Westbound on the DMZ: North Vietnamese Cemetery

Continuing the journey westward, Mr. Chin and I motored along Highway # 9. A little background on Mr. Chin and his family. His parents lived in South Vietnam during the war and they were killed after the war for being supporters of the South. He signaled this by putting his hand by his throat and signaling that they had their throats ripped out. I could sense that Mr. Chin had a heavy past and this confirmed my suspicions.

Our next stop was to be the National Cemetery of the North Vietnamese Army. I was really interested in seeing this because I wanted to see how the Vietnamese honor their fallen soldiers. Although the cemetery was in a remote area along the DMZ, we made our way to it with no problems on the bike. One item of note, most of the DMZ is covered with pine trees. This may seem a little odd, and it is. These trees are around 30 years old and were planted to help restore the countryside after the heavy fighting it saw. These trees are planted in perfect rows and it is possible to look down the rows and also diagonally to make lines out. The trees are really planted that perfectly.

From DMZ

After arriving at the cemetery, I heard someone speaking through what sounded like a loudspeaker. As we got closer, I noticed there were people having a remembrance ceremony for soldiers lost in the war. I was nervous and did not want to walk up, but I inched a little closer. It was an intense experience already for me. As I got closer, everyone noticed me and returned to the ceremony. Some were even encouraging me to take part in the ceremony. I joined them and stood listening to what sounded like names being read. It was an extremely powerful experience. Then all of a sudden the speaker stopped talking and someone began to methodically ring a huge bell. The sound was chilling. I felt the emotions pulse through my body. Soon the ringing stopped and people began to light incense to place on the altar. I was given an incense stick which I placed below a statue of Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the NVA movement. War tears nations, towns, families, and people apart, but what I have noticed that they inevitably bring people back together. All of this takes lots of time and even more healing, for I have found no sound reason to justify the horrors of war.

From DMZ

The cemetery was setup by region. Meaning that all soldiers from Hanoi were in one location and others from Haiphong were in another and so on. There were not any official graves, only names, mainly because a lot of the bodies were not recovered. There are 2 reasons for this. First, the Viet Cong immediately buried their dead or ordered villages to do the work. This is part religious and part respect for the dead. Also, they did not want the bodies lying around as witness to the horrors of the war. This was to help the morale of the soldiers and keep them focused on fighting.

From DMZ

The people from the ceremony were very friendly. They were visiting the Hanoi section of the cemetery. They piled in a huge bus after they were done and kept waving and smiling at me. One even took a picture with me. It is amazing to me that I was welcomed with open arms and even allowed to take part in their ceremony. It was truly a moving experience for me.

Onward we pushed on the motobike.

From DMZ

Blazing a Trail

I took an overnight train from Hanoi to Hue on the Reunification Express, named for the reunification North and South Vietnam after the American War ended on April 30th, 1975. This is now a national holiday that is less than a week away, and supposedly a big deal for the country. So, the train ride was long and slow. The trains here in Vietnam are crawling compared to Chinese trains. The average on a 12 hour ride is by my judgement 50-60 km/hr....not MPH!!! So slow, but such an experience. Some of my favorite experiences in Vietnam are late at night on the trains. I like opening the windows and sticking my head out the window. The air is incredibly thick here. Sometimes I get lucky with some lightning storms.

After arriving in Hue, I decided I would walk to a hotel. This is harder than one would think, because in Vietnam there are these guys on motobikes. They are relentlessly persistent, and downright friendly. They want to give any and every tourist a ride. They normally notice me from about 200 yards away, because I am taller than most Vietnamese. I try to avoid eye contact, but it is hard to not look at someone grinning ear to ear saying "motobike please." They are amazingly warm-hearted and downright inviting. But this time, I wanted to stretch my legs and walk a bit. So I walked a couple of kilometers with my bags along the river in Hue. One of the first things I noticed about Hue was the intense heat, magnified by the blanket of humidity. It was really thick, but I was trying to avoid the motobikes, so walk on I did.

I made my way to a hotel and was surprised to find an $8 hotel with pool. Just what I needed after a long, hot walk. I got my room but before I could take my bags to the room, I was approached by none other than Mr. Chin, the Easy Rider. He wanted to talk to me and I could sense he meant business. I asked for 15 minutes to settle into my new surroundings, and I was granted these precious moments. 15 minutes later I emerged from my room to Mr. Chin. He had not moved. He was perched and ready to give me his sales pitch. Out came his bag with photos of satisfied customers and testimonials in a falling apart journal. He showed me where he could take me. I was focused on the Demilitarized Zone north about 100 kilometers. I wanted to see it all and Mr. Chin wanted to show me. I told him I wanted to see the Vin Moc tunnels and Khe San, and he replied "yes I know all of the places, you don't worry, I know American places." This answer made me a little uneasy, although it should have been reassuring. I mean, I wanted to make sure I saw all of the DMZ, but an assurance from a man who spoke less than a hundred words in English was anything but. So we negotiated prices and set a time, 9 am sharp.

