Vietnam: Ha Long Bay and Hue, February 23rd-27th

After several heavy hearted days in Hanoi, we graciously accepted the opportunity to enjoy the stunning scenery of Vietnam. After a four hour drive through the rice paddies and luscious green countryside of Vietnam, we arrived at Ha Long Bay. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay features thousands of limestone karst mountains emerging from the calm water. Our group didn't know much about the natural phenomenon, other than a cameo in an old James Bond movie. However, our three hour boat cruise provided superb boat spotting, a tour of a permanent fishing village in the water and a stop to explore million year old caves. Scientists claim the process of evolution created the hollowed out caves of stalagmites and stalagtites, while the Vietnamese believe the gods sent a family of dragons to defend the land from the invading Chinese and the caves were only remnants of their destruction. Even the nerdy science girl in me couldn't resist a good dragon story :)  Following the cave tours, the captain of our boat doubled as the chef and whipped up a scrumptious Vietnamese meal filled with spring rolls, pineapple, fried rice and shrimp.  The perfect outing could only be completed with an impromptu shopping session, as a woman from another boat appeared with boxes of fresh water pearl jewelry and postcards for sale.  Got to love an unexpected shopping moment!  Even with a four hour drive back, the sensory overload outside the window never got boring.  I don't know if there is much better than passing a motor scooter on the highway that is somehow balancing twenty ducks on the back. With a few pottery and weaving studio stops, we arrived back late at our hotel and hit the pillows!

After a incredibly successful school morning and a stop at Vietnam's version of a fast food restaurant, Pho 24, we headed to the airport.  We landed late at the Hue Airport, an old American air base used in the Vietnam War.  Hue was not only the capitol city of Vietnam under the Nguyen dynasty from 1802-1945, but also an important location during the deadly 1968 Tet Offensive Battles.  Our guide Thin picked us up the following morning for a full day of sight seeing.  Our first stop was at the Imperial City, a walled fortress and palace during the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty.  Surrounded by twenty meter thick walls, the Imperial City housed the Purple Forbidden City for Nguyen emperor's and their hundreds of concubines.  Unfortunately, both American and Viet Cong bombs destroyed over 60% of this enormous site and what remains shows the evidence of the war through thousands of bullet holes.  The only building that remained completely in tact from the war was the Emperor's library and spectacular theater.  The power of the arts and education....Although the site magnificent, the words and knowledge from our guide truly made this experience come to life. 

We journeyed through the relatively orderly (compared to Hanoi) streets of Hue before we arrived at the Pagoda of the Heavenly Lady.  The most famous Vietnamese pagoda, the Heavenly Lady is home to the famous 1963 Buddhist monk who lit himself on fire on the streets of Saigon in protest.  Many from that time will know the photograph, as it generated immense emotional response as one could see his frail body enveloped in flames.  I had learned his actions were to protest the war, yet in actuality he was protesting the religious persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese President Diem.  Within the pagoda grounds, several pictures and belongings of the monk remain, including the blue car in the background of the famous picture. 

Following our tour of the pagoda, we ventured down to the Perfume River for a dragon boat ride.  The leisurelly stroll down the river provided views of family temples, cemeteries and many Vietnamese farming the beautiful land on the river banks.  Our boat tour concluded at the steps of Emperor Minh Mang's enormous tomb.  Built by his first son, this tomb consists of forty separate temples, thirty stone protective statues and sixty word carved stones with the emperor's favorite poems and words of wisdom! We returned to the hotel for an afternoon swim and a search for Vietnam fiction and nonfiction novels to continue my fascination and never ending desire knowledge on the history leading up to and during the Vietnam/American War.  Our night ended with a superb six course Vietnamese  meal, highlighted by the appetizer spring roll course designed in the shape of a peacock! Between devouring the peacock and my new found obsession with Vietnam's version of Two Buck Chuck wine (Dalat) the dinner was a definite highlight. 

For day two in Hue, we headed out for a little bit of a road trip.  Travelling along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a complex set of foot and bike trails within the jungle used by the Viet Cong to transport people and war supplies, we passed multiple war cemeteries some with over 20,000 soldiers.  We reached the Khe San Air Base, the sight of a gruesome decoy battle in 1968 just days before the Tet Offensive.  The landing strips remain, as do several remnants of bombs, bunkers, a massive Chinook helicopter and a present day museum.  This moment began my two facial expressions for the majority of the day--my mouth open at the gruesome nature of pictures and stories told from the other side, or trying to brush away the unwanted tears that seemed to find their way to me today.  We left the air base to head towards the old DMZ at the 17th parallel.  Along the way, we passed the cleverly named Rock Pile, a large pile of rocks the Americans used to protectively watch the DMZ.  All that remains today at the 17th parallel is a small bamboo bridge over the natural boundary of the Ben Hai River with accompanying loud speakers used by both the North and the South.

We made our final stop at the Vinh Moc tunnels, a complex underground tunnel system built by the villagers to protect themselves from the American bombs.  Built in 1965, the tunnel complex measures of 2000 meters long with six entrances, a kitchen and rooms up to 30 meters below ground supplying "housing" for 60 families.  The tunnels are now open for tourists to walk through to experience the life of a Vinh Moc at that time.  Megan and the kids opted out immediately, as the small spaces with no ventilation did not appeal to them.  However, Tim and I walked through the pitch black tunnel system, amazed by the engineering and survival methods of this group of people.  I experienced quite a scare, for at one point I could hear loud, running footsteps approaching Tim and I in the bitch black.  My instincts kicked in and I stepped inside one of the family bunkers, scared as shit.  We laughed about it later, yet awful images and thoughts were going through my mind as it happened!

The journey home provided picturesque views of canoes with paddlers in conical hats traveling through rivers with rolling green hills in the background, untouched by the Vietnam War.  Such a beautiful country..