Surfer in VN-Part 1 of 6- Overview and Flight Over Kamchatka

Having heard stories of police and hotel hassles, language issues, high prices and ripoffs, Viet Nam (every word is its own syllable in Vietnamese) was the final country n SE Asia (excepting Brunei and East Timor) that I had yet to visit. But it had long fascinated me, dating back to vivid memories from childhood of Huntley & Brinkley reciting the day's body counts on the nightly news. Yet always a reason to go elsewhere heretofore. United's one stop service from SFO, via HKG, seemed quite reasonable at $900 including taxes etc., and even adding the $100 visa it was still cheaper than flying to BKK over Christmas. So this Christmas I finally got to see Asia's newest Tiger economy up close and personal. Despite occasionally wishing I had joined a friend when he went to Cambodia and LOS during the middle of his trip, I stuck it out for the full three weeks among the Hammer & Sickle flags and statutes of Comrade Vladimir (Lenin).

Despite the exotic surroundings, I must confess at this juncture that as a mongering destination I think it decidedly mediocre. The Viet Kieu (VK for short, meaning overseas Vietnamese) girls in California are, on average, WAY better looking than those at the source who are really quite underwhelming in appearance. Acne is a serious problem, perhaps worse than any other country I have visited. I DEFINITELY think LOS, Indonesia and the PI all offer better looking women both in the water trades and among civilians. Quite a surprise I must admit as I expected much better. YMMV always applies, of course, and Asian guys who prefer women who are tall and White will like the high end places. But I personally prefer the small brown types that are MUCH more prevalent in LOS, Indonesia & the PI.

I also believe the Vietnamese are the biggest hustlers (along with the Chinese) I have ever encountered. It is so ironic that a supposedly communist country could be composed of such materialistic people. IMHO the Vietnamese are quite similar to the Chinese, who occupied most of Viet Nam for the better part of a Millenium and almost went to war again in 1979. Hostility and distrust remains. It would be interesting to know how Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese for 'Bringer of Light' and the object of the personality cult which is Viet Nam) would view TODAY's Viet Nam which is as "Capitalist" as ANY country on Earth.

I think Viet Nam will be reasonably comfortable economically speaking in a few years, unlike Cambodia, Indonesia and the PI which will continue to languish in poverty for the forseeable future. However, the Northerners and Southerners have never completely reconciled and their mutual enmity is seemingly not diminished by the passage of a quarter century. It is a nation bitterly divided but the schisms are hidden and kept in check by a strong central government. The sacrifice of those who fought on the 'wrong side' is forgotten while the heroism of the Viet Cong is emorialized in many parks and billboards. Northerners are MUCH more supportive of Uncle Ho than Southerners whose philosophy is often 'USA #1!' I NEVER encountered ANY anti_Americanism in any part of the country, although the police are uniformly dour and unfriendly to everybody regardless of nationality if you cross their invisible lines.

Local currency is the dong, 16,000 to the $ although $ are widely accepted. One tip I got from my friend who lives there is to bring $2 bills. I bought a packet of 100 at my bank (had to special order them). A girl explained that they are considered good luck and many people carry one in their wallet. I got extra value while haggling when I showed that I would be paying with crisp, new $2 notes. One girl explained the reason they were lucky (because the picture on the back-a group of old men signing the Declaration of Independence- 'resembles a family'). Go figure (but DO bring $2 bills as they are really coveted and will make you friends when used for tips etc).

Back to the girls: I CERTAINLY prefer the girls in those countries who seem to think in terms other than how to make a dong. VN is not good for the newbie or first time visitor to Asia, who is MUCH better off sticking to the PI or LOS. If you want cute VN girls at a reasonable price, go to Cambodia. Lucky has every right to say 'I told you so'. . The quality is just about as good, but attitudes are better and prices lower. VN is the ONLY country where you pay more at the source than you would in another country (i.e Colombianas in Panama or Costa Rica or Spain will expect more than double what they could charge at home). VERY bizarre.

