Journey to Vietnam — history and timeless charm
Our week in Vietnam was supposed to be a simple holiday. Instead, it became an eye-popping glimpse of how tourism, infrastructure and evident economic planning turned a war-ravaged country into what it is now.
Vietnam’s official tourism tagline is “Vietnam — Timeless Charm,” which is touted to be a “reflection of the country’s enduring beauty, rich culture, and diverse travel experience.”
Honestly, I could not agree more because the slogan is truly an apt description of the country.
I had never been to Vietnam, so I thought it would be a great place to visit with my nomad travel partner to celebrate her birthday. So last week, off we went on another travel adventure to enjoy the sights and gastronomic delights of Hanoi and Danang.
Before our trip, being an avid war history buff, I must admit that my images of Vietnam were largely influenced by the war of attrition between the North and the South. This division had been created by the Geneva Accord of 1954 between the protagonists of the Indochina War, a war essentially between the colonialists, primarily France, which sought to reassert its colonial rule, and the nationalist Viet Minh, who sought independence for their country.
After the French garrison in Dien Bien Phu famously fell to the Viet Minh forces, a ceasefire was agreed on, and a temporary division of the country was created at the 17th parallel. There was the Western-supported state of South Vietnam in the southern part, led by its first president, a devout Catholic and staunch anti-communist, Ngo Dinh Diem, an autocrat who was eventually ousted and assassinated in a rumored CIA-backed coup.
In the northern part was communist, socialist-oriented North Vietnam, led by its nationalist leader, Ho Chi Minh, who was an ardent anti-colonialist under whose inspirational leadership the country was unified after the US withdrew from South Vietnam in 1975.
That era amazingly runs eerily similar to what is now happening in the ongoing US-Iran conflict, which is threatening the Republicans’ hold over the US Senate and Congress. President Trump is under pressure to reach some form of a face-saving outcome of the conflict very soon, with the November midterm elections around the corner.
Then, as now, the heat of US domestic politics because of the prolonged agony of the war became a rallying point for anti-war demonstrations. It tilted the balance of the presidential elections, causing incumbent Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, to not seek reelection. Richard Nixon, a Republican, took over, and he, too, eventually had to leave office.
Our week in Vietnam was supposed to be a simple holiday. Instead, it became an eye-popping glimpse of how tourism, infrastructure, and evident economic planning turned a war-ravaged country into what it is now. Vietnam leads all other regional peers with a projected growth rate between 7.5 percent and 8.2 percent, compared to the forecast regional average of 4.7 percent to 4.8 percent.
Vietnam’s third-quarter growth was at an incredible 11.2 percent, with the industry and construction sector contributing half of the total value. The infrastructure was impressive, with modern six-lane expressways on both sides connecting all the key tourist destinations. Hmm… I guess they don’t have the same problems we have.
Our journey began in Hanoi at an elegant, French-inspired hotel, the Anatole in the French Quarter, a short walk from the charming Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the city, with verdant trees and plants hugging the lake that presents a most suitable walk around the 1.6-kilometer loop.
The French Quarter and the adjacent Old Quarter, with their elegant, tall and slim, mostly French-inspired buildings, except for the incessant motorbikes zigzagging on the narrow streets, made you feel like you had been transported to a quaint European town.
I can’t imagine the horrors of the Vietnam War when the Americans conducted a 12-day-and-night bombing campaign targeting Hanoi and Haiphong from 18 December to 29 December 1972 as leverage during the negotiations of the Paris Peace Accord. Over 20,000 tons of ordnance was dropped, and at least 1,624 civilians were killed. It’s a wonder how Hanoi has risen like a phoenix from that horrific bombing.
After a leisurely early-evening, breezy stroll around the lake, our first gastronomic excursion was to The Met Restaurant, a Michelin-rated restaurant within easy walking distance of our hotel. Our mouthwatering dinner selection consisted of the Tofu Hotpot, Duck Curry, Pho Beef, and Fried Spring Roll, accompanied by a very cold bottle of Ha Noi Bia Beer.
Simply delicious!
(To be continued)
Until next week… OBF!
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