We had been on the road for four weeks without a single
incident. China, Cambodia, and a week
left to check out more of Vietnam. We
had visited Hue, a former capitol, complete with its own forbidden city-like
complex and several tombs of former Vietnamese kings. The highlight of our time in Hue was a day
where we spent the first part of the morning on the water, as there is a river
that flows through the city. We traveled
to an ancient Buddhist monastery. It was
serene. Our guide, Phuong, dug in the
ground and quickly found a shell from an American gun left from the war. Hue is filled with scars from the American
war.
Going through the monastery, though, was peaceful. It was a bit overcast, and Rick and I enjoyed
wandering the grounds on a hill rising above the river. There was a rusted car on display, the car
that had been driven to Saigon in 1963 to protest the treatment of Buddhist
monks by the Southern Vietnamese government.
The driver, a Buddhist monk, borrowed it from a college student, parked
the car, doused himself with kerosene in the middle of the street, and lit
himself on fire. He committed suicide to
send a message that the war was unjust.
His home was the monastery in Hue.
At least two Americans copied his act of protest—Norman Morrison, a 31
year old father, burned himself outside the Pentagon in 1965, and Alice Herz,
an 82 year old woman, set herself on fire the week before Morrison on a
Detroit, Michigan street corner.
After the monastery, we got back on the boat, headed up the
river a bit more, taking in several fishermen.
We got off the boat and got on the back of a motorcycle, each of us with
our own Vietnamese driver. It was awesome. The rain started to let down. It didn’t really stop the rest of the day,
only occasionally giving us respite. We continued on, and I enjoyed the views
of rice paddies, interrupted by narrow roads and alleyways in
neighborhoods. Our next stop was a
coliseum like structure. It was erected
during the French occupation (starting in the 1850s) for their amusement. They used it for animal fights, we were
told. As we peeked through the locked
gate, a group of kids came running up to us to check us out. Having spent some time in Cambodia, I assumed
they were trying to get some money. They
didn’t, though. They were just curious,
and according to Phuong, they were on a school holiday, saw us, and just wanted
to check us out. In Cambodia, where
poverty is really bad, many children do not attend school because it is much
more lucrative for them to sell goods to foreigners. I did not find that to be the case at all in
Vietnam.
Next, we were off to see some tombs of the Nguyen family,
who had officially ruled Vietnam from the early 1800s, but had huge influence
in the region for hundreds of years. We
stopped at one of the more impressive tombs, and it was in disrepair. Having spent time in China, I saw many
parallels, but this tomb looked neglected.
Hue is the major crossroads between North and South Vietnam. Unlike Korea’s 38th Parallel, which
is man-made, Vietnam’s division between the north and south had existed for
centuries. As a result, Hue became a
crucial part of the war between the Viet Cong (Communist North) and the United
States, who supported the South. There
were a lot of major battles fought throughout this region.
For lunch, we continued to a Buddhist Nunnery, where we had
an amazing vegetarian spread. The rain
got far worse, and so we stayed for awhile.
The nuns encouraged us to take a rest in their beds. Their beds consisted of a bamboo mat—the kind
you purchase to hang out on the beach in Hawaii—on the concrete floor. This was typical throughout Asia—I saw this
in several Chinese homes, Cambodian, and Vietnamese. The rain wasn’t getting any better, so we
jumped back on the motorcycles to take a look at an old covered bridge.
There also happened to be a “history museum” next to the
bridge, so of course I dragged Rick in to see it. An old Vietnamese woman, probably in her 80s,
took us around to each exhibit and showed us how traditional people in the
region lived through pantomime. She was
wonderful, and when she smiled, her teeth were black. At the end of her tour, she took some green
leaves and chewed them, pointing at her teeth.
Then she offered them to me. Usually
not one to refuse, I did this time.
Thank goodness! When I asked
Phuong about her teeth, he shared that it is popular for older people to chew
leaves that turn their teeth black. It
is considered a mark of honor for the elderly.
She was definitely proud of her teeth.
After wandering through more beautiful countryside, we
stopped at a shop selling all kinds of things, but most importantly,
incense. Here I received a lesson on
rolling incense. It’s difficult! From there we went back to civilization. We visited a friend of Phuong’s, a woman
named Thuy.
Thuy’s mom was pregnant during the war, and her mother was
exposed to Agent Orange. As a result,
Thuy’s arm never fully developed, so Thuy functions with one arm. Because she was exposed to Agent Orange, no
one will marry her, as they fear her children could also have genetic
issues. Because she cannot marry, Thuy,
a woman in her 30s, still lives with her parents. For a living she makes beautiful hats. Here we would call them rice paddy hats—the
conical shaped hats that are stereotypical for those working in rice paddies to
wear. The beauty of her hats is when you
hold them up to the light, there is a silhouette of a typical scene in
Hue. I bought a few different sizes. Thuy was lovely, and spoke reasonable
English.
I really enjoyed Hue. The Vietnamese people were so gracious and welcoming. I think of Thuy often. She was filled with love and joy, in spite of the life of restriction she leads. She did not appear bitter, but accepting, and at peace. I hope to be more like Thuy in my day to day life.
All photos taken by me or Rick McDonough 1) Perfume River, Hue 2) Thien Mu Pagoda 3) Car at Thien Mu Monastery 4) Tiger Arena or Ho Quyen Coliseum 5) Nguyen Tomb 6) Buddhist Nunnery near Hue 7) History Museum near Hue 8) Thuy & our guide, Phuong 9) Countryside outside of Hue
