Fascinating and saddening. Thank you for this post Nancy. I was a young (British) man in this era so the only 'effect' it had on me was the news. France got kicked out of 'Indo-China' after having been mauled by these otherwise friendly and peaceful people - who were in effect, defending their home against foreign oppressors. It put me in mind of the World War I in Europe, where a bunch of power-hungry (very) wealthy people sacrificed almost an entire generation to death in the name of national pride.
Thank you for the description of the area - fascinating but also somewhat saddening when I think back to the news of the times. My uncle was in the USAF and was sent there (invalided out with a terrible infection of the brain) and had made arrangements with my parents to send his son to live with us if his draft came up.
Hi Nancy, you and I are close to the same age. I remember the propaganda fed to us continuously. My father was in the military and we lived in San Antonio and Wilford Hall Hospital was where they brought the wounded. We went there for Dr appts and it was horrifying to see the injuries of the men when they walked around the hospital for something to do. After i graduated college, I worked at the VA Hospital in the psych ward. Most were Vietnam Vets and it was horribly depressing. I also worked with the men exposed to agent orange who had cancers that ultimately killed them. (The government would never t admit that Agent Orange was the cause but at least they were treating some of them). I found the treatment of these people and the general lack of compassion on the part of the government to be disgusting and changed careers. That is when I started to doubt a lot of what the US government told Americans. My father was a staunch Republican and war hawk and he and I began to clash because he swallowed whatever the government said hook, line, and sinker. I remember being broken hearted that the country I believed as a child was “good” was capable of sending its young men off to die knowing they would never win the war they were fighting. After that, I have never felt the same about America.
Reading your article today brought back so many memories of those poor people and the heartbreak that war caused so many Americans. I hope one day to be able to travel there. In the meantime I truly appreciate your descriptions of the places you visited.
I was there, a medic, and I find this a strange post to read, but history needs to be told lest we forget. I live in an unusual county in Colorado now. They built a prison here in 1871, before Colorado became a state, a part of the “western territories.” Because most people don’t want to live near a prison, Cañon City was the logical place to build another when it became necessary. NIMBY created economic opportunities as the Prison Industrial Complex expanded across America. So they build another … and another. Now we have 10 (down from a peak of 14) plus a museum. I have worked in the medical departments of most of them, at one time or another. They are sad places, to say the least, but I feel the saddest in the museum. It seems like such a strange place to visit, but then the U.S. incarcerates more people than any “free” nation. About 2 million people are incarcerated in our violent country, a 500% increase from 40 years ago.There are only about 12,000 people in Portuguese jails in a country 1/32 the population size of the USA. What a difference. To feel safe is priceless. And PLEASE — don’t anyone thank me for my “service”.
Hi Nancy, a couple of years ago I was working in HMC and asked one of the team about the dual names. She said old people still use the name Saigon the young call it Ho Chi Minh City. I was very disappointed with the national art gallery; lovely building, no air conditioning to preserve the work. An American gallery owner told me that they don't really appreciate their arts history. I did greatly enjoy and make use of the wonderful temples, particularly to unwind after a day negotiating the traffic.
We were told if we wanted to make the locals smile to refer to it as Saigon. Regarding the art museum...I had read on TripAdvisor about the poor condition of the building, lack of a/c, etc. While we were there they were in the midst of a major renovation. Some galleries now had a/c, better lighting, etc. The building still has a way to go, but progress is underway.
Jim, your comments are the same as mine. I did a lot of Google searches as to why Russia is not considered communist. The bottom line is it is NOT a republic (despite the online suggestions) but instead a dictatorship. Hopefully, one that like all others will eventually fall.
North Korea isn't really a communist country either, but rather a semi-monarchic dictatorship-- after Kim Il Sung (who was a Marxist/Leninist/Stalinist, the nation has become a semi-monarchical dictatorship funded by state-sponsored corruption.
Fascinating and saddening. Thank you for this post Nancy. I was a young (British) man in this era so the only 'effect' it had on me was the news. France got kicked out of 'Indo-China' after having been mauled by these otherwise friendly and peaceful people - who were in effect, defending their home against foreign oppressors. It put me in mind of the World War I in Europe, where a bunch of power-hungry (very) wealthy people sacrificed almost an entire generation to death in the name of national pride.
