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