The next morning he showed up with bike and repair kit for any unsuspecting troubles. He strapped my bag to the bike and gave me an American Army helmet, to make the trip all the more authentic I told myself. Although I must say I felt a little unsettled with the idea of wearing it, I obliged Mr. Chin and strapped it on. And off we went....

From DMZ

We headed north on Highway 1 along the east coast of Vietnam. Mr. Chin carefully dissected the traffic like a seasoned pro. Every now and then he would look back and ask, "you's okay?" I replied "yes!" Then with little warning he pulled over and we stopped at an old church. He told me that this was part of a big battle between durung the war, and the church showed the signs. It was riddled with bullet holes all over. The church has long since been abandoned, but the war remains on its surface. I looked at the church and tried to picture as best I could what went on here. It was difficult to imagine, but the scarred surface lent an eery reminder of what actually happened.

From DMZ

We headed north after the church, stopping for a breather and some coconut water. Back on the bike we stopped at an abandoned American tank. I wanted to walk around this area, but it was heavily overgrown. I have also read that there is still live ordinance (bombs, mines, and the like) and that walking off of the beaten path is not the best idea. So I kept close to the tank and stared in awe.

From DMZ

We motored on and I started to enter a interesting state. I was seeing and experiencing things from the Vietnam War that I had only read about before. These places and events were coming to life for me, 40 years later. It was what I came for and as heavy as it was, I wanted to see more. We drove towards the Vin Moc tunnels, which housed a town just north of the Ben Hai River. The Ben Hai River was the demarcation line for the DMZ. The Vin Moc tunnels are on the coast of the Gulf of Tonkin. They were the only place that people in the area could live, due to the heavy bombing. So the townspeople dug and created this city underground. An interesting note, there were 17 babies delivered underground during the war. The tunnels went to a depth of 23 meters, with 3 total levels. Before entering, I saw bomb craters and old anticraft positions. There was a museum with some of the old guns and pictures of the tunnels during the war. One of the most harrowing pictures was one of a kid no older than 6 carrying a rifle 2 times bigger than himself.

From DMZ

The tunnels were dark and cold. I was entralled with the experience. Standing on the same ground that America spent years attacking. It still amazes me today that I can come into Vietnam and see the country like I am currently doing. The only Vietnam I knew in the past was the one we bitterly fought. Our guide in the tunnels was an old South Vietnamese soldier. He had some intersting things to say about the Americans he fought with. He said that most did not want to be there fighting and when they were attacked they would bitterly curse the Viet Cong. He saw some serious battles and is now making his living giving tours of the same place where he used to fight. Time changes all things, all things do change.

This was an intense experience, and only a small part of the DMZ experience Mr. Chin was taking me on. To catch my breath, I went for a swim in the Gulf of Tonkin. And this is where I will leave the story for now, as the internet cafe is closing. Khe San and the Ho Chi Minh Trail to follow in the next post.

From DMZ

Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island

After Sapa I went east to the coast, not sure what to see or expect. I was not thoroughly impressed with the island itself, but the bay was amazing. There are huge limestone rock formations that jut out of the water. They are very majestic. The best way to see them is by boat, so I payed $17 for a day tour with lunch included (boat-cooked meal, similar to home-cooked). We left at 9 am and were supposed to come back at 5 pm, but we came back a little bit later....more on this later.

The boat was a decent wooden, 2 story vessel. The top was open with a seating area. This was prime for taking in the views and diving into the water. On the boat was a South African guy with his parents and girlfriend. He was a really nice guy and had worked in Antartica for over a year which was great to learn about. With him were his parents and girlfriend. There was another American, which is a rarity over here. Rounding out the boat were 2 Russian guys with extremely limited English.

We navigated our way through the bay for about 2 hours. On the way we passed fisherman and even villages on the water. They lived in floating houses and had docks setup to either catch and raise fish, or to farm clams and mussels. It reminded me of the movie Water World.

From Cat Ba Island

We made our way to a couple of caves with huge stalagtite and stalagmite formations. They were nice caves, although very dirty and run down.

From Cat Ba Island

After the caves, we went to a secluded cay and set the anchor. We had lunch which consisted of fresh seafood and rice. Great food indeed. Then the blue waters called and we went swimming for about 2 hours. The water was blue and cold. A great place for a swim with many beaches within distance of the boat.

