A veteran’s trip back in time

Rick Liebermann

Prior to November 2003, the last time I saw Vietnam was in 1970. For

me, the country was much different when I visited it again in

November 2003. Back in 1970, it was a country at war, and I had just

flown off the flight deck of the USS Constellation and landed in the

South Vietnamese city of Da Nang, after having been in and out of the

region for the better part of the prior four years. I was part of a

Navy photo reconnaissance squadron.

In those days, we flew out of Guam, Da Nang, the Gulf of Tonkin

(Vietnam), Thailand, and the Philippines. Our objective and mission

was to take aerial reconnaissance pictures. For a while, some of

these missions took the squadron over North Vietnam and Hanoi.

Coming from the USS Constellation, I was on my way home to San

Diego to be separated from the Navy. I felt like I had enough, was

feeling a bit superstitious and I was doing my absolute best to

minimize any more time “in country.” Upon landing in Da Nang, I

wanted to be on the first available flight back to the United States.

I never, ever, thought I would have any reason to go back to Vietnam.

That was 1970.

Scroll the clock up 33 years to 2003. I found myself, once again,

back in Vietnam; this time as a tourist in, of all places, Hanoi.

Many of you may recall that Hanoi in the 1960s and 1970s most

certainly had chilling name recognition as the capital of North

Vietnam. Those of us who were part of a Navy squadron flying over the

city at the time viewed Hanoi with high anxiety.

My plan was to visit Hanoi on the end of a November 2003 Asian

business trip. I chose Hanoi because of its cooler temperatures,

regional historical significance, French architectural heritage, good

food, abundant art, and, quite frankly, because it was so “verboten”

as part of my past.

I sought to see as much as I could in six days: ancient temples,

Vietnamese rivers and waterways, historic buildings, restaurants, art

galleries and the like. As it turned out, I could not get it all done

in six days.

I left the Kuala Lumpur airport to begin my Hanoi tour with some

degree of angst as we ascended toward Vietnam. I kept thinking back

to the last time I flew over Vietnam; times were much different.

My feelings changed a bit when I noticed about half the Vietnam

Airlines plane was filled with tourists from around the world. After

a great flight, good food and service, we landed at the Hanoi airport

where a brand- new, modern terminal greeted passengers.

As part of my arrangements, I had a Vietnamese driver and guide

meet me at the airport. While some people I met in Hanoi did not

utilize such services, I found my driver/guide to be very beneficial

in both the large Hanoi metropolitan area and country villages.

My first night in Vietnam was spent outside Hanoi in a town called

Halong Bay. It is a 3 1/2 -hour car ride east of Hanoi. The purpose

of going to Halong Bay was to rent a Vietnamese junk (boat) and tour

some of the amazing limestone island outcroppings that run from

Halong Bay to China. The next morning, we boarded the junk about 8

a.m. Our guide went with us because the captain and three-man crew

spoke no English. The 50-foot boat was 100% teak construction, had

two decks, white linen table cloths in the salon area and was very

comfortable. The captain had a perpetual smile and his wife, who was

about five-months pregnant, doubled as an amazing on- board chef.

The first island we visited in Halong Bay was about 30 minutes out of

the harbor. We tied up and were free to hike around the island and

explore its huge limestone caves with dramatic stalactites and

stalagmites. After about an hour on the island, we boarded the junk

and continued cruising through an endless maze of conical island

outcroppings. I am told there are about 3,000 such islands in this

area, most less than a quarter of a mile apart. To view this

spectacle is a must for any visitor to North Vietnam.

Hanoi is a city of about 4.5 million people and is, essentially, a

low-rise city. There are very few high-rise buildings. The city is

spread out and its residents navigate from place to place usually on

narrow, congested streets. The principle mode of transportation for

local folks seems to be the motorcycle. The city is quite clean and

the merchants friendly and eager to chat.

My Hotel for five days in Hanoi was the Sofitel Metropole. It was

built by the French in 1901 but has since been impeccably upgraded

and restored. It is strategically located in the heart of the city,

making side trips and walking junkets quite easy. (Keep in mind as I

say this that I still cannot quite believe that I was walking around

the heart of Hanoi as a tourist!!) Service and staff, again, were

amazing.

