è Report #9 - March 02 - 06, 2008   (depart Hong Kong for three stops in Vietnam)

Before talking about our visit to Vietnam, I thought it might be helpful to read a very simplified version of the history of Vietnam (from 111 B.C.) – so here goes.

 Beginning in 111 B.C., Vietnam was under Chinese rule for about 1,000 years.  Following Chinese rule, the Vietnamese had 1,000 years of autonomy, but internal clan conflicts and wars with the Khmer (Cambodian), the Cham (people of Indonesian descent), and the Chinese continued.  In the 17^th century, Europeans, especially the French, seized upon Vietnamese instability and began to come ashore.  Ultimately the French pressed for total control and in 1883, France signed a treaty as the official protectorate of Vietnam.  In 1954, after beating the French in the north, an agreement was reached in Geneva that Vietnam would be partitioned at the 17^th parallel and that the country would hold free elections 2 years later.  In the interim, the north would be ruled by Ho Chi Minh (the leader of the Viet Minh (to become the Viet Cong) and in the south, Ngo Dinh Diem, a U.S.-backed expatriate politician.  At election time, when it was likely Diem would be defeated by the populist candidate Ho Chi Minh, Diem withdrew from the election, breaking his promise at the Geneva Conference. 

In 1961, in the hopes of supporting democracy in South Vietnam and stopping the march (domino effect) of Communism in Southeast Asia (primarily supported by “Red China”), President Kennedy tentatively escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam.  Communism was then the world’s greatest perceived evil and the 17^th parallel in Vietnam was where the line in the mud was drawn.  In the early years, U.S. involvement was meant to show the benefits of capitalism and to help lead the fight with humanitarian efforts in South Vietnam.     

Southern president Diem was an unpopular, heavy-handed ruler and in the early 1960s protests began due to his unfairness of Buddhists and rural people (Diem was a staunch Catholic).  Unrest in the south grew, but the U.S. still continued to back Diem, until his demise in a coup d’etat in November 1963 (3-weeks before President Kennedy was assassinated).  The Gulf of Tonkin Incident in August 1964, where two U.S. ships were reportedly attacked, resulted in President Johnson ordering the bombing of Hanoi, the first large-scale bombing campaign of the war (conflict).  By the time the war was over in April 1975 - 58,000 U.S. military personnel had been killed and over 300,000 wounded.  Three million lives were lost on the Vietnamese side, with more than half civilians.  In 1976, the north and south were officially reunited under a Communist government. 

In 1988 (as millions were starving and inflation neared 1,000%), the “Communist” government began implementing a free-market policy that decentralized business and allowed the currency to trade on international markets.  In 1995, diplomatic relations were established with the U.S. and Vietnam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.  In 2007, Vietnam became a member of the World Trade Organization and President Nguyen Minh Triet visited Washington, D.C., the first Vietnamese head of state since the war ended to do so. 

Now, back to our visit… 

 After leaving Hong Kong, we had one sea day and then sailed into the Bay of Tonkin, arriving in Halong Bay, Vietnam, on Sunday, March 2.  We anchored in the shallow bay and since the tides control all ship movement, we had only a very short time (10am - 2pm) to explore the area.  We opted for the only ship-sponsored tour offered – a Halong Bay Cruise, with a visit to Thien Cong Cave, in a converted fishing junk.  Halong Bay is dotted with more than 3,000 limestone islands, with their jagged points jutting out of the ocean, and is very well known for its UNESCO World Heritage status.  The “junk” was beautifully restored and comfortable and our guide was knowledgeable about the area and the cave we visited.  Thien Cong Cave can be explored, IF you are able to climb steep uneven rock stairs (up and down and up and down, again).  The interior is a cavernous space, with multi-colored lights (a little weird) and lots of big rock formations.  The guide pointed out how many of the rock formations resembled different animals and things – you really had to use your imagination.  One of the highlights of the trip was when the young (30 year old) tour guide softly asked a small group of us about our upcoming election.  She wanted to know if we trusted the election system and if we cared about who won.  We all answered yes to both and she said someday maybe that would be true in her country, too. 

After leaving Halong Bay, we set sail for Da Nang, in central Vietnam on the coast of the South China Sea.  Da Nang was home to a major American air base during the Vietnam War and is now one of the most important deep-water seaports in the country.  The city is classified as an industrial zone and is experiencing an economic boom due to numerous exports and tourism.  With 4,900 factories and production facilities, locals are making all sorts of furniture and goods to ship to other countries in Asia and elsewhere. 

Our tour began with a ride through the port and central city area of De Nang, on our way to the ancient city of Hoi An, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  From the 16^th to the 18^th century, Hoi An was Vietnam’s most important trading post, where Vietnamese, Chinese, Indians, Portuguese and Japanese tradesmen made and sold their wares.  Today, it’s a quaint old town with over 800 protected landmarks and tons of tourists from all over the world.  We had plenty of time to wander up and down the narrow, clean streets lined with interesting shops and numerous street vendors.  Our next stop was at a marble carving factory, where one passenger tried to figure out how they could buy two gigantic lions (solid marble) and have them shipped home – all in our 15-minute stop.  We bought nothing!  Our last stop, before returning to the ship, was at China Beach, a favorite military R&R spot during the war.  The beach was deserted, except for one lone fisherman, 50-60 years old.  We sensed he knew why we were all just walking around quietly - he just looked and went on with his fishing.  

Our last stop in Vietnam was Phu My on the South China Sea and the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon).  Ho Chi Minh City (or HMC) refers to the larger metropolitan area comprised of 19 districts of sprawl, while Saigon is the name of the main commercial center.  The entire metropolitan area is home to over 9 million people and their estimated 4 million motorbikes, making it the largest and noisiest city area in Vietnam.

 Our Saigon tour included a stop at History Museum, built in 1929, that highlights the 2,000 years of recorded Vietnamese history.  In addition to all the historical artifacts, we saw a water puppetry show, a unique 1,000 year old artform once staged as entertainment for kings and emperors.  Next stop – the Presidential Palace, now renamed the Reunification Hall, made famous when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through its front gates in 1975, signaling the end of the war.  The Hall is just as it might have been in 1975 (but cleaned-up), with the war command room, including maps and old teletype equipment still in place, located in the basement.  On the second floor is a Conference Hall, with a couple hundred chairs perfectly lined-up and a bust of Uncle Ho with the Vietnamese flag behind.  In the afternoon, it was a drive-by of the historic Rex Hotel, Cholon (Chinatown) district and the U.S. Consulate, on the site of the former U.S. Embassy. 

Everywhere we went on the tour, the motorbike vendors, loaded down with products, followed.  Every stop we made was an opportunity for them to sell something and sell they did.  Men’s polo shirts – 3 for $10; ladies’ beaded evening bags – 4 for $10; lacquered 4-piece box sets - $3; hats, scarves, fans, glasses - $1 each.  The people were eager, but not too aggressive and most spoke enough English to transact business with us – in U.S. dollars!  FYI, recent data indicates the annual per-capita income of the entire nation is $726 and the country’s stated goal – to become a middle-class country by 2010 – means raising per capita income to at least $1,000.  The country’s status as an Asian “Tiger Economy” means they’ll most likely make it.  

After a 2+ hour drive back to the ship, we shoved off for a day at sea enroute to Singapore.