Hoi An, Vietnam

Combine a little bit of New Orleans’ French Quarter, a slice of Chinatown, a dash of Japanese architecture, in a Vietnamese wrapping and you get Hoi An. Hoi An has been a seaport since the 2nd century. It became a major trading port in the 15-16th centuries. Traders from China, Japan, Portugal, the Philippines, Holland, France, etc., all filtered silk, fabric, paper, spices, capiz and more through or from Hoi An. The majority of trade seems to have taken place with the Chinese and Japanese and their presence had the greatest influence on the town’s architecture and design. Although the importance of its port declined in the 19th century (moving to Danang), a large portion of Hoi An’s population is still ethnically Chinese.

We took a $50 (booked the day before with Pacific Airlines inclusive with taxes) flight from from Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon to Danang on Wednesday. A 30 minute cab ride later we were in the Old Town of Hoi An. Our hotel with a pool and balcony overlooking rice fields is 20$ (including breakfast) a night. (Only three years old, the hotel is a block and a half outside of the Old Town. The distance from the town means larger rooms (less zoning restrictions), newer facilities, and room for perks like a pool.)

We spent yesterday wandering the streets. A 5$ tickets allows tourists to visit a museum, traditional home, traditional assembly hall, temple and attend a traditional music show or handicrafts demonstration. In a country damaged by decades of war, Hoi An is a historical jewel. For some reason, Hoi An was spared from the fighting. An entire district of buildings that does not exist in any other part of the country, survives and thrives here on the tourist trade. Better yet, unlike many other parts of Asia, the people of Hoi An have been assertively preserving their town. I would not be surprised if Hoi An is one of a hand full of cities in Asia where zoning codes might actually exist! and at that, with a strict emphasis on preservation.

It is also, one of the few cities that is tada! walkable! Or better yet, bikeable! and I mean the human powered type, not the diesel spewing 2 cycle honda beasties that careen around corners… Although motor bikes are in Hoi An, they are not as obnoxious as in other places.

Vietnam: A new perspective

After 5 days in Malaysia and 7 days in Cambodia (posts on th0se trips to arrive some other time!) we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC/Saigon) Vietnam on Friday, August 24. (We took the Mekong Express bus from Phnom Penh; a 6 hour bus ride in an air conditioned tourist bus.) After finding a place to stay, we grabbed a bite to eat. The afternoon torrential downpours typical of the rainy season started so we hung out for a while watching local kids play in the flooded city streets.

The next day we headed off to the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum two of the most popular places for visitors. The Palace is open to visitors and looks the same as it was in the 1970’s, minus any war damage. On the front lawn sits a replica of the two tanks that crashed through the gates. To be honest, I was bracing for government propaganda (you know, of the Orwellian variety…) through out both visits. Surprisingly there was little, although it is safe to agree that the expression “history is written by the winner” is always true no matter where you go.

The War Remnants Museum, according to Lonely Planet one of the most popular sites in the city, was, well, there is no other way to put it, super depressing. None of it was really new; the use of Agent Orange, Napalm, the American’s difficulty in distinguishing between the Communists and civilians, etc… but the museum placed the war and its effect on Vietnam in sharp focus. It is easy to hear about the Vietnam War in the US without fully appreciating the impact it had on Vietnam. Two of the most powerful sections of the museum were: “Requiem,” a collection of photos taken by the 134 reporters killed during the Vietnam War; and, “Vestiges of War Crimes and Aftermaths.” I have seen many of the photographs before, some appearing in the pages of Life, like those taken by Larry Burrows before he died in Laos. (Don’t ask me how I saw them since they were all published before I was even born, Mom!?? Maybe my knowledge of these photos is an indication of how saturated American culture is with images of the Vietnam War.) What surprised me was the large number of non-American journalists in Vietnam that lost their lives, including many Vietnamese.

Contrary to my expectations, “The Vestiges of War Crimes,” surprisingly did not focus on My Lai Massacre. There was only one large poster and several statements posted from survivors. By far the most arresting part of the exhibit was the section on the long term effects of Agent Orange. I’ve heard the term “Agent Orange” but I can’t say that I really knew what it was before this visit and the definition “a chemical herbicide used to defoliate jungles” seems so benign. As a lover of all things green some of the pictures of lifeless plains where jungle presumably once thrived were disheartening. More importantly, to think that it would not logically have an impact on the people or eco systems, is beyond hubris. According to the VA: “Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict. Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides. The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a comprehensive program to respond to these medical problems and concerns. The principal elements of this program include quality healthcare services, disability compensation for veterans with service-connected illnesses, scientific research and outreach and education. “(Source: http://www1.va.gov/agentorange/)

Ok, that stuff I knew about pretty much, but like I said, this museum really brought the effect (as naive as it sounds) of the War on Vietnam into sharp focus. The realization that Vietnamese, mostly farmers, had no choice but to continue to live in areas contaminated by Agent Orange, growing food and drinking the water, became really apparent. Although, again, not reckoning the full impact on Vietnam, seems naive in retrospect. The museum included pictures of people with birth defects. Most of the pictures were of Vietnamese, but at least one was of a child of an Australian soldier stationed in Vietnam exposed to Agent Orange. By far the most shocking part of the exhibit was four severely deformed miscarried babies preserved in formaldehyde.

(Don’t overlook the very revealing statement by the VA “unwanted plant life and leaves which provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict.” Really, “unwanted?” When you life depends on the plant life and leaves, they are seldom unwanted. Anyways, I just thought it was an interesting indication of their perspective.)

Lest you think the museum exaggerates the effects of Agent Orange, we both agree that in the last 4 days in Vietnam we have both seen more adults and children with congenital birth defects than we have ever seen in our entire lives.

I do not exaggerate. Granted, I am sure that some of them migrate to HCMC because the begging prospects are better, but my god, I have never seen anything like it. (Although come to think of it, most of the beggars are probably mine victims. Most of the people we have seen with birth defects have been with their families.)

Ok-I think that is enough about the War for now. Before you get the wrong idea, HCMC is big, bustling, modern city. Yesterday we even found the Nike store a few blocks from our hotel and bought new tennies….

There is much more to Vietnam and I will post more at a later time. I have to be careful not to turn this trip into an exploration of America’s past and involvement in Vietnam… although as an American it is something that I find hard to turn away from.

 

August 25, 2007 in Front of the “Reunification Palace”

On Saturday we went to the Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Independence or Presidential Palace. To be standing in the spot where one of the most iconic photographs of Vietnam (see the below photo) was taken in 1975 was a bit surreal. 

“A North Vietnamese tank crashes through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon on April 30, 1975. The taking of the palace marked the fall of the U.S.-backed south and the end to a decade of fighting.”

Please note that this picture is from the New York Times webpage: http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/vietnam-war-archives.html

Review: Hong Kong: YMCA Salisbury Hotel; Palawan: Sangat Beach Resort

Hey all,

For those who may or may not know, I have a bit of a gourmet ass…. meaning, I at least require a western toilet with toilet seat where ever I stay. Yin thinks it’s the funniest thing because, hey we are in Asia and the squat toilet is the norm for pretty much every where outside of the Philippines. (And in the Philippines you can get western style toilets but in public places without a seat and often dirty foot prints covering the rim of the bowl.) The purpose of this post is to provide valuable information for those travelers who value a decent potty.

I get colon shy when there’s no decent potty facilities…. This by the way can be very bad if I don’t go for a few days. By the way… for the record…. I’m quite regular…. at least once a day so it’s very important for me to “move” on a daily basis. One of the many contributions to this blog will be my toilet/potty facility ratings at the various hotels/hostels/cottages/motels…. whatever.

For my first entry, I’ll give the run down for our April visit to Hong Kong and Coron Palawan. By the way… if I mention a place/location you’ve never heard of, please use freakin google. My potty posts are strictly potty facility reviews/ratings.

Hong Kong : YMCA Salisbury : Deluxe Room : Partial Bay View – Let me tell ya…. for being a YMCA, the potty facilities are top notch with toilet seat and toilet paper. Large western toilets for western asses such as myself. Overall, this hotel was quite excellent…. nothing like the Y in the U.S. This place is really a reasonably priced hotel. Make sure to book online with discount hotel sites for best prices.

Coron Palawan: Sangat Beach Resort: Cottage – Toilet was ok with toilet seat. The toilet itself is quite small… not western size but the bathroom was clean overall. Cottage was not air conditioned… lots of windows. Cottage was OK, nothing spectacular.

Street with tricycle in Vigan, Philippines

Planting Rice, N. Luzon, Philippines

If the big bad Hollywood Vietnam War movies were actually filmed in the Philippines, what does Vietnam really look like?

Yesterday (Tuesday), we left Manila at 6 a.m. Nine hours later, we arrived in the northern Luzon town of Vigan. Along the way, I was thinking about our upcoming trip to Vietnam: what should I expect?

Since it is rainy season we saw vibrant green rice fields as well as fields in the process of being planted as we drove north. The sights reminded me that many of the famous American movies about Vietnam have been filmed in the Philippines, not Vietnam. Of course this makes sense since Vietnam was a closed country until recently. (I am not sure if even now Vietnam would permit an American movie company to film a Vietnam war film within the country.)

So basically, since I was born after the war and missed all of the news and video footage during the war, my mental images of Vietnam have been formed against the visual backdrop of the Philippines. 

How bizarre.

Some of the most famous American Vietnam War movies to be filmed in the Philippines:

Apocalypse Now (The Ifugao woman who served as a translator for the Ifugao cast Francis Ford Coppola chose to portray the Vietnamese villagers in those crazy Marlon Brando scenes helped me plan Mom and Granky’s trip to Ifugao Province and the Ifugao Rice Terraces. A friend introduced us.  The Ifugaos are an ethnic minority group in the Philippines.)

Platoon

Born on the Fourth of July (Tom Cruise spent the night in Vigan. There is a picture of him in an antique BnB with the owner down the street from where we are staying.  We were planning on staying there since it has received many good reviews, but it is a bit run down and in need of remodeling.)

Hamburger Hill

Missing in Action (Chuck Norris movie)

Those are the only ones I know of without doing any further research, I am sure there are more….

The restaurant we are in is closing, so that’s it for now…