. We spent our first 2 days simply walking the streets, stopping to visit such sites as the War Remnants Museum (formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes)- I won`t share my feelings on that, simply because the things I saw were among the most gruesome of all horrible things I`ve seen in movies or on television, and I`d rather just spare you the atrocities. It`s something worth seeing but you are almost better off not. We also visited the Emperor of Jade Pagoda which has fantastic reinforced papier-mâché statues, a refreshing change from the everyday pagoda/temple. Also caught a glimpse of the Notre Dame Cathedral which was a bit disappointing. For all its hyped up to be, I was not overly impressed. The Opera House is lovely and the People`s committee building an architectural beauty.

Video of `The Caodai Great Temple` CLICK HERE to view video.

Next was a tour of the impressive Caodai Temple, one which combines Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Confucianism and Hinduism- a potpourri that is colorful and the product of an attempt to create the `ideal` religion by fusing together both secular and religious philosophies from East and West. It`s like nothing I`ve ever seen and considered one of the most attractive in all of Asia. It had some personal appeal, as I was reading `The Girl in the Picture` at that time, a true story about Kim Phuc, a victim of the napalm attack at Tay Nihn, made famous by a photo taken of her running naked from the flames. The temple rests on the outskirts of this town and was a place of refuge for those fleeing the bombs. Enough said.

We then took the Cu Chi Tunnel tour- the underground network of highly sophisticated tunnels used by the Vietcong and said to be the deciding factor in their ultimate triumph.

Troy in Cu Chi Tunnels

The crawl through one section of the tunnels yielded a reaction of complete panic in me...I thought I would get through it without so much asa tiny loss of breath, but I made the mistake of taking out my own flashlight and upon using it to get through one section of the tunnel, I realized that we were surrounded by handfuls of bats, swooping back and forth... I had only a few inches of free space on each of my three sides. Brutally frightening! I lost my bearings for a few minutes, barely able to breathe with tears streaming down my face. I couldn`t see the exit and there was no way to turn back. Troy was directly behind me and tried to calm me down as best he could, but it wasn`t before I crawled out, what seemed to be an hour later, (really only minutes) that I was able to collect myself and have a hearty laugh at my own expense! Not the reaction I`d hoped for, nor did I ever expect. In spite of it, I really appreciated the tour and walked away quite content.

So, in what appears to be a mammoth nutshell, that concludes my summary. I feel so fortunate to have seen and done all that I have in Vietnam. I would recommend travel here to anyone.

Jennifer Lavigne (Vietnam- July 2003)

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