Devin and Adam's Vietnam Trip

We went to Vietnam for four days over New Years. We spent one night in Hanoi’s old quarter, another night on a “junk” in Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, and returned to Hanoi on the third night for New Years Eve.

Neither Devin nor I were prepared for the vast differences between Taiwan and Vietnam. The Old Quarter of Hanoi dates to the year 1010, nearly 700 years before the Chinese even made their way to Taiwan. Hanoi’s streets are a hodgepodge of ancient dwellings, French Colonial buildings, and modern concrete monstrosities. There are no streetlights or stop signs. Bicycles, motorcycles, cars, and buses move down narrow streets purely on the strength of their horns. Crossing a street means walking slowly, extremely slowly, and making eye contact with every motorist in your path.

Halong Bay, a four-hour bus-ride from Hanoi, was a highlight of the trip. The bay is known for its collection of 3,000 islands jutting up from murky water into a misty sky. The islands were either formed through millions of years of tectonic activity and erosion, or by a gigantic dragon diving into the water. Depends who you ask. During our first evening we kayaked into a protected grotto that countless generations of Vietnamese fisherman have used as refuge during storms. Devin saw a flash of activity on one of the hillsides. When we paddled closer, we joyfully discovered three wild monkeys (complete with red faces and red butts) staring back down at us.

On New Years Day, we queued-up to view the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. This quintessential Hanoi attraction emphasizes the incredible reverence and love the Vietnamese still feel for their national father. After a long, bureaucratic process, we silently walked by President Ho as he peacefully lay in a bath of orange light.

Sadly, my time in the country was particularly colored by the poverty of those around me. Devin and I were frequently confronted with the reality that the average Vietnamese earns just US$ 50 a month. Our Caucasian faces gave vendors cause to follow us down the street, hawking oranges, bananas, pastries, bottled water, books, motorcycle rides, taxi rides, and marijuana. Seven-year old girls stood alone on street corners at 10:30 pm, offering pitifully, “Sir, gum? Sir, you want to buy chewing gum, sir?” Five months in comparatively egalitarian, westernized Taiwan had not prepared us for this.

With two degrees in American History, I found it impossible not to continually reflect upon what the Vietnamese call the “American War.” It was more than mere academic fascination - Devin’s father and three of my uncles served in Vietnam during the 1960s. The conflict continues to divide American politics, and probably will as long as the Baby Boomers keep running things. Today, the Vietnamese have neither a democracy nor a workers’ paradise, and we have nothing to show for the terrible price paid by US soldiers.

Vietnam left a deep impression on me. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to visit. I’ll spend a long time reflecting on those four days.

Above: Typical Hanoi street scene. Note the woman in the conical hat selling things and the man on the cyclo (pedi-cab). Also, check the business name. It really says it all.


Above: A Halong Bay sleeping junk that passed our own vessel early on New Years Eve morning.

Above: Devin reclines on our junk as we come close to one of Halong Bay's 3,000 islands. Any monkeys?

Above: Back in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum.