Flying to Vietnam with the family tomorrow

[Bodhisattva]

Going to spend almost a month in Vietman (including a two-day layover in Dubai on the way back). This trip will serve many purposes. It's a graduation trip for Lily. My MIL will be going back to visit for the first time since she immigrated here. This will probably be her last visit home. And, while there, Lan and I will celebrate our 19th anniversary, so it will kind of be our second honeymoon (actually our first since we didn't take one after our wedding).

We will fly from Orlando to Dubai to Saigon (won't call it Ho Chi Minh City). MIL will stay there for the duration and visit with her friends. After a couple of days we will fly to Hanoi, visit various areas of the north, and then start working our way south back to Saigon.

We are taking four large suitcases full of medicine and related supplies. We are hoping only half of this is stolen by airport officials. Based on experience, you need to take twice as much as you need.

See you guys at the end of June!

 

[catsbane]

Safe travels Bodhi. Have fun.

 

[Tideflyer]

Going to spend almost a month in Vietman (including a two-day layover in Dubai on the way back). This trip will serve many purposes. It's a graduation trip for Lily. My MIL will be going back to visit for the first time since she immigrated here. This will probably be her last visit home. And, while there, Lan and I will celebrate our 19th anniversary, so it will kind of be our second honeymoon (actually our first since we didn't take one after our wedding).

We will fly from Orlando to Dubai to Saigon (won't call it Ho Chi Minh City). MIL will stay there for the duration and visit with her friends. After a couple of days we will fly to Hanoi, visit various areas of the north, and then start working our way south back to Saigon.

We are taking four large suitcases full of medicine and related supplies. We are hoping only half of this is stolen by airport officials. Based on experience, you need to take twice as much as you need.

See you guys at the end of June!

Don`t know your age, Bodhi, but were you there in " less pleasant times " ?

 

[Bodhisattva]

Don`t know your age, Bodhi, but were you there in " less pleasant times " ?

This will be my first trip. I'm 54, so the war was far before my formative years. My wife is the same age, and she grew up right in the teeth of the communist invasion. Her dad, an ARVN officer, was captured in 1975 and spent 12 years in the re-education (concentration) camps. Her mom was also frequently arrested just because. So, Lan, as a small child, had to raise her younger siblings much of the time. As an "enemy of the state," Lan was not allowed to go to university, so on their second attempt, she and her siblings were able to escape to Thailand. After two years in refugee camps, they were allowed to immigrate to the US. From her experience, she loathes big government, loves America, has pursued a career (CRNA) that has allowed her to help others (medical missions), and has contributed a small fortune to charitable efforts to help those in need.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

This will be my first trip. I'm 54, so the war was far before my formative years. My wife is the same age, and she grew up right in the teeth of the communist invasion. Her dad, an ARVN officer, was captured in 1975 and spent 12 years in the re-education (concentration) camps. Her mom was also frequently arrested just because. So, Lan, as a small child, had to raise her younger siblings much of the time. As an "enemy of the state," Lan was not allowed to go to university, so on their second attempt, she and her siblings were able to escape to Thailand. After two years in refugee camps, they were allowed to immigrate to the US. From her experience, she loathes big government, loves America, has pursued a career (CRNA) that has allowed her to help others (medical missions), and has contributed a small fortune to charitable efforts to help those in need.

That is a true immigrant success story, and we are blessed to have Lan here. I wish more of our native-born citizens would demonstrate the same love for America that Lan, as an immigrant, has.

 

[Bodhisattva]

That is a true immigrant success story, and we are blessed to have Lan here. I wish more of our native-born citizens would demonstrate the same love for America that Lan, as an immigrant, has.

Much appreciation! My wife's (and many other's) story - going from being extremely poor in a communist hell hole to a wealthy American - is what happens when people are allowed to rise to the level of their merit. And even once she emigrated here, success took longer than it should have due to over taxation and the actions of leftist racists that severely set back Lan's career trajectory.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Long overdue posting some pictures from our trip for anyone interested.

We flew from Orlando to Dubai (about 15.5 hours) and then to Saigon (about 7 hours).





We landed in Saigon late at night. We were met by several of Lan's friends and former classmates, and they took us to meet other friends who reserved a table at a popular pho (beef noodle soup) restaurant. Lan and her mom (and, by extension, Lily and me) were doted on while we were in Saigon (the beginning and ending of our trip). It was incredible to see how much Lan and her mom are respected and loved.



