Vignettes of the World
On this final day in Hue, I decided to take a look at some special sites in the city. An easy stroll around the city would do for me. The An Dinh Palace You can’t miss the luxury and the preoccupation with all things western …
The breakfast at the Melody Hostel was something that I looked forward to every morning. The lady that cooked breakfast and managed the Hostel was Ling. She has two children. She showed me the photographs from their family vacations. I gathered from the photographs that …
A young Vietnamese woman came to pick me up in her motorbike. She had nice long flowy hair, perfect skin and a round face that said friendliness all over. She also spoke perfect English. I liked her immediately. Mandy was my guide for the day. …
I like visiting the local wet markets of Vietnam. The colors and smells of fresh produce in the markets are always so stimulating. Busy scenes of vendors selling food to morning shoppers are the best show of Vietnam’s vibrant street life. So on this free …
The tour at the DMZ brought me to a place in a time long past. In the decades since, Vietnam has made great strides from the traumas of the American War. That also came with the serious and mutual efforts with the United States to …
I asked Mr. T what he thinks of America. “We have no problem with the American people. We don’t like the U.S. government.” At some point, I asked also what he thought of China. “We have no problem with the Chinese people. We don’t like …
Cau Dakrong The Dakrong Bridge (Cau Dakrong), lies at the midway on Route 9. It also marks the beginning of Highway 15. During the American War, the Dakrong Bridge was a hotly-contested spot, being the access point of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (more below). …
There were a few times in our conversations that Mr. T warned me of what I see on-site at the DMZ. “These are one-sided stories,” he said a few times. He grew up in the south, and he has known the country’s narrative before North …
I guess people in Asia tend to think that those who speak fair English are from Singapore. Despite my initial introduction, Mr. T mistook me for a Singaporean a few times in our conversation. Although I did not insist on this point, I said that …
Bright and early at 8am I was ready for the day. I would be meeting Mr. T, an ARVN veteran of Vietnam War that will be leading me on a one-day tour at the DMZ (the Demilitarized Zone). The trip to the DMZ was the …