While in Hanoi, I utilized the hotel as my base for daily side

trips. These side trips included visits to religious and spiritual

venues, theatrical events, historical sites and shopping. In Hanoi, I

visited, and recommend, the ancient Temple of Literature, the One

Pillar Pagoda, the Opera House (built by the French at the turn of

the century), and the old quarter for shopping. Unique to Vietnam is

the Hanoi Water Puppet Theatre. Visiting this production was a

pleasant and air-conditioned respite from a couple of days of touring

the city. The show lasted about one hour and is worth the time for a

new visitor.

My guide also arranged for me to visit the Perfume Pagoda, an

ancient spiritual location and temple Northwest of Hanoi, high in the

mountains. It is a 1 1/2-hour car ride from Hanoi to the river,

where we boarded what I used to call a “san pan”, which is a

flat-bottomed, canoe-type boat that is paddled from the rear by a

standing oarsman. The boat trip took one hour as we paddled in a

river waterway barely 18 inches deep and sometimes only 15 feet wide.

Rice paddies and lotus flowers surrounded the waterway. At the end of

the boat ride, I hiked up a well-worn stone trail for another hour to

reach the pagoda, high in the mountains. The ascent to the top was

beautiful for the entire hike.

Lush forests created additional humidity but very much added to

the scenic and “Indiana Jones” feel of the visit as we saw monkeys

playing in the trees. We passed through what I will call a series of

temple “gates” made of very old hand carved stone. These gates, in

the middle of the jungle, were the entry to a large temple about half

way up the mountain on the way to the Perfume Pagoda. Hiking further,

we walked passed high mountain vistas overlooking a vast array of

rice paddies and other high-country scenery. I also remember

consuming a decent quantity of bottled water, which I took

everywhere.

The Perfume Pagoda is at the mountaintop, itself having what

appears to be yet another very old stone “gateway” into the shrine.

The pagoda itself is within a very large cave that, upon entry, is

virtually black inside. The spiritual figures of the pagoda began to

become clear and visible. My question to myself was: “How did all

this get located and built so many, many years ago?” After all, we

paddled for one hour over a river only 18 inches deep and hiked for

another hour to reach the pagoda.

The next day, I visited the “Hanoi Hilton”, the former POW prison

in the heart of Hanoi where the likes of Sen. John McCain was held

prisoner. The front gate reads “Maison Centrale” in French, or

“prison” in English. Much of the original prison has long since been

torn down and replaced with an office building. What remains,

however, are sections of the original prison structure built by the

French prior to the turn of the 19th century to incarcerate political

prisoners. Very heavy, thick stonewalls, antiquated electrical

fixtures, and shackle blocks are still visible. I could not help

thinking back to the ‘60s and ‘70s. It was cathartic and a moving

experience for me to walk out of the gates of the prison where the

U.S. fliers walked when they were released.

I was on my own each evening, exploring shops, looking for art,

and checking out restaurants. I was always careful about using

bottled water; no ice cubes in drinks, and no “leafy” vegetables

unless they were well- cooked or steamed. With this rule, I found the

food very tasty. I had “pho” almost every morning at the hotel

consisting of a noodle and meat soup in a bowl. Evenings in Hanoi, I

frequently found myself at the “Diva” across the street from the

Hotel Metropole Sofitel. It is great for later night drinks and

snacks and has an international clientele with nightly music, usually

stringed instruments with a piano.

Much has changed for me from the Vietnam of the 1960s and ‘70s. I

recommend the visit to anyone with a little adventure in their blood,

and a willingness to explore a developing country. To me, there

appears to be a middle class forming, at least with my limited visit.

It was interesting to sit and e-mail my wife in a small Internet

cafe in Haiphong. Next to me was a young man on one side and young

lady on the other typing in English and looking at Web addresses all

over the world. Times are changing. They have for me.

* RICK LIEBERMANN is a resident of Newport Beach