Views on Vietnam
Vietnam. The very name conjures up all sorts of horrifying images for many. Older generations experienced the war in real time, either being a part of it directly or watching the events unfold on the nightly news.
For those too young to witness it in real time, the scenes of war have been brought to life by countless movies and the work of photojournalists on the scene. The images are searing. I don’t think anyone who’s seen “Napalm Girl”, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken by AP photographer Nick Ut in 1972, depicting a nude 9-year-old girl named Phan Thi Kim Phuc running down the street with a severely burned back, could ever “un-see” it.
It’s heavy stuff, which is why I approached my two-week trip to Vietnam with my nine-year-old American son with a bit of apprehension. How much should I tell him about the horrors of that war and all wars? How do I explain America’s role in it? And how would we, American/Canadians be received?
I contemplated watching movies about the war. Clearly “The Deer Hunter” and “Apocalypse Now” were no-gos. But what about “Good Morning Vietnam”? Would that be suitable for a nine-year-old? A quick search on Common Sense Media gave me the answer. No. In end, we opted to watch Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” episode on Hanoi, which whet our appetites for our upcoming culinary journey.
Upon landing in the capital city, it became abundantly clear that in many ways Vietnam has moved on from its bloody history. Yes, there are remnants of the war all over the place but Hanoi is now a vibrant city teeming with young people meeting friends for coffee and tourists sampling the wide array of street food. War seems to be the farthest thing from their minds and that’s a beautiful thing.
We spent our first morning in Hanoi walking through its bustling old quarter where we sampled its “egg coffee” – a dessert like coffee made with egg yolk, sugar and condensed milk. I was surprised to learn that Vietnam is the world’s second largest exporter of coffee after Brazil.
The country takes its cup of Joe very seriously, which explains the vast number of cafes. It’s my kind of place.
As Americans, we felt it necessary to visit the former Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the “Hanoi Hilton”, where John McCain and other U.S. POW’s were imprisoned and tortured in the late 60s and early 70s. It’s now a museum that focuses mainly on the mistreatment of Vietnamese freedom fighters under French colonial rule. There are sculptures throughout the museum that capture the horror of their mistreatment.
But there’s no mention of the ill treatment of Hoa Lo’s American prisoners. McCain spent five years there – two of which were in solitary confinement. He claims he was tortured and witnesses have backed him up on those allegations. The museum glosses over that entirely. It has only two small rooms dedicated to its U.S. POWs and the audio tour insists they were treated humanely.
The museum shows pictures of McCain receiving medical treatment and playing sports. And, as the audio guide highlights, he was even given a toothbrush! It is clearly a case of old-school-style propaganda. The whole experience triggered a lesson not only on the ills of colonialism but also the reality that the victors in war control the narrative, a narrative that isn’t always accurate.
After that experience, it was time for lighter fare – namely more food. We promptly ignored the advice given by our tropical disease doctor in Montreal and gorged on the street food. There were delicious bowls of piping hot pho, banh cuon (a type of Vietnamese pork and mushroom ravioli) and a delicious fish dish that’s a Hanoi specialty called Cha ca La Vong made with dill and turmeric. We loved every bite. Hanoi to me will always be synonymous with street food.
The next day we boarded a boat to Ha Long Bay. For three glorious days we cruised on the green waters taking in breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. We biked. We kayaked. We swam. We also ate great food and met wonderful people from all corners of the globe.
Our next stop was a charming town called Tam Coc, about a two-hour drive outside of Hanoi. We stayed at the family-run Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow built into limestone cliffs overlooking a rice paddy. The family dines nightly under the rock while serving its guests. It’s a charming place with a pool AND they give you nightly foot baths! They also gave us full use of their bikes to explore the area. Jamie was not impressed with their run-down kid’s bike but I reminded him that this is their only bike and it’s the best they could do so he should grin and bear it. Thankfully, he did.
The bike ride through rural Vietnam was beautiful and interesting. Driving by a rice paddy at sunset is a magical experience. I also couldn’t help noticing the colorful billboards and murals with scenes of laborers, military personnel and the flag of Vietnam. In sum, classic propaganda art. It felt like being transported back in time.
Our destination that afternoon was Hang Mua – a roughly 500-step climb up a mountain to a statue of a dragon overlooking the entire valley. Getting to the top is not for the fainthearted but the views were worth every step.
The next day we took a boat ride along the river in Tam Coc floating past pink water lilies and through caves. The small boat was manned by a guide who paddled with his feet. At the end of the boat ride, a woman approached us to purchase highly inflated bags of chips and other snacks. In Vietnam, it’s the women doing the hustling and they’re tough bargainers!
After two days in rural Vietnam, we decided to return to Hanoi for another night. The food is just that good. We also wanted to check out the Water Puppet Show depicting humorous scenes of rural life. The show is narrated live with a live musical accompaniment. The puppeteers are hidden behind the stage and are in the water throughout. It was charming.
It was also interesting to see another side of Hanoi entirely – the French quarter, with its posh shops and fancy hotels. We thought of Anthony Bourdain as we had a cocktail and mocktail at the Metropole Hotel. The bartender, who served him many times, remembered him well.