There is a sexual revolution going on just now and women are having casual affairs unthinkable just a decade ago. However, to get with these girls takes a bit of time to cruise and cultivate. Knowledge of the language helps a lot, but learning it is among the more formidable tasks I have undertaken. My friend that lives there is a slightly above average looking guy in his late 40s and he does very well on that circuit. I got some friendly smiles but never stayed put long enough to really move on one (plus I clicked with a BG I met). The place to meet these girls is in the cafes that happen to be hot that month or on the internet. Will discuss a couple of the best cafes in Sai Gon section, but to meet them before THE place is www.vietsingles.com. Free site and part of www.vietfun.org (which also has modeling pictures and lots of other stuff). Vietsingles has lots of nice girls, pictures of a few I corresponded with below, BUT not many can read/write English and I could find no computer translation service for Vietnamese (neither babelfish nor freetranslation.com has a VN portal). This is a daunting challenge, but these girls look better than the ones I saw out and about town or in any nightclubs

As a travel destination for ADVENTUROUS travelers with Third World experience, however, Viet Nam is SUPERLATIVE. The Country is FASCINATING, the history inextricably intertwined with our own, and the only other country that compares is Japan in terms of being so darn exotic. Even a jaded, been there, done that, type like myself was constantly marveling at the great photo opportunities.

Violent crime against foreigners is NOT common, contrary to what some would have you believe, because the police come down PARTICULARLY hard on them as they REALLY want to encourage tourism. For example, Japanese no longer need visas and it may be extended to other  nationalities next year. VN has MANY summary executions (the exact number is a state secret) and NOBODY screws around with the police. NOBODY. And the word is out not to attack foreigners (overcharge them yes, but use violence No). I think the risk of being victimized by violent crime is MUCH less in VN than in the US so don't let anybody scare you away. YES fleecing the foreigner is a national pastime, but it is VERY rarely accompanied by violence by all accounts I hear (and I have two friends who have lived here for several years).

I never felt unsafe and walked around late at night often carrying my camera (although concealed in a plastic shopping bag). Sai Gon does have a reputation for snatch and grab theft of bags so do hold your valuables in secure fashion and use big city common sense (amazing how many don't!).

IMHO the biggest danger in Viet Nam lies on the pavement. An ever present danger, 24/7, involves crossing streets (especially in Sai Gon). Given the lack of true
stop lights, respect for lane markings or rules of the road, setting foot on the blacktop is WAY intimidating at first (I waited about 15 minutes the first day waiting for a break in traffic that never came) . Sai Gon's streets may look anarchic, but they are not. A strict code of conduct requires each individual to abdicate responsibility for his own safety, but to assume an obligation to avoid mauling everybody else. This is as close as it gets to true communism in Viet Nam. The pedestrian must do as the locals do, to wit, launch oneself straight into the flow eyes straight ahead to avoid running into anything. All vehicles then have the duty to swerve around the pedestrian. You must walk at a steady pace with no unpredictable course adjustments and at a diagonal to the uncomprehensible number of motorbikes coming at you. Despite being outnumbered by them, I still think the biggest danger is not to pedestrians, but to those who ride on the motorbikes.

Suggesting ANYBODY ride a Xe Om (the moped, the ubiquitous symbol of Viet Nam in general,and Sai Gon in particular) is encouraging Russian roulette. I saw 1 (maybe two) fatal accidents involving Xe Om riders and read in the Saigon Times that VN is averaging 1,000 deaths per month, and another 1,000 "serious" injuries, to Xe Om riders. This is the dark side of the "Honda Dream". I will walk if I cannot find a taxi, but I will not ride a Xe Om for ANY reason (nor should anybody else who values their life). If you ignore this sound advice than AT LEAST have the common sense to wear a helmet (despite the fact that you will look like a freak as less than 1% of the locals use and if they have one it stays in the basket rather than on the head). While I had lived 43 years without seeing a dead body, in 48 hours in Hanoi I saw 2. First a middle aged woman riding a moped laid out in the road in front of my taxi heading in from the airport and then the embalmed corpse of Uncle Ho the next morning (the later MUCH less disturbing). Ho lived to 79, and while I might not match that feat I shall hopefully have more longevity than the many folks riding around on motorbikes with no helmets. Farang ESPECIALLY should know better, though the Vietnamese should see enough corpses in the road to realize that Buddha protects those who protect themselves (this sign says as much, or so I am told).