From Cat Ba Island

After swimming we went to a little spot and kayaked around for a couple of hours. The entire place looked the same, turning it into a labyrinth of sorts. I was in a kayak with the American and we paddled as far as we could and completely lost our way. It was a good feeling actually, in the middle of nowhere and lost. Robinson Crusoe like for a very short time. So we paddled and paddled but kept getting ourselves more and more lost. An hour or so later and one sore back to boot, we saw the boat chugging towards us. It was full steam ahead. They rescued us from our plithe and did not fail to tell us how they felt...all in Vietnamese of course. Which was interesting and harmless. Leave it to the pilot and advanced scuba diver to get lost.

I spent 2 days in Cat Ba, but was itching to get out because it is a big tourist place and they are used to tourists. Thus tourists traps and sleaziness arethere in full force. But before I left I got to see a local man's stash of liquor which he uses to cure ailments of all types. These are special alcohols, not because of the alcohol itself, but because of what they put in with the alcohol. They are used to cure different ailments There are king cobra snakes in some, sea horses in others, and even baby goats. The real kicker to me were the ones with full feathered birds and another with a bear paw. Absolutely insane. I was offered a drink from whichever I chose, but graciously passed.

From Cat Ba Island

NW Vietnam: Sapa

I boarded a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, which is the border crossing into China. Lao Cai is nothing special, but less than an hour away are many hill tribe communities. These people live and work in the hills and now that tourists have come to see them, they sell their handcrafts. Also in the vicinity of Sapa is the tallest mountain in Vietnam. It is called Fansipan and is around 3500 meters high. The French call the mountain range in norhtern Vietnam the Tonkinese Alps, due to the close proximity of the Gulf of Tonkin.

I had a couple of options when I got to Sapa, scale the mountain, relax in an $6 hotel with mountain view, or trek into the local villages and stay at a locals house. All were great options, but I chose the trek. It was a 2 day trek through the area and was close to 20 kilometers total hiking distance. The hike was challenging at times as we scaled huge walls of mud and dealt with the high hummidity.

From Sapa, Vietnam

The views were breath taking and we were accompanied by a group of local hill tribes women who were trying to sell us their handicrafts. They were somewhat nice, although very persistent. Their selling techniques consisted of..."You buy from me? Maybe? You promise you buy from me later? Ok I come back." I ended up buying a couple of hand made bracelets from a young girl, which are really nice. Never maybe promise to buy later, or here it is a binding contract.

On the hike there were lots of animals. It is spring here, so there were new born chicks and ducklings. My favorites were the piglets.

They were really cute, but sad to know that in a year or so they would be bacon.

Another fun part of the hike was walking through villages and having the local kids come running and yelling "hello, bobot." I have yet to figure out what bobot means, but the looks on their faces were priceless.

From Sapa, Vietnam

We trekked up and down and ended up in a small village. This village had a muddy river flowing through it and we went to some hot springs. The hot springs were closer to warm and were in some concrete baths that received their water from the river. Nothing spectacular, but all part of the experience. One exciting thing did happen while were were in the hot springs. We were sitting there relaxing and noticed a man with a hard hat on who was whistling at us and waving. He kept on whistling but we just laughed at dismissed him, as this is a normal everyday occurence. The hard hat though was something you do not see everyday here. About 5 minutes passed and he came back. This time he was more persistent and we started to make our exit from the warm springs. In addition this area was under some heavy excavation with big machines and lots of workers. A couple of mintues later there was a large explosion. I ran for cover under a big machine in case of falling debris. Nothing happened to anyone, but a few racing hearts.

We went back and slept in a house on stilts, preceded by a huge home cooked feast. The next morning we walked through the local village and toured a school. The town had around 600 people living in it at most, so you can imagine what the school was like. We walked by all of the classrooms and waved at the children. They were wide eyed and giggly, but many tried to hide their excitement. There was one class with no teacher and they were out of control. It was very easy to tell the good teachers from the ones who did not care based on how the class appeared. A great teacher can have a profound influence on children and this was more apparent to me after this experience a world away.

From Sapa, Vietnam

Following the school visit we hiked a short ways to a small waterfall. The waterfall was not very impressive, but the swimming hole below it was amazing. The water was colder than Barton Springs by a few degrees, but was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity.

From Sapa, Vietnam

This ends my trip to Sapa. It was a nice change of pace from Hanoi. See the rest of the pictures here.

The Hanoi Hilton

I visited the Hanoi Hilton or Hoa Lo Prison as they call it here in Hanoi. It served as a prison during the past 100+ years. It housed prisoners from the French era and during the American War. It was the first thing that I wanted to see when I got to Hanoi for many different reasons. I attended the Air Force Academy for a year and a half and learned a lot about our POWs and their experience there. An Air Force Captain named Lance Sijan was shot down over Vietnam and imprisoned there, where he eventually died. He was the first USAFA graduate to receive the Medal of Honor.

