Our last day in Vietnam, we got up at 6 am and swam in the pool, loaded back into the bus four hours back to Hanoi and then fought with our tour guide to actually take us where we were told we were going to go on the itinerary. All I wanted to see was the Hanoi Hilton. Brian and I went through a phase in our marriage where we got into studying the Vietnam war. One of my all time favorite books, Five Years to Freedom, had a huge impact on my desire to visit Vietnam. I wasn't the only one on the tour that wanted to see that place. Our tour guide wanted us to just spend six hours shopping--which don't get me wrong, I love shopping in third world countries--but an American cannot go to Hanoi and not go to see the Hanoi Hilton and still feel good about themselves, right?
You can't see out the windshield of the bus in the above picture, but it was another near death moment when an oncoming semi-was headed straight toward us.
Before heading out sight seeing in Hanoi, we stopped for more phu, and for one guy who was especially brave, he drank a cup full of this lizard pickling fluid. 
I'm really sorry I missed out on that, but I have to draw my line with fish eyeballs 
This is Mr. Kim our crazy, difficult to understand tour guide.
I'm really sorry I missed out on that, but I have to draw my line with fish eyeballs This is Mr. Kim our crazy, difficult to understand tour guide.
These pictures are of the first university in Hanoi--maybe in all of Vietnam, but I couldn't understand half of what Mr. Kim said to us. 
It's just another Buddhist temple now. . . and, yes, there were Oreos for Buddha here, too. I guess Vietnamese Buddhas prefer those.
It's just another Buddhist temple now. . . and, yes, there were Oreos for Buddha here, too. I guess Vietnamese Buddhas prefer those.
Ho Chi Minh is considered a god here in Vietnam. He is immortalized inside of this giant mansoleum. On Mondays, he's closed for cleaning, so we only got to see the outside, not his petrified body. Too bad, that would have been something to write home about.
After our tour guide took us to this war museum--which he told us was the Hanoi Hilton--that was as closed, we went to one final stop which we had been told was a French Colonial prison. I was so bummed about the Hanoi Hilton being closed that I wasn't even going to get off the bus to see the prison. As it turns out, our tour guide didn't know what the heck he was talking about. The colonial prison was in fact what the US POWs coined the Hanoi Hilton. It was interesting to see the remnants over various time periods in the same building. Below you can see the French guillotine that the French used on the Vietnamese rebels.
Most of the prison/museum was dedicated to the terrible things that the French did to Vietnamese protestors, but one tiny corner focused on the experience the US POWs had while imprisoned during the war. Let me just say, I appalled at the slant the Vietnamese government had in presenting this little bit of history. None of what was said matched anything I have read in the personal accounts of John McCain and other pilots shot down over Hanoi. I realize that every thing in life has a slant and that everything is propaganda to a certain extent. However, this was so extreme that I was in shock.
This message was sent to the POWs by Ho Chi Minh and they were forced to translate several copies of it. All of the photographs of the POWs were taken from an angle where if you looked close enough you could tell on the other side of their face they had been severely beaten. You could also tell that many of the photos were staged and the soldiers were forced to smile and act a certain way. Under the photos, the captions all praised how humane and supportive the Viet Cong were with the POWs.
At one point, several Americans from my tour group and from a couple others gathered around to watch the video that was playing about the POWs. The captions said things about how the POWs were able to raise chickens and learn tasks that even small Vietnamese children already know. It talked about how much fun the soldiers had together and how they were able to spend so much time celebrating American holidays. As we all stood there, we were in disbelief at the blatant lies, so we started whispering and shaking our heads. Suddenly, the video inexplicably when off and would not come back on. I felt certain that we were being watched. I've never had such a strange big brother feeling in my life.
Above is John McCain's flight suit that was taken from him after his plane was shot down.
These were some of the cells where the soldiers were locked. I can only imagine how bleak their life was in there.
I didn't realize it at the time, but we visited the Hanoi Hilton on Memorial Day and I have to say, I felt an overwhelming pride at being the wife of a soldier and at the willingness our troops have to fight for freedom, for each other, for their families and for others to have the chance at freedom. The propaganda at the prison denied that any U.S. soldiers died there, but, in fact, 22 soldiers were buried in the courtyard and later their bodies were sent home. Visiting this place reminded me that there is always a price for freedom. We did not win the Vietnam war and it is evidenced all over Vietnam in many ways, abject poverty, blatant government controls and propaganda on every corner, poor health care, etc. While democracy may not be perfect, coming to this communist country reminded me of how much better our lives are because our soldiers fight to defend an ideal that truly gives us choices and opportunities that wouldn't exist otherwise. I was so thankful to have the experience of seeing this place and remembering the sacrifices.
