February 5, 2015
Today we leave Hanoi and head for Ha Long Bay, which is located off the northern coast of Vietnam. We’ll spend the night on a junk. The two-hour bus ride gave us a sense of the surrounding country side. It is very dry and dusty – Monsoon starts in about two months. The road conditions are horrible. The closest things I can compare it to are the California roads, but a factor of ten worse.
Our tour guide spent the travel time entertaining us with history, facts, and personal experiences – I would add that much of it is anecdotal. Some facts: Hanoi has a population of 9 million; there are 4.5 million scooters/mopeds in the city; literacy is 97%; 60% of the population is under 40 years old. During the Vietnam War, the US dropped about 20 million gallons of Agent Orange on the country, to kill vegetation and eliminate hiding places for the Viet Cong. As we all learned afterwards, this chemical is highly toxic. Some of our own military personnel were exposed and suffered many illnesses including cancer. It killed or maimed 100’s of thousands of Vietnamese resulting in birth defects and developmental problems in the next generation. Many nations are supporting aid centers to help the victims and families by provide housing, food, medical treatment, and training. Interestingly, they make a point of reminding us that while the US is providing financial aid, the USA has never acknowledged any responsibility. We stopped at one of these centers and had a chance to see them at work creating paintings, stone carvings, clothing, etc. Beautiful!
The bus ride gave me an opportunity to reflect on what I’ve seen and experienced so far. First, you feel an energy, excitement, and rhythm that is both fast-moving yet smooth – like a dance. Second, the government has defined and teaches the history of the country to serve the needs of today’s socialist/communist government. Basically they’ve rewritten history and suppressed what really happened. As our guides talk, they are constantly checking to see if someone might be listening. The official story is one of a unified people who had been separated into a north and south by outside influences. No mention is made of Vietnamese killing other Vietnamese. Our guide learned the truth when he traveled to Washington DC for a symposium on the War. His story is too long and emotional to write about in this blog – we can talk about it when we get back. Third, there is an undercurrent of fear of the Chinese – their historical enemy. There are two faces of Vietnam – one plays nice to China for economic benefits and the hope they don’t suddenly turn on them. The other is fear, dislike and a desire to distance themselves. It reminds me very much of a bully with kids ‘running’ with him. These kids value the bully’s protection, play to gain his favor, while hoping he doesn’t suddenly turn on them. Vietnam is and has been for centuries, in survival mode, adjusting as necessary to live. Recent aggressive behavior by the Chinese have caused Vietnam to implement mandatory military service for every male – 18-28 years old – starting this year. A dramatic increase in the size of the military. A key component in this renewed level of self-confidence, is last year’s decision by the US to lift the arms embargo. Prior to that, they had no alternative but to purchase weapons [only selected weapons were allowed to be acquired] from Russia and China. It’s SO comforting to know that the US maintains its position of being the top weapons supplier in the world. Hey, why not? We freely sell weapons to any of our citizens to protect themselves and kill other citizens….protection from what? Part of this military buildup included the purchase of 6 submarines from Russia. They just celebrated taking delivery of the 3rd submarine last month. They want to thwart China’s attempt at grabbing the sea off their coast. Enough soap box rhetoric.
Ha Long Bay’s garden of islands
On to Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is a beautiful ‘garden’ of over 1900 islands jutting out of the bay. Only two of the islands are inhabited. They served as great hiding places for revolutionaries and bandits over the centuries. It has a mystical aura. Regional mythology attributes the islands to being created by a dragon spitting out pearls into the bay, which then turned into these islands. Geology describes the islands as being created by a dry sea bed and shifting plates.
After getting under way, we stopped at one of the islands and explored the Hang Dau Go cave. The islands are primarily limestone, so the caves and formations in the caves are quite different from what we would find in our US caves.
Our little ship, or Junk, was different from the junks we’ve all seen in movies. While the sails look like junk sails, they are primarily decorative. The good news is that rooms are very comfortable, with running water and power….and even more importantly, without the usual rats found in the old traditional junks. Yeah to the new junks!
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