Regardless of your views on Ho or his politics, you cannot understand Viet Nam without knowing about Ho's background. Ho lived in England in the period 1913 - 1917 (where he trained as a pastry chef under the legendary French master, Escoffier). Ho embraced Communism while living abroad in France from 1917 - 1923 and it was during this time that he reputedly had a tryst with Mae West, who was performing a hotel where he worked. The official line is that he was always celibate having "devoted his entirety to the revolution" and newspaper editors who suggest otherwise have been promptly sacked.

Following World War I, on behalf of the "Group of Vietnamese Patriots" he petitioned the great powers at the Versailles peace talks for equal rights in French Indochina but was ignored. He asked sitting U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for help to overthrow the French in Viet Nam and to have a free democratic government, but was denied. He soon helped form the French Communist Party and spent much time in Moscow. He later moved to Guangzhou, China, where he founded the Vietnamese Communist Party before returning to Viet Nam in 1941 to lead the Viet Minh independence movement which conducted successful military actions against the Japanese occupation forces. In August 1942 while going to China and he was jailed by Chiang Kai-Shek's local authorities. After about 1 year, he was released and returned to Vietnam. He impressed the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, later to become the CIA) which provided support to him despite the communist affiliation of the Viet Minh. He asked Truman to support Vietnamese independence against the French and Truman was inclined to go along until Winston Churchill intervened on behalf of a weakened France.

In the Summer of 1945 the allied powers had decided that Japanese forces in the North would surrender to Chiang Kai Shek and in the South to British forces. Ho, adamantly opposed to allowing any Chinese foothold in Viet Nam famously told the skeptical Viet Minh that 'It is better to sniff French shit for awhile than to eat Chinese shit the rest of our lives.' Accordingly, he made a deal with the French to grant him administrative control while the French maintained military control. This detente did not last long and by the end of 1946 he was leading attacks against the French and he became Chairman of Provisional Government (Premier) of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam when he forced Emperor Bao Dai (the last of the Nguyen Dynasty) to abdicate. This coup was not recognized internationally. He later signed an agreement with France which recognized Viet Nam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union on March 6, 1946 but that compromise did not prevent war. That December the French tried to re-establish their colonial rule in the country following the Chinese withdrawal from the North in exchange for French-occupied territories in China. Ho was Chief Strategist of an effective guerilla war that culminated in the humiliating military defeat of the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Ho became President of the Democratic Republic
of Viet Nam (North) in 1955 when the country was 'temporarily' partitioned at the 17th parallel. At the same time, a Catholic seminary student in New Jersey who really was a virgin, Ngo Dihn Diem, became president of the Republic of Viet Nam (South). More on Diem and the American war in later parts of report.

Ho is the center of a large personality cult in Viet Nam which increased in force after his death. Ho died on September 2, 1969, at his home in Hanoi, at age 79 from multiple health problems including diabetes. His embalmed body was put on display in a granite mausoleum modeled after Lenin's Tomb in Moscow.

Security at Ho's tomb is draconian and getting a camera in would be well nigh impossible (plus QUITE stupid). IF this public domain picture is real, they have changed Ho's clothing because he now is dressed in basic Black.

This "honor" violated Ho's last wishes. He wished to be cremated and his ashes buried in urns on three Vietnamese hilltops, each in one of the three main regions of Vietnam (North, Central and South). He wrote, "Not only is cremation good from the point of view of hygiene, but it also saves farmland."