My interest in the Prison dates back to my curiosity with the Vietnam War, which started when I first read The Things They Carried, by Tim O' Brien. Thus, I made it a top priority to see while I was in Hanoi.

The Hanoi Hilton does not exist in its full form anymore, as much of it has been torn down to make room for a new high rise. There is a small section that has been turned into a museum. I saw the museum, and while I must say it was nothing special, being the actual place I have read and learned so much about was extremely intense. When I first saw the prison, my skin started to tingle. I was pretty overwhelmed with the sight of it. The walls were a hideous yellow and they were covered with barbed wire and broken glass. Knowing that this was the actual place where all of the atrocities took place made my skin crawl.

From Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

I did not want to rush through this tour and I took my time to make sure I did not miss anything. There was a big exhibit on the French, who imprisoned the Vietnamese here. This was not why I wanted to see it. The main reason was for all of the American pilots who spent time there. The exhibits on the American War were very bland. On the interesting side, they had John McCain's flight suit and pictures of pilots who were shot down. Everything looked very nice, the flight suit looked starched and neatly laid out. They had some of the uniforms the pilots were given to wear as uniforms. They looked like they had been washed yesterday. Everything looked like you would imagine the Vietnamese would want to portray it, that the Americans were treated fairly and justly. Though, that is anything but the truth and the fact that John McCain cannot lift his arms higher than his shoulders can attest to that.

From Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

It was an overwhelming and interesting experience to see the other side of the story, so to speak. War is an ugly, ugly thing and to see Vietnamese side was why I came to the Prison. Some of the things I had to laugh at, otherwise they would be too much to take. Some of the appalling displays included an American "begging flag," used by our pilots to show to civilians in the area requesting proper care and treatment. These were printed in the languages in the area, including Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Tagalog (Philippines), and Lao. Here is a quote on one of the exhibits:

The Vietnamese Government had created the best living conditions to US pilots for they had a stable life during the temporary detention period.

Temporary meaning 8 years and many broken bones in the process. I could not find a picture of Lance Sijan, though I bet they have destroyed all evidence of his treatment.

Not to get bent out of shape on the experience, but it was a bad time in Vietnamese and American history. As is said about war, only the victor seems to win.

Take a look at the pictures from the prison here.

Setting Off

Here is what is going on with me, as I travel through SE Asia.

I hopped a train from Shanghai to Nan Ning, which is just north of Vietnam. Before I left from Shanghai, I saw a woman with a Longhorn hat on and got my picture with her. She did not speak any English, but was able to get the picture. The train ride was very long, totaling over 24 hours. I booked a hard sleeper and it was very comfortable. On the train, I met a guy who was dressed in American camouflage. We began to talk and I learned that he owns 8 businesses. He also loves guns and was very excited to learn that I am from Texas. So he showed me pictures of himself with assault rifles and the like. Very bizarre experience, but he was a very nice guy.

He is only 24 and his parents are both teachers. This was very strange to me because in China most people follow the traditional roots of their parents. Although this is definitely changing in the "New China." He was heading down to visit his wife's parents and help them start a flower shop.

The train was quite an experience and I am glad that I chose this mode of transportation. After arriving in Nan Ning, I went with my new friend over to his wife's parents house and had dinner. On the way up the stairs, I say and heard rats scurrying away. Needless to say it is a different world down here. The food was good and the family was very nice. We seemed to be at a stand still with the language barrier, so smiling and agreeing were a good thing to throw in.



After arriving in Nan Ning early in the morning, I booked a ticket into Hanoi. This train had 7 passengers on it and a total of about 20 crew. I am not sure how they can economically afford this, but the train was very nice. We crossed the Chinese and Vietnamese border early in the morning and made our way towards Hanoi.

We arrived around 5 AM on Sunday into Hanoi. I was not sure what to do with the early time, but there were many taxis and moto bikes who would have been happy to show me. So I hopped on the back of one of the moto bikes and made my way to the old quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake. I arrived to a waking Hanoi, which is unlike any city I have ever been to. There were women dancing in a jazzercise manner to some lady talking over a loud speaker. Amazingly, all of the women around the lake were in unison. It was comical to say the least, but seemed eerily normal to them. There were also men running around the lake and other playing hacky-sack with a badminton looking birdie. The younger men were were lifting weights on the side of the street.

Then all of a sudden around 7 AM it all stopped. The women disappeared as did the men men. The weight bench was gone and all of the other evidence of the morning routine vanished. A normal routine that the Vietnamese have down perfectly.

And thus begins my trip through SE Asia.....stayed tuned for more.