We’re on our way to Vietnam. We’ll visit cities in the North, the South, and in Central Vietnam. Getting there isn’t cheap or easy. There are lots of interesting places we could have gone that are easier to reach. So why Vietnam?
We’ve been to Southeast Asia once before. We got a taste of Vietnam on that trip. People there were the friendliest people we’ve encountered anywhere. (The Irish dropped to 2nd place on my “Friendliest People in the World” list). Beyond welcoming. Engaging. Fun. Hard-working. Happy.
Gee, I Don’t Know…
Some Americans are leery about visiting Vietnam. Their thinking is, “The war was a long time ago, but still, how can they not hate us?”
The Vietnam War was complicated. Vietnamese fought on both sides. Two generations have passed. Many Vietnamese now have family living in the United States. Vietnam and the United States are business partners. The world has changed.
Besides friendly people, there’s the scenery, the food, (of course), and the aura of mystery. Most Westerners know next to nothing about Vietnam.
Before this trip, I wanted to do some research on Vietnam. I went to my local library. It’s a nice one. I found a few applicable travel books. But how about some regular books just about Vietnam?
Guess how many books about the Vietnam War I could have checked out? Ninety-six. Now guess how many books I found just about Vietnam, the country? Zero!
Getting There
We spent last night in a hotel at Taipei airport. The plan for today is to get to, (and into), Vietnam with our recently-edited visas. Next, get from the airport to our hotel in Hanoi, where we’ll meet up with friends.
The flight from Taipei to Hanoi lasts about 3 hours. It’s 790 miles as the crow flies. But to my surprise, our flight didn’t go as the crow flies. I learned this when I happened to check out the “Your Trip” option on the plane’s entertainment system.
A straight shot from Taipei to Hanoi would take us over the People’s Republic of China – Communist, Mainland China. We flew an extra 200 miles to go around it. Wow. I was surprised. Probably shouldn’t have been, though.
To get to Hanoi, we’ll fly over Vietnam’s northern-most territory – the Red River Valley. This is where Vietnamese people established their first permanent settlements and eventually, dynasties.
The Red River Valley
Country music aficionados will recognize this as the title of a song made famous by Gene Autry, Marty Robbins, and others. How these guys knew about Vietnam’s Red River Valley, I’ll never know. (Ha ha).
Vietnamese civilization began here 3,000-4,000 years ago, eventually becoming what most consider to be the first “Vietnam.”
The Red River Valley is about the size of the state of Connecticut. Mountains forming it’s northern edge separate Vietnam and China. It was, and still is a desirable place for people to grow crops, live comfortably, and flourish. Maybe too desirable.
To be continued…
