Vietnam

Before coming to Vietnam, I was familiar with the names of all the major cities, I knew that the French had colonized the country, and I knew that the French had been ousted by the north Vietnamese in the 1950's. I knew that a containment policy had dragged the US into a war here in the 1960's, and I knew that just after the last US troops withdrew from Saigon, the south fell under communist control. I knew that napalm carpet bombing campaigns had scorched the Vietnamese countryside, and I knew that in the war nearly 60,000 American soldiers had lost their lives- a meek number in comparison to the casualties suffered by other active forces... But I made the mistake of thinking that knowing these things meant that I knew Vietnam, and that I knew something of the Vietnamese people. I made the mistake of thinking that Vietnam had been, and still was, defined by the war bearing its name. An understanding of the "Vietnam War" however, does not elicit significant knowledge of modern Vietnam. The Vietnamese don't even refer to it as the Vietnam War. It is the "Second War of Indochina" or the "War of America", but it is only referred to by these lesser known names if you can find someone interested in talking about it, and few locals are. As it was bluntly put to us: "Vietnam has moved on!"

Today, Americans are greeted with open arms- literally. We had a guest house owner who offered hugs every time we returned to our room. (She, though particularly touchy has not proven to be an uncommon sort of character to encounter.) Ho Chi Minh, formerly Saigon is bustling today, and the crowded streets speak volumes to the economic growth of modern Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh is a city of the 21st century. Remnants of the French colonization still exist, but the French influence is scarcely visible beyond the local adaptation of classic French recepies. The famous US Embassy roof-top stairway; the one that became the symbol of America's failure in the war; is long gone, and with that, little is left in the city that the American public would recognize. The city however, is still distinctly Vietnamese.

Scooters fill the streets. Business men buzz around the city, ties flapping in the wind over their shoulder; mothers ride with children in their lap, fruit filled wicker baskets stacked on the seat behind them; families all share single scooters, they pile 5 high, with toddlers hanging off every side of the bike. Chaotic is an understatement, its terrifying! Every time I cross the street my life flashes before my eyes- sometimes twice. Drivers use their horn as though it were an invincibility shield. "Why can't I cut off this bus, swerve through oncoming traffic, hop the curb, jet down the sidewalk and then ride through that pedestrian alley? I have a horn don't I?" And with a toot of the horn its settled and they are gone.

Vietnamese life pulses through the city. You can feel it with every changing traffic light. The character is everpresent, it's visible on every sidewalk and down every quaint alley. Vendors push carts of Ba Minh, while families spanning 3 and 4 generations picnic on the steps of their family store... You can eat like a king in Ho Chi Minh, and as long as you aren't afraid of plastic chairs or of sitting on the ground, the perfect meal is never more than 2 blocks and 50 cents away. (Not recommended for the unadventurous.) But even then, a motorcycle taxi pulls the whole city into striking distance, so whether you are after Vietnamese coffee and a French pastry; or Mi Heo, boba, and a lobster dinner, its not only accessible, its affordable.

I still don't know much about Vietnam- but I am going to learn all that I can in the three weeks that I have here.