Vietnam | War and Peace
Women dressed as Viet Cong (National Liberation Army) soldiers march in 50th Anniversary ceremonies marking the end of the Vietnam War | Ho Chi Minh City | A woman wearing traditional Vietnamese dress poses on the bridge that marked the border between North and South Vietnam during the war | Former DMZ
After five days in Laos visiting CIA Secret War sites, we headed overland from Sam Nuea to Hanoi.
I have always been interested in the war in Vietnam. I had taken a an ROTC course on the Vietnam War while studying at the University of California and my father had spent three years there from 1965 to 1968. I did not know why he was there and what role he played as a US State Department official stationed first in the Delta town of Can Tho and then in the northern city of Danang. He was there when the Tet Offensive took place in January 1968. I was hoping to learn a little more about his life in Vietnam, and also see for myself why so many friends had talked so glowingly about it.
I was traveling with Al Willner who had visited Vietnam and the region on several occasions when he was stationed in the area during his US military career. Nabra, my daughter, was also with us and we would be joined by Army colleagues of Al's in a couple of days.
So, this border crossing has to be one of the more bizarre borders I have crossed - and I have crossed some unusual borders at unusual times during my career as an photojournalist. After having our passports stamped in Laos, we walked some 35o yards to the border station in Vietnam. Al was snapping pictures and at first I was a bit concerned that some official would detain us for taking photos - one of the things I've learned in my career (particularly in the Middle East) you do not take pictures anywhere near a border and definitely not in front of a border station in a Communist country. Since there appeared to be nobody about, I chanced a quick selfie of us.
Well, I had little to fear because basically there appeared to be nobody around. We went up to what we thought was the office and it was empty, so we wandered around the building trying to find someone to let us into Vietnam. Some guard indicated we should go back to the first office and wait. After some time, an officer appeared. He did not appear in a very good mood and after scrutinizing our paper visas and Nabra's electronic visa and looking back and forth from the computer to the passports he eventually stamped the papers and motioned us to proceed to customs. Those officers were lounging around and smiling and we soon were walking to the last checkpoint and to our waiting transport.
Our driver | his see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil Buddha figurines - not sure what the other one is suppose to be | his music video screen that played constant techo pop usually with AI created dancing girls | Western Vietnam
Day One | Scenes on the road to Hanoi
A parka-outfitted girl with her mom and brother - it was in the 90s F and humid | Calendar with Ho Chi Minh and other revolutionaries | pho lunch stop | afternoon nap | a sugar cane rest break | roadside coffee shop | rice paddies and mountains | a traditional pipe smoke | On the road in Vietnam
The road to Hanoi | Nabra counts in Vietnamese
The drive was slow going. The Hyundai Sante Fe's air conditioning hardly worked and poor Al and Nabra had no vents in the back seat. As we would learn driving in Vietnam takes time. We would end up spending lots of time in our hired vehicle when we toured the southern portion of the country.
After a very long day, we arrived at sunset in Hanoi. After checking into our Old Quarter hotel where there were tons of tourist - a striking contrast to Laos where maybe we saw a dozen foreigners, we headed out for dinner.
Hanoi |
Sunset rush hour | ballroom dancing at night | t-shirts for sale | kid and statue - "Die for the Country to Live" | Hanoi
Day Two | A cultural day in Hanoi