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Author Topic: Greetings from Hanoi  (Read 5014 times)

Offline Stef

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Greetings from Hanoi
« on: March 16, 2010, 01:41:49 PM »
Hi there folks! And greetings from Hanoi, Vietnam! My wife and I arrived yesterday on a rainy morning and slowly and surely adjust to the different lifestyle here. I love the temperatures! But the traffic definitely needs some getting used to. I wish I had a video camera or something because there is almost no way to put this into words. But I read that Vietnam is number one in the worldwide traffic accident statistics. I can totally belive that!

Just uploaded the strip, and I think I was almost in time. I'm really looking forward to our new website, because then we will be able to upload in advance and set the time for the strip to get published. Well, until then, I will be hunting for internet cafes...
Hope you're all doing well! Cheers!  ::wave::  ::wave::
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Offline Frank N. O.

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2010, 02:31:19 PM »
Hi, hehe up here we're finally rid of frost-temperatures and spring is slowly starting but yes a little more warmth could be nice :)
I didn't know that about the traffic, I would've thought India or some parts of Africa (judging from Rooster Cruisers video). Hope you're careful and avoid being part of the statistics!

Looking forward to the new site, although the old one is just fine in my book. Hope you enjoy your stay!  ::wave::

Frank
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Offline Oddball

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2010, 05:22:29 PM »
Dont worry about the site Stef you just enjoy dodging the traffic  ;D ::wave::
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Offline Fabo

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2010, 01:44:08 AM »
Have fun, Vietnam is one of the countries I wish to visit before it is turned into yet another mega vacation complex. Well wish me luck!
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Offline Rooster Cruiser

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2010, 02:44:34 AM »
Fabo, didn't you ever hear of the Hanoi Hilton!?!?   ::eek::

Not that I would ever have wanted to check in there, nor do I even think anyone who ever did thought of it as a resort.  Methinks their slogan could have been, "Sun, Sweat, and Suffering in the most Brutal Resort on Earth."   ::rambo::

Glad you're doing ok Stef.  Hope the heat and humidity isn't too oppressive for ya!   ::wave::
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Offline Fabo

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2010, 04:32:36 AM »
Nope, never. Might have something to do with the fact, that on this side we hailed the North-Vietnamese heroes throughout the seventies... (well, not me personally, obviously...)
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Offline Rooster Cruiser

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2010, 04:53:36 AM »
Try this for background reading Fabo, 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi_Hilton

Many years ago... before you were born Fabo...  I got out of the US Military and I went to work in a factory that made aerospace fasteners for both the military and civilian aviation markets.  During my five years that I was employed there, I worked with a couple of very nice Vietnamese sisters who hailed from Saigon.  As I worked with them and got to know them and their family better, I learned that their father was one of the first people thrown against the wall when Saigon fell.  Yes, he was shot by firing squad.  No trial... no denunciation... just the bullets.  His crime???  He owned a Brewery.

The North Vietnamese did not hold a monopoly on rightiousness.  They simply were the ones left standing after the USA decided to pull out and the dust settled.  I could go on for a lot longer but I see no point in bringing up 35 year old politics that no one wants to hear again.  I will grant that they had much better propaganda.

Stef, just remember that your friendly aging guides probably got their start by killing as many of their countrymen as they could both before AND after that war ended.  Plenty of blood was left on everyone's hands from that war.

RC
« Last Edit: March 18, 2010, 04:57:07 AM by Rooster Cruiser »
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Offline Stef

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2010, 04:36:30 AM »
Hi Folks!

Back in Hanoi again. And no, we're not staying in the Hanoi Hilton, although this time we've booked a hotel right next to the station that can't be too different from it. An average prison guard might have the same level of politeness as the employees there! Well, except a couple of such bad experiences, our trip was 90% great so far! We've done a couple of tours, to Ha Long bay, then to Sa Pa village, and now back to Hanoi, where I just had Sum Hot Soop and will go shopping for Sum Dum Crap as souveniers this afternoon. Great town for shopping this.

Soon we'll head down south to finally find some beach!!

Glad to see the forum is working alright and you're enjoying yourselves!

@ Rooster: Yeah, the war was definitely a bloody matter on both sides (which isn't?), but like you said, it's way back and we wouldn't be able to discuss it thoroughly here. It definitely is a weird feeling sometimes to be in a communist country. It's been a while since I've been in one (when Mike and I were little kids we went to then-communist Yugoslavia or Hungary). Most of the time you don't notice, but sometimes you can totally feel it. Talking to people about history or politics is near impossible, first because no-one speaks good English and I get the feeling their history classes are biased...

Well, I'll keep you all posted! Be nice, boys and girls!!  ;D  |:)\
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Offline Rooster Cruiser

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2010, 05:10:42 AM »
Quote
It definitely is a weird feeling sometimes to be in a communist country.

I understand completely, Stef.  I get that feeling every time I go visit my wife's home country.  I will grant Russia is no longer a Communist country, but the apparatus is still there.  Anytime I go there, I keep my eyes open and my mouth shut!  'Nuff said.    |:)\

RC
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Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2010, 05:26:31 AM »
Hope you're having a great time, Stef!!

One of my good buddies never passes up a chance to hit Vietnam...  enjoy those beaches!!   ;)

 :)
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Don't make me come back there!!!!

Offline Jean Loup

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2010, 11:23:16 PM »
Quote from: Stef on March 22, 2010, 04:36:30 AM
Hi Folks!

Back in Hanoi again. And no, we're not staying in the Hanoi Hilton, although this time we've booked a hotel right next to the station that can't be too different from it. An average prison guard might have the same level of politeness as the employees there!

Well, I'll keep you all posted! Be nice, boys and girls!!  ;D  |:)\

Well, the Hanoi Hilton was a prison, build by the French colonists (¿who else?) for political prisoners (before Dien-Bien-Fu: USA inherited that war from the french) So, we are glad you are not in that Hilton Hell Hole!

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Offline Stef

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Greetings from Saigon!
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2010, 11:19:42 AM »
Howdy people! By now we've made it as far south as Ho Chi Minh City, or the town formely known as Saigon, where we had an actual and live rooster walk through the breakfast room of our hotel, cock-a-doodle-dooing to his hearts content, and nobody even seeming to notice it. Needles to say that I felt quite at home, with such a friendly attitude towards chickens! The funny thing is, that the hotel itself is not as low-budget at it might sound like after this description... After breakfast we went to see the famous Cu Chi tunnels, where the viet cong dug a network of 240km of tunnels, sometimes right underneath the US army bases. Creepy feeling creeping through the tunnels... Okay, my time here in the internet cafe is running short. Just wanted to say hi!!!  ::wave::  ::wave::
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Offline Frank N. O.

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2010, 11:29:17 AM »
Hahaha, glad you feel right at home :) The tunnels from the war, weren't they actually expanded for tourism although still being unbelievably narrow? I can't even imagine how it must feel to be there. Are you taking any interesting pictures to show later?

Greetings
Frank
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Offline Ragwing

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Re: Greetings from Hanoi
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2010, 12:24:46 PM »
The 75-mile (121 km)-long complex of tunnels at Củ Chi has been preserved by the government of Vietnam, and turned into a war memorial park.

The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. Some tunnels have been made larger  and low-power lights have been installed in several of them to make traveling through them easier and booby traps have been clearly marked. Underground conference rooms where campaigns such as the Tết Offensive were planned in 1968 have been restored, and visitors may enjoy a simple meal of food that Viet Cong fighters would have eaten.





Above the tunnels, they have soviner stands and ranges where you can shoot old AK-47's and M-16's at $1.50 per bullet.
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