Vietnam

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh city (formerly known as Saigon) we visited the History Museum which documents the evolution of Vietnam's various cultures which was very interesting. We then watched a water puppet performance which dates back to the 11th century. The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers to control them. Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water. It was fun and very different. Apparently when the rice fields would flood, the villagers would entertain each other using this form of puppet play. Ho Chi Minh is much more cosmopolitan than the rest of the country, with 5-star hotels and very expensive shops and lovely parks. The sidewalks and streets are full of people and vendors selling and making all sorts of things. The two very first impressions one gets is the tremendous heat and humidity - perspiration literally drips off one. The second is the number of motorcycles (4 million of them ! The average cost of a motorcycle is $3000 so a relatively cheap means of transport). It's very common to see a family of 4 on one bike. They wear smog masks over their mouths, usually wear sunglasses and then their helmets - very strange when first seen. We had been warned about trying to cross a road among the sea of motorcylists. It's really
one of those things which you have to experience to understand. As mentioned, there are 4 million motorcylces in Saigon and one sees very few cars and buses. There are very few traffic lights so the key to cross a road is to walk slowly and consistently so the motorcycles can weave
around you. Quite a hair-raising experience at first. There are literally thousands of tailors who can make a made-to-measure outfit in 24 hours or less. One of our staff members here had her silk wedding dress made within a 24 hour period. I had a dress made but was slightly aghast when being measured to be told I was "XL" size. However the fully lined dress is great and cost $25.

We spent the following day in the Mekong Delta which is the region in Southeast Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of tributaries. The canal network was built for the cultivation of rice, fish, soybeans, maize, peanuts and tobacco. It was a very interesting 2-hour drive and having been taken to the other side of the river by boat we visited a traditional farmer's home and fruit orchard where we sampled some of the exotic tropical fruits. We were then taken for a ride in a wooden canoe - not much in the way of birdlife but a fun ride.

Many faculty and students flew to Cambodia where they visited the Killing Fields and saw the mass graves of more than 17000 men, women and children. Their only crime being that they were educated. Photographs of these genocidal events line the walls of former school rooms. All
very gruesome and depressing. We visited the War Atrocities Museum where there were tanks, helicopters, planes and arms on display. It is certainly not for the feint hearted. The full horrors of armed conflict are there on the walls for everyone to see. I don't think any of us were aware as to just how barbaric it actually was. Agent Orange was the nickname given to the herbicide used by the Americans to clear the forestation that provided cover to the the Viet Cong fighters. Containing Dioxin, one of the the deadliest chemicals known to man, the herbicide caused untold suffering to the hundreds of thousands of people that came into contact with it. Nearly 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed on North Vietnam during the conflict. Many died of cancer, many were born with deformities. Really horrific!

We visited several excellent restaurants. Vietnamese food is bland in comparison to Thai and Indian food. The first restaurant we visited was on the 14th floor of a hotel which gave us a wonderful view of the city. When our meal arrived the waitress demonstrated how we should eat - e.g. firstly place lettuce onto a sheet of rice paper, followed by the noodles, followed by the meat or fish. This is then wrapped up and ends up looking like a spring roll. Finally one can dip this into various sauces (soy etc.)

Our visit to Vietnam was certainly incredibly interesting. We were just amazed at what a modern prosperous city Saigon is. There are new buildings, enormous new bridges all being erected everywhere. It is a very clean city despite the number of people. We didn't see any beggars and everyone was friendly and helpful. When we first arrived there were traditional Vietnamese dressed ladies dancing for us holding a large banner welcoming "Semester at Sea".


Modern electricity distribution ?















Gus & 2 waitresses














Vietnamese Street Vendor