Whenever we travel, we try to stay in local hotels. I don't really like to rough it with the accommodations. I have to have decent air conditioning and certainly prefer to have hot showers. But I don't want to be removed from the locals. This hotel is in the neighborhood where Lan grew up. It's a few blocks from her old house and the residences of all her friends who are still in Saigon.




And so the challenge shall begin. The heat, humidity, jet lag, and sleeping in beds not my own versus the desire to get up early, stay out late, visit with everyone, sample every type of food, and see all the sites across this beautiful country.

 

[dtgreg]

Going to spend almost a month in Vietman (including a two-day layover in Dubai on the way back). This trip will serve many purposes. It's a graduation trip for Lily. My MIL will be going back to visit for the first time since she immigrated here. This will probably be her last visit home. And, while there, Lan and I will celebrate our 19th anniversary, so it will kind of be our second honeymoon (actually our first since we didn't take one after our wedding).

We will fly from Orlando to Dubai to Saigon (won't call it Ho Chi Minh City). MIL will stay there for the duration and visit with her friends. After a couple of days we will fly to Hanoi, visit various areas of the north, and then start working our way south back to Saigon.

We are taking four large suitcases full of medicine and related supplies. We are hoping only half of this is stolen by airport officials. Based on experience, you need to take twice as much as you need.

See you guys at the end of June!

Congratulations!

 

[4Q Basket Case]

You’re a better man than I am, Bhodi.

I’m not sure I could take a 22-hour (plus layovers) plane ride. All respect.

We’re blessed to have Lan as an American. She’s blessed to have you, as is Lily. And props to Lan’s mom for child rearing.

Well done all around!

I wish stories like your family’s would get more attention.

 

[Bodhisattva]

You’re a better man than I am, Bhodi.

I’m not sure I could take a 22-hour (plus layovers) plane ride. All respect.

We’re blessed to have Lan as an American. She’s blessed to have you, as is Lily. And props to Lan’s mom for child rearing.

Well done all around!

I wish stories like your family’s would get more attention.

Aww, thanks 4QBC. Traveling (especially in economy class) is not fun. But, I keep telling myself that I can endure anything for a day. We flew Emirates, so it was a little more comfortable than my experience flying United to Japan in the Spring. Still, I vow that on the next international trip, we'll budget for business class. Flying economy that long feels like I lost a street fight.

And thank you very much for the compliments on Lan. She is an amazing woman. I am thankful every day for her and the life we have together.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Jet lag is winning the early rounds of the fight. We are exhausted but can't stay asleep. Lan and I are awake at 3:00 a.m. and starving. LOL! Makes no sense. But Lan's friends gave us tons of food when we departed a few hours earlier. So, we start eating through the inventory of banh mi and che.

We leave the hotel at sunrise to walk through Lan's old neighborhood. It is freaking hot and humid in June. Stepping outside is like having a bucket of warm water thrown on you. It's like the Gulf Coast in August and then some.

We first visited the neighborhood cathedral.



And, because of the weather, every 60-90 minutes we would stop at one of the ubiquitous cute cafes in the city to cool off and hydrate. It became an enjoyable way to trek around the neighborhood.







Refreshed and back out pounding the pavement.

I'm not sure this is up to code. Um, is there a code?



Lan's elementary school. Nice prison architecture.



Over lunch we met Cui Mai Cong, a historian and investigative journalist - a rare and dangerous profession - who has been interested in Lan's family for years. Lan's late father is revered in the neighborhood. Everybody around our age knows who he was and what he endured at the hands of the communist government. And because of him Lan, her Mom, and her siblings had to endure a lot. Mr. Cong put a target on his back by publishing underground books critical of the government and about people like Lan's father. There is not much danger of prison time these days, but he still occasionally gets fined and has his books and research confiscated.

My wife gives a lot of money to charitable causes here, and Mr. Cong is one of the people on the ground to get the money/food/supplies to people in need. As I've mentioned before, you have to be careful about such activities. The government leaders today are less ideologues and more mafia. Their job is to loot whatever they can. We have to send money and items in small batches to various trusted people in hopes our generosity goes unnoticed by the government thugs. As appreciation for Mr. Cong's help these many years, we gifted him some things he can't easily (or economically) get here. We gave him a new laptop, thumb drives, a mini recorder, a printer, etc. He looked like a kid seeing gifts under the Christmas tree for the first time. I think we did good.

