Vietnam 2023
As many of you know, we took a 21 day tour of Vietnam in December. Many thanks to belinda ridgewood and Chrislove who subbed for me during that time, and all who contributed. Before leaving I described some of the planning and expectations here. The trip was wonderful and exceeded expectations. Our group of 16 was, well, interesting, and we got along well. In any group of that size, there are, of course, quite a variety of personalities. Best companion was our daughter, who was so helpful to her aging parents. Though she is well-traveled, this was her first guided tour, and she loved it.
My bent back/spinal problems are my reality, so for the first time I requested wheelchair assistance in all airports. This was a godsend in many ways, especially boarding early, and Mrs. side pocket and our daughter were always accompanying me. My advice: if you need it, request it.
Our tour guide, Yo, was genius-level, very funny, patient, and taught us Vietnam history (and tried to teach us language, which was pretty much a failure). I should mention most of us were in our late 60s to mid-8os, not a prime age for memorization. Historically China invaded Vietnam 22 times through the years, then the French took over, then we came, plus incursions by Cambodia and others. They now highly value their relationship with the USA. Always wary of China.
It is a Communist country but, as Yo explained, it manifests mostly in a “party glass ceiling” for advancement. You can only go so high unless you are a party member. But...the two hospital visits folks on our group required cost $7 each.
My peak experience was on our ship on Halong Bay. Near sunset most of our tour departed on a smaller boat to see a cave and monkeys. We were alone on the deck for sunset. Priceless.
Hanoi has a population of 8 million, and, as Yo claimed, 6 million motorbikes. The streets are solid with them, you can hardly believe, and to cross any street the procedure, as we were taught, was to step off the curb and walk at a measured pace, never speeding up nor slowing down, and not making eye contact. The traffic flows around you. The French built wide sidewalks, but now they are very difficult to navigate:
Folks pretty much live on the street; the temperatures were warm and delightful. If your dwelling has frontage you will be engaged in some sort of commerce. More types of fruit than I knew existed.
We made pottery at one place, made our own spring rolls from scratch (and ate them!), interviewed folks who had fought for both sides, in their homes, and even made rice paper, in a village where that was the main industry.
She also was able to ride a water buffalo; what a trouper:
Near the end of the trip, in Saigon, we went out on our own and found a delightful French restaurant. We had salads and fine wine, while we heard Feliz Navidad playing in a Buddhist country. What a world.