by Pa Rock
Globe Trekker
The lack of progress at this past week's summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea was, at best, not unexpected, but the lack of storylines and photographs of modern Vietnam was disappointing. I expected to see lots of images that would remind me of my own personal visit to that country a little more than nine years ago, but that was not to be.
I only saw one street scene with Trump walking along a sidewalk, but the lack of people and Vietnam's ubiquitous motorbikes convinced me that the photo, which showed two little girls in school uniforms and three or four motorbikes in the distance, was obviously staged and tightly controlled by the Vietnamese government. That was understandable, I suppose. They didn't want visiting dignitaries coming to harm while in Vietnam.
But it was still a shame that the journalists traveling with Trump did not get out and try to take in more of the local color. I took lots of pictures during my brief visit, and I also committed many images to memory.
My friend and I arrived early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, 2011, but customs at the point of entry in Ho Chi Minh City was as slow and burdensome as anyplace I have ever traveled, with the possible exceptions of Havana and Moscow - and occasionally Kansas City. By the time we checked into our hotel rooms it was already dark, but we hit the streets of the metropolis once known as Saigon wanting to see as much as possible on our first trip there.
The downtown area had many stores with western roots - places like Saks 5th Avenue and Starbucks - and lots of Christmas hustle and bustle was occurring. One young Vietnamese man who was dressed as Santa Claus and had been drinking to excess, paraded around the city center spreading good humor and holiday joy. My clearest memory of that night, however, was all of the motorbikes - thousands upon thousands - buzzing through the streets like swarms of large metal gnats. Motorbikes were the most common form of transportation, and entire families could be seen zipping about the city on their single family bike - which were all referred to as "Hondas" regardless of their actual make. When we had to cross intersections, we literally had to run because the motorbikes never stopped, even when the lights were against them.
A "family" on a motorbike could consist of several people carefully intertwined and stacked. It was not unusual to see a young couple along with two or three small children, and perhaps even a grandparent riding along on one small motorbike. I purchased a postcard showing two men transporting a tied-up, fully grown water buffalo on a motorbike, something that I suspected was a rarity until one day while riding north in a car with our tour guide, we passed a motorbike that had exactly that same passenger list. And the poor water buffalo laying astride the bike between the two men was definitely alive because it was emptying its bowels as we passed!
I have a clear image in my memory of a small group of children whom we encountered at a rest stop while driving north. They followed along as we walked beside a rice paddy and watched the farmers working the crop with their water buffaloes. I also spent some time visiting with a university art student as she was sketching a lake in front of one old palaces that were along our route.
We walked through actual tunnels that were dug and used by the Viet Cong, climbed the famous Marble Mountain on foot, walked along China Beach, and saw the sights of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam - scenes preserved in postcards, photographs, and best of all, in memory.
And then there was Hanoi, particularly the original portion of the city known now as "Old Hanoi" which celebrated its 1,000th anniversary the year before our visit. Much of the country's history, particularly that of recent years, emanated from Ho Chi Minh's headquarters and home which were located on the banks of a small lake within the city of Hanoi.
The old city is also home to many shrines, museums, and small shops which maintain the cultural pulse of the nation.
And modern Vietnam is relatively safe. I proved that to myself one evening in Hanoi when I was walking along a busy street market in search of tee-shirts to take home to my grandchildren - who numbered just three at that time. A very aggressive young lady approached me while I was looking through garments at her stall. She asked about what I was looking for and I gave her some sizes. I didn't like what was available, but she declined to let me get away without making a purchase. She told he she had what I was looking for back at her store, and that I should follow her. I had the good sense to get her to promise to bring me back to our current location because I knew how to get back to the hotel from there. She said that she would.
We walked through several blocks, busy with thousands of people, made a few turns, and finally would up at a row of motorbikes with boxes of clothing on the seats. She went to the one that was her "store" and pulled out several for me to choose from. I made the selections, and she took me back to where she had found me.
It was a harmless shopping adventure that could have easily been a brief tale about an American who disappeared in a foreign land.
One final image. Vietnam, like many nations including our own, still has a substantial number of people living in poverty. One memory that has remained with me was of a lady squatting in an alley and washing a chicken carcass in a bowl of brown water. I was extremely careful of what I ate, and I drank only bottled water!
Donald Trump is back in the White House now, and I feel bad for him because he likely saw very little of the real Vietnam while he was there. Trump may feel self-important as he putters about in a glass ornament, but he is missing out on much of the real world.