Mr. Cong catalogues history about this neighborhood and other places. He wrote an article for his paper about Lan's mom and our visit. Here is part of it. The translation to English is rough, but I think you'll get the idea.

Ms. Anh Hong, originally from Hue, 76 years old this year, wife of major commander Nguyen Trong Thin before 1975. Imprisoned more than 10 years. Tortured. He died in America for 17 years now, after months of struggling, woke up screaming, the relic of more than a decade in the reform camp. Successful children in America, love dad and miss mom so much. Daughter Lan is thousands of miles away but there is something good on the phone, urging her to come home.

 

[Padreruf]

Loving these posts and pics...keep them coming!!

 

[Bodhisattva]

Loving these posts and pics...keep them coming!!

Thanks, Padre. I'll try to post some pics and tell a little bit about the trip every evening. I took about 2500 pictures during the 3 1/2-week vacation. But I'm not a good photographer. It will take some time to sort through the inventory to find a few good pics. We traveled the length of the country. Lots of varied and amazing geography, food, and people. It was an exhaustingly awesome experience.

 

[Bazza]

Love the photos and commentary, Bodhi......just excellent!

Look forward to more when time allows......thank you!

 

[OakMtn4Bama]

Great stories. Glad you are safely home!

 

[Bodhisattva]

After the watching my wife's and MIL's emotional reunion with the journalist, we took a little break. We needed to anyway due to the heat. Soon enough we were back out exploring Saigon at night. Lan's gang of friends showed up on their scooters, and we went to see the nightlife of downtown.



The next day we visited nha tho Duc Ba and the Central Post Office. The church is unfortunately being renovated. I hope to be back in a few years and see it in its intended glory.



The post office has a lot of souvenir shops inside, but they are government run. So, we looked but did not spend any money here (wanting as much as possible to go to the people).



Of course, periodic refreshments are on the schedule.



Next to the coffee shop is Book Street, which is known for ... book shops.






Now it's getting to be lunch time, so we decided to go to the nearby upscale (excellently air conditioned!) Diamond Mall to cool off and get something to eat.







We then went to Bat Trang pottery shop. My wife has an obsession with gardening and vases and flowerpots. She found a couple of nice ones to buy.



We then met up with Lan's friend Kim Anh, and she surprised the girls by taking them to a dress shop and (over our objections) bought each an ao dai, a traditional Vietnamese dress.






Thank you, Kim Anh!

We shut it down a little early. We needed to go back to the hotel, pack up, and get ready to wake up very early for the 0600 flight to Hanoi to explore northern Vietnam.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Forgot to mention that the exchange rate is ridiculous. Your money goes very far here. More than 25,000 VND to 1 USD.



So, while I felt like Scrooge McDuck, each bill is less than $20. You could live like a king here on little more than $1000/month.

This leg of the trip is without my MIL. She is hanging out with her former neighbors. She will meet us later in central Vietnam.

We flew to Hanoi and took a tour van from the airport and headed into the mountains near the Chinese border. Our first day was spent in the town of Ha Giang.



Being in the mountains, the temperature was mild. It was very foggy, which made our trek through the mountains interesting, especially in the mornings. Once the fog cleared, we were treated to some beautiful views.





The next day we traveled to Dong Van and visited the minority Hmong people. Minorities are treated poorly by the government. Here the parents operate market stands and sell food and souvenirs. The children sell flowers or play music for tips. The children are very cute, but their forced reliance on tourists is upsetting.

I ended up giving a lot of money to the kids - as many as I had time to interact with.



Lily got her hair braided.






Traditional dresses for sale:



Typical kitchen of the Hmong people.



Brother and sister:



Beautiful people.

 

[Bodhisattva]

The next day we traveled from Dong Van to the peak of Ma Pi Leng Pass. It is again very foggy, and we can't see the valley.



Rock/mud slides are a constant threat on the narrow mountain roads.




We continue down the pass to the Nho Que River. It's the color of green mocha.






We get to the valley floor and take a boat ride on the river.










Beautiful country.

 

[gtowntide]

I’m glad your trip was nice. Mine was a lot different in 1968.

 

[Bodhisattva]

I’m glad your trip was nice. Mine was a lot different in 1968.

Where in VN were you? Have you been back since? I hope to be able to meet you one day and talk about your experiences. If my wife were able to meet you, she would sincerely and tearfully thank you for trying to save her country.