Vietnam Past and Present

(Bob:) It was especially interesting for me to visit Vietnam under the circumstances I did. Of course, I had many friends who served in Vietnam, and it was only by happenstance that I avoided it and served out my Army tour in Texas.

Many of the college students on our ship knew virtually nothing of the war. It was sobering for them to hear a panel discussion before we arrived in Vietnam that included two veterans of the war who broke down in tears during the discussion. It shocked them to see the emotions we of our age group still have about the war.

Of course that didn’t stop some of our more sensitive students from visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels and firing AK47s: as described by one Vietnamese-American student on the cruise, “It is like an amusement park of death.” Imagine if our country had a museum glorifying our dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan; I think that might create a little outcry.

So the Vietnamese government does present one-sided pictures in some of their museums, but I guess that’s their right. Anyway, there is no detectable bitterness among the Vietnamese people toward Americans. They tend to take a long view of history.

They also love our money and our investments. They have about 25 to 40 percent inflation, so many merchants would rather get U.S. dollars than dong, which is the Vietnamese currency. (We’ve already heard all the jokes.) Most businesses price their goods in both dollars and local currency.

There is a lot of American investment pouring into the country, including a number of golf resorts on the coast. It is a great country to get inexpensive goods, including tailor-made suits, crafts and delicious food. (Thank God it’s our last chop stick country.)

The war in the jungle may be over, but the war in the streets goes on every day. Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City) has 10 million people and 11 million motorbikes. Crossing the street for pedestrians is truly survival of the fittest. This is how you do it. Look at the far side of the street and begin crossing in a purposeful manner. Look neither right nor left and neither slow down nor speed up. Definitely do not turn around or stop. Rely on the motorbikes to miss you. Then, when you reach the sidewalk on the other side, stop and look both ways on the sidewalk because motorbikes could be coming down it. We did survive, but we had a couple of close calls.