Our first trip this year in Asia, other than Singapore, was to vietnam. It was one filled with more diversity than you would expect. In the northern hilly part of the region in sapa, we were greeted with some of the friendliest people. We hiked through rice paddies and villages and were followed the entire way by 5 women selling tourist souvenirs like bracelets and wallets. They didn't just follow us to a hotel up the road, they followed us 10+ miles to the house in a village home to the black Hmong tribe. We stayed with a family from Israel and slept in a loft in a thatched roofed home. And lets just say we would not have been able to do anything during the first part of our trip without our amazing guide/ thomas and jakes best buddy. (Thomas cried during those goodbyes).
I can't get over how welcomed we were by this country and how amazing the food was. Every night was a feast with spring rolls, rice, chicken, noodles, more rice, and veggies. You had to make sure you didn't eat too much lunch so you could save up for the best time of the day. We then ventured to other parts of the country such as Ho Chi Mihn, Mekong Delta, and Hanoi. We got to see old Ho Chi Mihns body for about 5 seconds and then were immediately asked to follow the line out to the exit surrounded by guards armed with guns. One thing we didn't expect was that there was still a strong sense of communism in Vietnam. This was seen when we visited the cu chi tunnels and the Hanoi prison. In the old prison where Americans were held we watched communist propaganda videos. In these videos the American captives were saying how "lucky they were to be held in a vietnamese prison" and how blessed they were as they were decorating a Christmas tree. The vietnamese communist army were the good guys who welcomed the Americans with open arms? I find that hard to believe when we walked through the torture chamber. In the tunnels, we were shown old communist propaganda, yet again, saying how "evil" and "deadly" the Americans were. Killing only the innocent and showing absolutely no mercy. We had to get up and leave it was so disturbing to watch. We rushed through the "museum" of an old battle ground as people posed with old tanks and in front of the airless tunnels used during the war. Our guide told us later, after a long argument concerning the lack of liberty and fairness within communism, how he could not say anything against his government because he was scared of what could happen to his job or to him. We were not necessarily surprised by his statement but it shows how controlling and frightening even the weaker communist government can be.
This trip was one that we will never forget.It was extremely eye opening as we saw the beauty of the coast, the mountains, and the people, the poverty, the destruction the war left, and the still present communist government. Vietnam is a place filled with amazing history and some of the kindest and sincere people you will ever meet who will welcome you into their homes and feed you anything that they may have.
We also visited Ha Long Bay which was breathtaking. The rocks looked like they were sculpted perfectly. The locals say that the dragons formed these rocks years back with their fire breath. We spent two nights on the water in a house boat and ate food straight from the water.
I can't get over how welcomed we were by this country and how amazing the food was. Every night was a feast with spring rolls, rice, chicken, noodles, more rice, and veggies. You had to make sure you didn't eat too much lunch so you could save up for the best time of the day. We then ventured to other parts of the country such as Ho Chi Mihn, Mekong Delta, and Hanoi. We got to see old Ho Chi Mihns body for about 5 seconds and then were immediately asked to follow the line out to the exit surrounded by guards armed with guns. One thing we didn't expect was that there was still a strong sense of communism in Vietnam. This was seen when we visited the cu chi tunnels and the Hanoi prison. In the old prison where Americans were held we watched communist propaganda videos. In these videos the American captives were saying how "lucky they were to be held in a vietnamese prison" and how blessed they were as they were decorating a Christmas tree. The vietnamese communist army were the good guys who welcomed the Americans with open arms? I find that hard to believe when we walked through the torture chamber. In the tunnels, we were shown old communist propaganda, yet again, saying how "evil" and "deadly" the Americans were. Killing only the innocent and showing absolutely no mercy. We had to get up and leave it was so disturbing to watch. We rushed through the "museum" of an old battle ground as people posed with old tanks and in front of the airless tunnels used during the war. Our guide told us later, after a long argument concerning the lack of liberty and fairness within communism, how he could not say anything against his government because he was scared of what could happen to his job or to him. We were not necessarily surprised by his statement but it shows how controlling and frightening even the weaker communist government can be.
This trip was one that we will never forget.It was extremely eye opening as we saw the beauty of the coast, the mountains, and the people, the poverty, the destruction the war left, and the still present communist government. Vietnam is a place filled with amazing history and some of the kindest and sincere people you will ever meet who will welcome you into their homes and feed you anything that they may have.
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