We toured Ha Noi for three days. I even mastered crossing the street without getting hit. You'd be astonished at how much stuff some bicyclists and motor bike drivers can carry on two wheels. Below is a photo of a flower vendor, on the way to the market:
I'd also like to share with you what our tour guide told us about the Viet Nam flag. You can see the yellow star on the red background. Each point of the star means something, and there is an order to it. The red is for blood shed during battles for independence. Yellow is a color of power. The points on the star represent:
- Intellectuals
- Farmers
- Workers
- Business People
- Army
We toured Hoa Lo, known as Hanoi Hilton, although nobody lives there now. It was built as a prison by the French. Only a small portion remains today as a museum. The Vietnamese government made a film for visitors about what it calls "The American War." This film specifically addressed the treatment of American pilots who were captured during the war. It claimed the pilots were treated very well and "fed chicken every day" as they sat around joking with each other and playing guitar. I feel an apology is due to our Viet Nam vets. Here is a creepy photo of the museum:
Probably the most distinctive thing I'll remember about Ha Noi is the overhead electrical wires. It's a tangled mess of a system. Apparently, whenever new service is needed, they just run another electrical wire overhead, because it's too difficult to figure out where the wires are supposed to go. We saw one wire lying in the street, with the tip exposed and burning a piece of asphalt.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub and Adam Weintraub
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Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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Thank you for sharing your interesting adventure!
Happy Holidays!
Some interesting pics and info Elizabeth. i have heard that a huge portion of the Vietnamese population is so young, they don't remember the war.
Elizabeth: That mess of wires is frightening. And I love the flower vendor on the bicycle. That's a very happy looking shot. As for the treatment of American pilots, that sounds like a fairytale. There are always two sides to every story, and the truth usually lies in the middle.
Hanoi is a very interesting place. I'm not sure if the tour guide told you that their government will celebrate next year as Hanoi turn 1000 years of being that capital of Vietnam
Elizabeth: First thing, welcome back!
My husband toured Vietnam about 10 years ago and came back with a similar observation on Vietnam's view of the war. His sensed that they were basically over it and had just moved on. He loved the french influence on the architecture, the motobikes, the kindness of the people. And, oh those wires - we noticed the same method of overhead (and underfoot) wires in Thailand.
Very interesting! I bet this is a trip you will never forget and will like you say have a different outlook and appreciation for the Vietnam Vets. I married one! He was not the same when he came back!
Hi Elizabeth... it is sad that the Vietnamese seem to have rewritten history to suit their purposes. The memories of the many lives lost there, on both sides, deserve better than that.
I've really enjoyed your photos and really your tales of your trip. The war "view point" is just a little disturbing.
Wonderful pictures Elizabeth! I can imagine you learned enough from this trip to last a lifetime! What I often think happens with a country's rewritten "history" is it gets changed to fit the political agendas of those currently in power! I recall seeing a documentary (wish I could remember the name). It provided insights of Americans and Vietnamese that had managed to patch up diplomatic ties after the war to at least speak with each other and gain perspective. Our side, said we went to Vietnam to fight communism. But the Vietnamese looked upon us as occupiers - afterall first the French came, than along came the Americans. They told our side during those talks that they would have never given up, because they were fighting for their land.
The US always claims it is fighting communism. But isn't it strange that so many of our corporations now export our jobs to China and other communist countries. If communism is the culprit, than what's up with that?
Elizabeth, thank you for sharing your experience! Wow! Isn't the Hanoi Hilton the prison that John McCain was held? The bicycle of flowers is beautful and yet, the mass of wiring above the housing is a very sore sight for the eyes. Truly amazing to see other countries.
Elizabeth, thank you for sharing your experience! Wow! Isn't the Hanoi Hilton the prison that John McCain was held? The bicycle of flowers is beautful and yet, the mass of wiring above the housing is a very sore sight for the eyes. Truly amazing to see other countries.
Hi Jeff: Yes, many of the Vietnamese are too young to remember the war. Although, I will say I found more sentiment for Americans in the south than in the north, but everybody in the country welcomed us.
Hi Myrl: I think that part of "fighting communism" involves protecting American corporate interests, maybe more so than fighting so-called evil forces. But that's what we are, a capitalistic country. I find it interesting that Viet Nam is as well on an economic level.
Hi Cheryl: Yup, John McCain was imprisoned in Ha Noi Hilton. They have an autographed photograph of him on the wall and his flight suit is on display.
The bicycle loaded with flowers is beautiful---those electrical wires are the opposite.
Creepy is the word for that museum shot. An interesting trio of photos, there!
Elizabeth -
I followed your link from Yellowstone.
I would love to follow you to Vietnam. I'd be delighted to see more of the country than I was able to see in my long ago year there.
We should not have been in Vietnam. Once there we should have insisted that the South Vietnamese government be one worth fighting and dying for. We did not.
I loved many of the South Vietnamese I met. I didn't love their government.
Of course, the Vietnamese call it the American War.
I suppose a lot of Americans think the Mexicans call our 1848 our invasion of their country The Mexican War. But they don't.