The Old and New Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in the southern region of Vietnam was on my radar this Christmas. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. I've always heard favorable reviews about Vietnam so when I learned that my friend who lives in HMC is moving at the end of the school year, I thought now is the perfect time to visit and get the inside scoop.

My knowledge of Vietnam to date has been limited to news and images from my childhood years. But a visit to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC last June sparked an interest in me to learn more about the war and the country. It was during my visit to Washington that I realized for the first time the scope of the Vietnam War (or what the Vietnamese call the American War) -- 20 years with hundreds of thousands of casualties. Well, nothing like visiting Vietnam to learn its take on the war and see how the country developed since.

Toward this end, I had the privilege of visiting the Independence Palace and War Remnants Museum, both close to my hotel in District 1. As I walked the grounds and building of the Palace where the southern government had its headquarters, I was able to view diplomatic conference rooms, reception/dining areas, offices, library, war/map room, entertainment facilities and even the helipad on the roof. I envisioned Johnson and Nixon on diplomatic visits, and generals pouring over strategy in the map room.

The gravity of the war, though, hit me when I realized I was standing on the premises where the final April 1975 invasions took place. I imagined the southern leaders running for cover when the building was bombed in early April and then watching from the upper floors on April 30 1975 when the communist tank stormed through the front gate. These events were significant in that they toppled the southern government and brought an official end to the war.

The war also hit home for me when I visited the War Remnants Museum and had opportunity to read and see examples of how they tortured prisoners and civilian living conditions during the 20 year war. It's an understatement to say it was a sobering experience walking through this museum.

The message throughout the museum was definitely one from the Communist party, but no one can argue the devastating final results including use of Agent Orange by the southern campaign. For those unaware, pilots sprayed upwards of 20 million gallons of chemicals targeted for agricultural land, intended to starve the northern guerrillas who took camp in rural areas. Turns out guerrillas were not the only ones who went hungry, but villagers experienced famine and are still suffering physical and mental handicaps to the third generation.

Today there are posters and monuments all over the city celebrating Vietnam's independence, such as the 40 year reminder that the north and south were reunified in 1975.

It is safe to say most Vietnamese do not want to be defined by the war any longer. As horrific as the war was, I learned they have a saying in their language which depicts this desire to move on: "It's behind us." Images of life in the city today show evidence to this effect -- from celebrations of Christmas to modernization. Indeed, the people of Vietnam have moved on.

Viet Religion

As my friends and I ventured toward the Mekong River one day, we stopped at a temple in a small nearby village. This temple is apparently host to a polytheistic religion where worshipers recognize seven deities from a combination of religions, including that of Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and even Abraham from the Islamic and Christian faiths. No doubt, this religion was influenced by multiple countries that occupied Vietnam over the centuries.

Coming across cathedrals always took me by surprise as I traversed the southern part of Vietnam. I am simply not used to seeing Christian symbols in this part of Asia, let alone in a communist country!

None the less, Roman Catholicism has a strong foothold in Vietnam with its entry via the Portuguese Catholic missionaries in the 16th century and strengthened influence during French colonial rule. Perhaps the most dominant symbol of the Catholic influence is at the heart of Ho Chi Minh City where a cathedral known as Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica was constructed with two bell towers by the French from 1863-1880. A statue of Mother Mary stands in a small courtyard in front of the cathedral. A witness reported in 2005 they saw this statue "shed tears" which immediately drew thousands of visitors.

Witnessing a variety of religious practices sparked my curiosity on how the Communist party in Vietnam deals with this. According to research:

"The Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam formally allows religious freedom, however, government restrictions remain on organized activities of many religious groups. The government maintains a prominent role overseeing officially recognized religions... so they do not challenge the authority of the Communist party. In 2007, Vietnam News reported that Vietnam has six religions recognized including that of Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Cao Đài, and Hòa Hảo."

Down the Mekong

The Mekong is a river not only recognized in Vietnam but practically all of southern Asia. It's the world's 12th longest river that starts in the Tibetan Plateau and runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and finally Vietnam before it empties into the South China Sea. Friends (from my days in Korea) and I had opportunity to float down the Mekong, observing how the locals live along the river and in an island village.

Life along the Mekong naturally revolves around the river, and many of the villages are accessible by water than by road. My group got in what's called a long boat and became part of the active marine life. We chugged past house boats and a variety of cargo vessels that transported everything from food to construction materials. Shoreline activity also varied from people fueling their boats at docks to performing daily chores.

We came across a boat that was anchored not far from the shore, fully stocked with fresh fruit like mango, jack, dragon and tamarind. It was like pulling up to the neighborhood 7-11 for a quick purchase. We stopped alongside this boat and told the merchant the fruit of choice and they cut it for us. Needless to say, the fruit was about as fresh as it can get!

Later in the day, we got into smaller boats that allowed us opportunity to venture down narrow tributaries off the main river. Our tour guide planned for us to stop at an island, where residents provided lunch and rented bikes so we could tour the island.

I really enjoyed getting a closer look at village life in Vietnam. Some of the products the local residents make and sell are similar to what we have in Thailand, such as coconut candy. It was a new experience for me, however, to see the production of snake skin belts and everything made from rice including rice wine, puffed rice, their version of Rice Krispies Treats, and even rice paper to wrap the candy!

Witnessing Vietnamese life along the Mekong River provided a wonderful contrast to life in fast-paced Ho Chi Minh City. While there wasn't a Starbucks in sight, there sure were some appetizing alternatives!