Finally, right before leaving for home on a midnight flight, we went to see a traditional water puppet show. It was interesting and I'm glad that I got to see it once in my life, but the singing was a little shrill and whiny for my tastes--so I probably won't frequent these things.
We flew out of Vietnam in the middle of the night and returned to South Korea early the next morning. It was an amazing trip and it reminded me of why traveling the world is one of my greatest passions in life. The more I see the more I want to see and the more I want to experience. Life is beautiful in all the corners of the world.
After our tour guide took us to this war museum--which he told us was the Hanoi Hilton--that was as closed, we went to one final stop which we had been told was a French Colonial prison. I was so bummed about the Hanoi Hilton being closed that I wasn't even going to get off the bus to see the prison. As it turns out, our tour guide didn't know what the heck he was talking about. The colonial prison was in fact what the US POWs coined the Hanoi Hilton. It was interesting to see the remnants over various time periods in the same building. Below you can see the French guillotine that the French used on the Vietnamese rebels.
Most of the prison/museum was dedicated to the terrible things that the French did to Vietnamese protestors, but one tiny corner focused on the experience the US POWs had while imprisoned during the war. Let me just say, I appalled at the slant the Vietnamese government had in presenting this little bit of history. None of what was said matched anything I have read in the personal accounts of John McCain and other pilots shot down over Hanoi. I realize that every thing in life has a slant and that everything is propaganda to a certain extent. However, this was so extreme that I was in shock.
This message was sent to the POWs by Ho Chi Minh and they were forced to translate several copies of it. All of the photographs of the POWs were taken from an angle where if you looked close enough you could tell on the other side of their face they had been severely beaten. You could also tell that many of the photos were staged and the soldiers were forced to smile and act a certain way. Under the photos, the captions all praised how humane and supportive the Viet Cong were with the POWs.
At one point, several Americans from my tour group and from a couple others gathered around to watch the video that was playing about the POWs. The captions said things about how the POWs were able to raise chickens and learn tasks that even small Vietnamese children already know. It talked about how much fun the soldiers had together and how they were able to spend so much time celebrating American holidays. As we all stood there, we were in disbelief at the blatant lies, so we started whispering and shaking our heads. Suddenly, the video inexplicably when off and would not come back on. I felt certain that we were being watched. I've never had such a strange big brother feeling in my life.
Above is John McCain's flight suit that was taken from him after his plane was shot down.
These were some of the cells where the soldiers were locked. I can only imagine how bleak their life was in there.
I didn't realize it at the time, but we visited the Hanoi Hilton on Memorial Day and I have to say, I felt an overwhelming pride at being the wife of a soldier and at the willingness our troops have to fight for freedom, for each other, for their families and for others to have the chance at freedom. The propaganda at the prison denied that any U.S. soldiers died there, but, in fact, 22 soldiers were buried in the courtyard and later their bodies were sent home. Visiting this place reminded me that there is always a price for freedom. We did not win the Vietnam war and it is evidenced all over Vietnam in many ways, abject poverty, blatant government controls and propaganda on every corner, poor health care, etc. While democracy may not be perfect, coming to this communist country reminded me of how much better our lives are because our soldiers fight to defend an ideal that truly gives us choices and opportunities that wouldn't exist otherwise. I was so thankful to have the experience of seeing this place and remembering the sacrifices.
Finally, right before leaving for home on a midnight flight, we went to see a traditional water puppet show. It was interesting and I'm glad that I got to see it once in my life, but the singing was a little shrill and whiny for my tastes--so I probably won't frequent these things.
We flew out of Vietnam in the middle of the night and returned to South Korea early the next morning. It was an amazing trip and it reminded me of why traveling the world is one of my greatest passions in life. The more I see the more I want to see and the more I want to experience. Life is beautiful in all the corners of the world.
1 comment:
Very cool and brave of you to go without Brian. I like your hair too, it looks good on you.
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