Odyssey 2000 Reports

By Larry and Joan Dolinski

VIETNAM

Kristie's flight went off smoothly but the other plane was ill fated, attempting to take off from a runway closed for repairs. That plane hit some heavy construction equipment and was destroyed; a large number of passengers (around 82) were killed. Kristie does not know the fate of the passenger she had engaged in conversation.

Hue was next. We traveled there from Hanoi by overnight train. It was the bumpiest and noisiest train ride we ever remember experiencing. Hue was the imperial center of Vietnam and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There, we visited the Citadel, a moated Imperial enclosure, which contains, among other items of interest "The Forbidden Purple City" which was reserved for the private life of the emperor. Much of the Citadel was destroyed in the "American War". Hue was the site of the bloodiest battles of the 1968 Tet Offensive and is the only city in South Vietnam to be held by the communists for more than a few days. Three thousand civilians were hunted down and shot or clubbed to death and sometimes buried alive by the Communists when they held the city. One of our riders was a marine infantry medic in the battle. He saw very many of his comrades killed trying to remove the SRV flag from a key monument. To see that flag again flying there gave him a sickening feeling.

We took another all night train from Hue to Nha Trang. This trip took us along the coast from where the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea meet, then along the coast of the South China Sea. Nha Trang is one of the many wonderful seaside resort communities in Vietnam. It includes beautiful sandy stretches of beach, thatched roofed shade structures, and coconut trees.

For a short spell we moved from the coastal plain up to Da Lat in the Central Highlands. Da Lat is considered to be one of the most delightful cities in Vietnam. It was once called Le Petit Paris and even has a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower. It is said to be Vietnam's most popular honeymoon spot. The best of our sightseeing there turned out to be the Royal Summer Palace where Vietnam's last emperor (Bao Dai) and his family lived. His reign ended in 1954 while living in exile in France.

A day out of Da Lat found us back on the coastal plain in a fishing village called Phan Thiet. In the harbor was the largest and most colorful fishing fleet we have ever seen. Fishermen and their families were emptying their catches there and repairing nets. We were all captivated by the "salty" charm of the place and believe we captured some great photos.

Finally we reached Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest metropolis. After bicycling most of the day we were mercifully transported by bus during the last leg of the journey. The traffic chaos was no less than a nightmare. We all gazed from the bus windows in disbelief, saying "This cannot be real." We thought we had seen the worst during our previous days in China and Vietnam. We were wrong. Since most of the vehicles are of the two-wheel variety, one can only speculate with dread what it will be like if the standard of living ever allows ordinary citizens to own automobiles.

We got to visit the former site of the infamous American Embassy where the last helicopter was filmed leaving Saigon at the moment of collapse of the South Vietnam Government.

More moving was our visit to the Reunification Palace. It was once the symbol of the South Vietnamese Government and is preserved as it was on that day in April 1975 when the Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist. The first Communist tanks arrived on the morning of April 30 1975, and crashed through the wrought iron gate.

Continued on Update #56