Report From the Field 8
Location: HCM City (aka Saigon), Vietnam
Remnants of the Vietnamese War in Vietnam:
- You can still see bullet holes at the Grand Palace in Hue, a city that experienced heavy fighting during the Tet Offensive. (And half of the Palace was burned down by Napalm)
- China Beach, one of the first places where most American soldiers arrived at, have been moved several times since the war. Apparently, a tacky hotel stands where the original beach was at.
- You can still see deserted American bases around the country.
- Until quite recently, many children born were affected (physcially or psychologically) by Agent Orange. Though strangely enough, even though there were about the same number of Americans and Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange, only 1% of American children born were disabled.
- It's still not uncommon to see beggers with missing limbs, burned flesh, or both.
Quirky Vietnam:
- Bathroom is known as the Happy House.
- Cats and dogs hold precarious grounds here. One wrong step and kitty or puppy will end up on someone's dinner plate (though this seems more prevalent in the North).
- Speaking of which, saw a cyclo driver yesterday whose only customers were 2 dogs.
- Lots of women on motorbikes wear hats and a scarf covering their face, leaving only their eyes exposed, and thereby causing them to look like theives in the night.
Tomorrow: a long day's drive to Cambodia.
Remnants of the Vietnamese War in Vietnam:
- You can still see bullet holes at the Grand Palace in Hue, a city that experienced heavy fighting during the Tet Offensive. (And half of the Palace was burned down by Napalm)
- China Beach, one of the first places where most American soldiers arrived at, have been moved several times since the war. Apparently, a tacky hotel stands where the original beach was at.
- You can still see deserted American bases around the country.
- Until quite recently, many children born were affected (physcially or psychologically) by Agent Orange. Though strangely enough, even though there were about the same number of Americans and Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange, only 1% of American children born were disabled.
- It's still not uncommon to see beggers with missing limbs, burned flesh, or both.
Quirky Vietnam:
- Bathroom is known as the Happy House.
- Cats and dogs hold precarious grounds here. One wrong step and kitty or puppy will end up on someone's dinner plate (though this seems more prevalent in the North).
- Speaking of which, saw a cyclo driver yesterday whose only customers were 2 dogs.
- Lots of women on motorbikes wear hats and a scarf covering their face, leaving only their eyes exposed, and thereby causing them to look like theives in the night.
Tomorrow: a long day's drive to Cambodia.
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