Today we say good bye to Vietnam

 

The lotus flower seen everywhere in Vietnam.

We took an over night flight from Vietnam to Australia.  It took 9 hours but the good news is we slept most of the way.  We’ll leave for New Zealand tomorrow.

Just one more comment about visiting a communist country; there is NO free press in Vietnam.  All news is censored.  You are told what the communist party wants you to hear.  If the party doesn’t agree with what journalists write, the news outlet will be closed for good.  I wouldn’t have even felt comfortable making these comments while in Vietnam but since I’m thousands of miles away I can say what I want.  

Freedom is good!  

The Vietnam War

 

If you want to feel hugely conflicted visit the Vietnam War Museum here in Vietnam.  In the 1960’s South Vietnam was fighting communism in the North.  The US entered the war to help them push communism out.  After 8 long years of limited success, over 58,000 American lives lost (& over 3,000,000 Vietnamese) the US had had enough. We then packed up and left and soon after Vietnam became 100% communist.  

Even though Vietnam is still a communist country they have some limited, economic freedoms. They are now just happy there is no war going on….at the moment.

Mekong Delta

 

We spent the day on the Mekong Delta, which is on the southern tip of Vietnam.  This area is just above sea level and consists of rice paddy’s, rivers and small waterways.  Poor farmers and fishermen live here.  They sell rice, fish and fruit to floating markets on the main rivers.  We asked our guide if there were dangerous snakes in the waterways.  He said; “no, the people here eat the snakes.”  I said; “don’t they need the snakes to eat the rats?”  He said; “no, they eat the rats too.”  

The 2nd picture is Alan holding a bottle of their rice wine (with snake inside).  They believe the snake is for medical purposes and also makes you stronger. 

Asia is fascinating, the people are wonderful but…..

 

This is the 5th time I have traveled to Asia.  This area of the world is a wonderful, fascinating place.  But in my travel blog l like to share the good and the bad.  Pollution is a major issue here, as a person who cares deeply about the environment it’s troubling. The air quality in the major cities is very poor and I wouldn’t think of drinking the tap water.  60% of the worlds population lives in Asia so it’s a challenging issue.  When I respectfully ask people about it here in Saigon they seem indifferent. It’s hard to blame the ones who are poor and living day to day.  But…you have to have hope that their countries leaders will find the right path.

Family beliefs and traditions

 

Many people here put miniature pagodas in front of their homes.  They put small gifts in them (a piece of fruit or a flower) to invite good spirits and welcome their positive karma.  This little girl is adding incense to her family’s pagoda.

Vietnam / USA / China

 

Vietnam is bordered by China to the north.  There has been a trend lately of large communist countries attempting to take over smaller near by countries.  The Vietnamese are concerned that China may try to invade their country at some point.

The Vietnamese like America and they like Americans.  They also think it is wise to maintain a close friendship with the USA.  They believe (hope) that if China attempts to take over their country the US will step up and come to their aid.

If only we could all just live in peace ☮️ 

Lan Ha Bay

 

We took a boat to Lan Ha Bay which is a World Heritage Site.  It’s a place I have wanted to visit for a long time.  The rock formations are spectacular and the boats can weave through them.

The 2nd photo is of a Giant Asian Macaw.