No visit to Hanoi would be complete without a visit to Hanoi’s Temple of Literature built in 1070 that is dedicated to Confucius. It’s a bit of a tourist trap but beautiful nonetheless. I could honestly have spent many more days in Hanoi just hanging out at its coffee shops. It’s a wonderful city.
But we had a flight to Da Nang to catch. Upon landing we took a one-hour drive to Hoi An, a charming village known for its colorful lanterns that are lit up nightly and its tailors who can make you an outfit in days.
We happened to arrive shortly after a typhoon had hit so the streets were completely flooded. At one point, the taxi could go no further and we had to get out with our bags. Some calls were made and about 10 minutes later two dudes showed up with motorbikes. They put our bags on their bikes and then told us to hop on. We proceeded to drive through the flooded streets to our hotel. I have no idea how they were able to navigate along the sidewalks with us and our gear with water up to our ankles but they managed to get us there safely! Miraculously, by the next day most of the water was gone and we were able to explore Hoi An and its myriad shops and cafes.
My favorite place we stumbled upon was a tea house called Reaching Out staffed entirely by people with disabilities. The waiters serving us were deaf. The way to communicate with them is through small wooden blocks with words like “ice” “hot water” and “bill” written on them. There’s also a shop in the back, featuring crafts made by people with disabilities. Their selection was among the best I’ve seen in Vietnam not only because they were original pieces but also because their quality is top notch.
In Hoi An we did the requisite cooking class, which was actually loads of fun as it also included a float down a river in bamboo boats where we encountered a caravan of Koreans doing karaoke and dancing up a storm. It was not the leisurely cruise I was expecting!
We made four dishes in the cooking class: two types of spring roll – one fried, one cold – a savory pancake, a beef salad and of course the ubiquitous pho. The pancake made of rice flour and rice milk stuffed green crunchy veggies was by far the best we’ve had in Vietnam.
We also took a lantern making class and emerged with two fine looking lanterns that are now hanging in our villa in Bali. It’s undoubtedly my favorite souvenir from Vietnam.
The next stop on our travels was Hue. Unfortunately, it rained like cats and dogs while were there. That cut short our visit to the imperial city that was home to Vietnam’s last emperor. As a mother, it was interesting to hear how revered the emperor’s mother was but I certainly wouldn’t want to be her daughter-in-law!
The crappy weather gave us a chance to enjoy the facilities at the Pilgrimage Village, by far the nicest place we stayed at in Vietnam. It is set among vast grounds with lovely amenities including a spa, which we visited every night. Turns out my son is a massage hound just like me!
Our last stop was Ho Chi Minh, which many people in Vietnam still call Saigon. They also don’t call it the Vietnam War. It’s the “American War”. And the former Independence Palace, that famously became the site of the fall of Saigon in 1975 when North Vietnamese tanks rolled into it, is now the “Reunification Palace”. It’s an important place to visit to better understand the toll the war took on Vietnamese civilians with the incessant bombing and dropping of agent orange that caused birth defects among generations. Despite the U.S.’s involvement in the war and the countless deaths caused by it, not once, throughout our journey in Vietnam, did I feel any animosity directed at us.
In fact, I only ever heard Vietnamese people say negative things about China. Despite having many cultural ties and both being communist nations, there is deep distrust of China because of centuries of conflict between the two bordering countries. China’s recent claims in the South China Sea, claims that an international tribunal in the Hague have said violate international law, has exacerbated tensions.
Ho Chi Minh is busier than Hanoi with a little less charm, in my view. But we discovered some real gems – my favorite being a spa and restaurant called “Noir” that are located on the same quiet cul de sac off a main road. Noir, the spa, offers foot massages by the visually-impaired. It was the best foot massage we had in all of Vietnam.
Noir, the restaurant is an “experience”. The food is served entirely in the dark (you don’t know what you’re eating) by blind people. I thought it would be an interesting and fun thing to do. What I did not expect is that I would be overcome with claustrophobia and have a minor panic attack that forced me to leave the table and head for the light!
It occurred about 5 minutes into the meal after eating a soup and a salad. I don’t know exactly why it occurred. It wasn’t eating unknown food that freaked me out. It was not knowing how long exactly we’d be in the dark. Perhaps I should have done my research beforehand. The waiter tried to calm me down and get me to stay but it wasn’t happening. Jamie opted to stay in the dark all alone while I ate the rest of my meal in the comfort of a lighted room.
The woman running the place seemed disappointed in my inability to hack the experience and told me it’s very rare that people get clausterphobic. “No, wonder we won the war,” I imagined her thinking. The Viet Cong spent countless hours hiding in tunnels outside of Saigon during the war. This American woman couldn’t handle 30 minutes in a dark room. Jamie was much more sympathetic to my panic attack. “You listened to yourself and took action. You did the right thing,” he said. How on earth did my boy become so wise?
After the meal, a man came out to us to show Jamie what he had eaten.
“People have panic attacks like me, right? I’m not the only one” I said sheepishly.
“No. You’re not the only one. It happens about 10 times a month,” he said.
Turns out eating in the dark is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Overall, I found the Vietnamese to be a straight-forward people who have a keen business sense and a wicked sense of humor. Despite language barriers, that ability to see the funny in various circumstances, came out loud and clear throughout our travels. I’m a big fan of Vietnam and hope to return again one day.