Will we ever learn?
Thank you for the description of the area - fascinating but also somewhat saddening when I think back to the news of the times. My uncle was in the USAF and was sent there (invalided out with a terrible infection of the brain) and had made arrangements with my parents to send his son to live with us if his draft came up.
And what exactly is it to us in which way other countries decide to govern themselves? When will we learn not to police the world?
The next time you see/talk with Joyce & Karen, be sure to ask Joyce about her experience in the tunnels when we visited there in 2014!
Hi Nancy, you and I are close to the same age. I remember the propaganda fed to us continuously. My father was in the military and we lived in San Antonio and Wilford Hall Hospital was where they brought the wounded. We went there for Dr appts and it was horrifying to see the injuries of the men when they walked around the hospital for something to do. After i graduated college, I worked at the VA Hospital in the psych ward. Most were Vietnam Vets and it was horribly depressing. I also worked with the men exposed to agent orange who had cancers that ultimately killed them. (The government would never t admit that Agent Orange was the cause but at least they were treating some of them). I found the treatment of these people and the general lack of compassion on the part of the government to be disgusting and changed careers. That is when I started to doubt a lot of what the US government told Americans. My father was a staunch Republican and war hawk and he and I began to clash because he swallowed whatever the government said hook, line, and sinker. I remember being broken hearted that the country I believed as a child was “good” was capable of sending its young men off to die knowing they would never win the war they were fighting. After that, I have never felt the same about America.
Reading your article today brought back so many memories of those poor people and the heartbreak that war caused so many Americans. I hope one day to be able to travel there. In the meantime I truly appreciate your descriptions of the places you visited.
Thanks for sharing
I was there, a medic, and I find this a strange post to read, but history needs to be told lest we forget. I live in an unusual county in Colorado now. They built a prison here in 1871, before Colorado became a state, a part of the “western territories.” Because most people don’t want to live near a prison, Cañon City was the logical place to build another when it became necessary. NIMBY created economic opportunities as the Prison Industrial Complex expanded across America. So they build another … and another. Now we have 10 (down from a peak of 14) plus a museum. I have worked in the medical departments of most of them, at one time or another. They are sad places, to say the least, but I feel the saddest in the museum. It seems like such a strange place to visit, but then the U.S. incarcerates more people than any “free” nation. About 2 million people are incarcerated in our violent country, a 500% increase from 40 years ago.There are only about 12,000 people in Portuguese jails in a country 1/32 the population size of the USA. What a difference. To feel safe is priceless. And PLEASE — don’t anyone thank me for my “service”.
Dante thank you for sharing. Oddly enough Denise worked as a nurse once in a Colorado prison and then again in a PA jail.
Again proving the world is smaller than we think and our connections, though invisible, are real. Happy Trails!
Hi Nancy, a couple of years ago I was working in HMC and asked one of the team about the dual names. She said old people still use the name Saigon the young call it Ho Chi Minh City. I was very disappointed with the national art gallery; lovely building, no air conditioning to preserve the work. An American gallery owner told me that they don't really appreciate their arts history. I did greatly enjoy and make use of the wonderful temples, particularly to unwind after a day negotiating the traffic.
We were told if we wanted to make the locals smile to refer to it as Saigon. Regarding the art museum...I had read on TripAdvisor about the poor condition of the building, lack of a/c, etc. While we were there they were in the midst of a major renovation. Some galleries now had a/c, better lighting, etc. The building still has a way to go, but progress is underway.
"five communist countries" - in addition to Russia, or doesn't that count as communist anymore?
Jim, your comments are the same as mine. I did a lot of Google searches as to why Russia is not considered communist. The bottom line is it is NOT a republic (despite the online suggestions) but instead a dictatorship. Hopefully, one that like all others will eventually fall.
North Korea isn't really a communist country either, but rather a semi-monarchic dictatorship-- after Kim Il Sung (who was a Marxist/Leninist/Stalinist, the nation has become a semi-monarchical dictatorship funded by state-sponsored corruption.
Frances, I agree. All if our guides said there are 5 communist countries. And Google says the same thing. To me, like Russia, it is a dictatorship