In Vietnam today, he is elevated by the Communist government to an almost cult-like status. His smiling face is everywhere. He is invariably referred to as "Bac Ho"
(Uncle Ho) at schools and universities. Uncle Ho's face is on every bank note of every denomination of Dong (100,000 being the largest) . 20K dong tax on ATM withdrawals and withdrawal limit is 2 million (sometimes less). ATMs widely available. Cash exchange at fair rates readily available in Ha Noi and Sai Gon, less so in less urban areas (so bring plenty of dong).

At the end of the day it CANNOT be disputed that Ho was : 1) a Vietnamese patriot and nationalist more than an communist idealogue and 2) a brilliant strategist who understood his enemies' weaknesses MUCH better than we understood his. He warned the French that "You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and I will win." Referring to the American War, he also said 'If the Tiger does not stop fighting the Elephant, the Elephant will die of exhaustion." Both the French and the US failed to heed these prophetic warnings.

While I firmly believe we had no right to intervene in what was essentially a civil war, despite the domino theory, the Commies have screwed this country up badly. The people of VN paid a heavy price because of a combination of: 1) the lack of a viable and visionary leader for the RVN (Republic of Viet Nam AKA "South Viet Nam" ) 2) US military intervention AND 3) because of a failed and antiquated political theory forced upon them by the totalitarian regime Ho created (the DRV or Democratic Republic of Vietnam).

While Ho remains impeccable in the eyes of the nation, the subsequent leadership is widely despised although given the number of plain clothes spies people talk
very softly until they are CERTAIN no one else can hear. There REALLY are two sides to US involvement in VN. At the end of the day, I agree that we erred by intervening, BUT hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 and there WERE some valid reasons. I STRONGLY urge anybody interested in the subject to read 'In Retrospect' by former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (which I will discuss in more depth in a later part of this report).

FLIGHT OVER KAMCHATKA MAP

I've flown to Manila and Seoul non stop several times, and HK a couple more. Going over you ALWAYS face headwinds, which are especially strong in winter.
They were particularly strong that day, so we had to unload some cargo delaying our departure a bit. Also, in the past we have always gone Northwest off the coast of British Colombia then West over the Aleutian islands and the Southern Gulf of Alaska before coming back South over Japan, meaning there is usually nothing to see but water. This route is marked on map with the linew with many small squares. But this time, I saw all these glaciers and pack ice and thought the route somewhat different. So in between movies when they show the flight path display I saw that we had flown right over the Bering straight then NORTH of the Kamchatka Peninsula along some desolate, but beautiful, coastline of the Sea of Okhosk. (Hand drawn White line on map)

Siberia's scenery is underrated IMHO. Because of the time of departure and our route chasing the setting sun, it never got dark (despite the fact that there are VERY few hours of daylight in December in those FAR Northern latitudes. As I had stupidly packed my camera not expecting any opportunities during the Arctic winter, I must offer a couple images found on the web that look similar to what I saw.

Next we crossed over the Northern Tip of Sakhalin Island (recall that Korean Air 007 was shot down by Soviet MIGs there back in 1983) before crossing into China. While Siberia had NO sign of development, Northern China had LOTS of monotonous looking little villages, some factories etc. We flew over Beijing but the air pollution was so bad (like LA in the 70s)you couldn't see much of anything. Then 3 hours straight South to Hong Kong where we landed. Total flight time: 14 hours before another 2 hour flight to Sai Gon (Ha Noi would only be 1 hour, but United does not go there yet).

Than Son Nut airport was the former main military airbase of Sai Gon and is now completely enveloped within the rapidly growing city. Very few gates means most flights use buses for boarding requiring walks on often wet tarmacs. A new international airport is planned for the area to the East towards Vung Tau, but it is not expected to open until 2010.

Despite having landed first in Sai Gon, part 2 of this report will cover Hanoi, the current capital and true heart of Viet Nam. Part 3 will cover the Central Region from Hue to Dan Nang, Part 4 Phu Cuoc island off the coast of Cambodia, Part 5 the top day trip from Sai Gon the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai temple. Part 6 will cover Sai Gon AKA Ho Chi Minh City and my closing remarks. Click Surfer’s Part One Photos below to continue
 
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