And that's just sad.
Globe Trekker
The lack of progress at this past week's summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea was, at best, not unexpected, but the lack of storylines and photographs of modern Vietnam was disappointing. I expected to see lots of images that would remind me of my own personal visit to that country a little more than nine years ago, but that was not to be.
I only saw one street scene with Trump walking along a sidewalk, but the lack of people and Vietnam's ubiquitous motorbikes convinced me that the photo, which showed two little girls in school uniforms and three or four motorbikes in the distance, was obviously staged and tightly controlled by the Vietnamese government. That was understandable, I suppose. They didn't want visiting dignitaries coming to harm while in Vietnam.
But it was still a shame that the journalists traveling with Trump did not get out and try to take in more of the local color. I took lots of pictures during my brief visit, and I also committed many images to memory.
My friend and I arrived early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, 2011, but customs at the point of entry in Ho Chi Minh City was as slow and burdensome as anyplace I have ever traveled, with the possible exceptions of Havana and Moscow - and occasionally Kansas City. By the time we checked into our hotel rooms it was already dark, but we hit the streets of the metropolis once known as Saigon wanting to see as much as possible on our first trip there.
The downtown area had many stores with western roots - places like Saks 5th Avenue and Starbucks - and lots of Christmas hustle and bustle was occurring. One young Vietnamese man who was dressed as Santa Claus and had been drinking to excess, paraded around the city center spreading good humor and holiday joy. My clearest memory of that night, however, was all of the motorbikes - thousands upon thousands - buzzing through the streets like swarms of large metal gnats. Motorbikes were the most common form of transportation, and entire families could be seen zipping about the city on their single family bike - which were all referred to as "Hondas" regardless of their actual make. When we had to cross intersections, we literally had to run because the motorbikes never stopped, even when the lights were against them.
A "family" on a motorbike could consist of several people carefully intertwined and stacked. It was not unusual to see a young couple along with two or three small children, and perhaps even a grandparent riding along on one small motorbike. I purchased a postcard showing two men transporting a tied-up, fully grown water buffalo on a motorbike, something that I suspected was a rarity until one day while riding north in a car with our tour guide, we passed a motorbike that had exactly that same passenger list. And the poor water buffalo laying astride the bike between the two men was definitely alive because it was emptying its bowels as we passed!
I have a clear image in my memory of a small group of children whom we encountered at a rest stop while driving north. They followed along as we walked beside a rice paddy and watched the farmers working the crop with their water buffaloes. I also spent some time visiting with a university art student as she was sketching a lake in front of one old palaces that were along our route.
We walked through actual tunnels that were dug and used by the Viet Cong, climbed the famous Marble Mountain on foot, walked along China Beach, and saw the sights of Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam - scenes preserved in postcards, photographs, and best of all, in memory.
And then there was Hanoi, particularly the original portion of the city known now as "Old Hanoi" which celebrated its 1,000th anniversary the year before our visit. Much of the country's history, particularly that of recent years, emanated from Ho Chi Minh's headquarters and home which were located on the banks of a small lake within the city of Hanoi.
The old city is also home to many shrines, museums, and small shops which maintain the cultural pulse of the nation.
And modern Vietnam is relatively safe. I proved that to myself one evening in Hanoi when I was walking along a busy street market in search of tee-shirts to take home to my grandchildren - who numbered just three at that time. A very aggressive young lady approached me while I was looking through garments at her stall. She asked about what I was looking for and I gave her some sizes. I didn't like what was available, but she declined to let me get away without making a purchase. She told he she had what I was looking for back at her store, and that I should follow her. I had the good sense to get her to promise to bring me back to our current location because I knew how to get back to the hotel from there. She said that she would.
We walked through several blocks, busy with thousands of people, made a few turns, and finally would up at a row of motorbikes with boxes of clothing on the seats. She went to the one that was her "store" and pulled out several for me to choose from. I made the selections, and she took me back to where she had found me.
It was a harmless shopping adventure that could have easily been a brief tale about an American who disappeared in a foreign land.
One final image. Vietnam, like many nations including our own, still has a substantial number of people living in poverty. One memory that has remained with me was of a lady squatting in an alley and washing a chicken carcass in a bowl of brown water. I was extremely careful of what I ate, and I drank only bottled water!
Donald Trump is back in the White House now, and I feel bad for him because he likely saw very little of the real Vietnam while he was there. Trump may feel self-important as he putters about in a glass ornament, but he is missing out on much of the real world.
And that's just sad.
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