Note: in each section of the Vietnam trip you will find a copy of the slideshow as above. You might have to be a little patient, depending on your internet connection. Good luck!
Another hint: If you want to see the end of this trip: click "older" at the end of this page.
On 4/7 Vickie, my Singapore marina friend, and I headed by plane to Ho Chi Minh City which used to be known as Sai Gon. Even today, many of the locals still use that name. From what I understand, they refer to the old part of the city as Saigon.
The arrival was amazing. We took a taxi into the city and barely could believe our eyes.. I have never experienced traffic like this. Cars but more scooters and motorcycles driving in every which direction and pedestrians risking their lives crossing the street. No crosswalks or lights! We made it to a nice hotel but when we wanted to go out and eat dinner we found that walking on sidewalks was not an option: they were used as parking spaces for the scooters and spaces for the innumerable vendors.
Well we got used to these conditions fast and enjoyed visiting the various sites. There are still many buildings dating back to the French colonial times but French is rarely spoken, only occasionally by older people.
It is hard to understand why both the French and Americans spent so much time, so many lives and so much money on something that was absolutely unnecessary in my opinion. But I guess not much has changed... yesterday it was Vietnam and today Iraq and Afghanistan. But when it comes down to it, the cause is most often greed and paranoia.
My trip encouraged me to read a biography of Ho Chi Minh and the history of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh was an exceptional person who believed in much of the American principles, the dignity of the individual, freedom and soveregnity of the country. Though he was basically a socialist, he only associated with the Soviet Union because he found no support in the west for his wish to have independence for Vietnam with better living conditions for everyone. After the second world war Ho Chi Minh tried to negotiate with the French but without success and it led to the war with the French and finally the Americans.
What to me was most amazing was to see how much we destroyed of this country but today, the Vietnamese in general hold no grudges and are willing to look at the whole experience as a thing of the past which is of no further importance. Americans and the French are welcome as visitors and partners in furthering the well being of the country.
Tourism is now a major source of income. A very good tourist agency was recommended to us: Sinh Cafe. This "cafe" which is no longer a cafe, is all over Vietnam and offers a wide variety of services. We stayed in their hotels and also made the arrangements for a car trip and flights. In Saigon we went with them to the Chu Chi Tunnels, the hiding places of the Viet Cong. Apparently they started to build these tunnels in the hard clay of the area after 1945 and during the American war continued building them right under American military stations. They were particularly important to the Viet Cong during the Tet offensive in 1968.
After the Chu Chi tunnels we took a boat trip on the Mekong Delta. I think that the Mississippi Delta must be a small version of this one.
Though I am no longer sailing regularly I continue using this blog since I continue to live on my boat at One15Marina, Sentosa Cove, Singapore.
This allows me to keep in touch with my friends and sailing friends without too many disruptions.
As for my background:
I was born in Switzerland [...]
where I grew up, went to school, then travelled through Europe, returned and attended school of social work. In 1954 I emigrated to the San Francisco, California. Here I learned to sail and love it and made the decision to retire on a boat.
I then worked as a social worker and administrator for programs for immigrants, families and finally the frail elderly.
I retired at 65 in 1993, moved onto my boat Dessert First and started cruising. First down the coast through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean where I stayed for seven years. Then onward and back through the Canal to the Pacific and finally to Singapore.
Information about SV Dessert First:
Type of boat: Corbin 39
Built by: Corbin Les Bateaux, Quebec, Canada
Year launched: 1981
Designer: Dufour
Construction: Fiberglass with Airex core
Length: 39 ft.
Width: 12 ft.
Draft: 5.5 ft.
Type of rig: Cutter
Furling systems:
Jib: Harkin
Main: Reef Rite, New Zealand
Auto Pilot: Alpha 3000
Watermaker: Spectra
Solar panels and Wind Generator
Auxiliar Engine: Yanmar 58
Life raft: Viking and dinghy