It is worthwhile to mention, that Vietnam is an over 3,000 km long strip of land of average width about 100 km. It makes area slightly smaller than Poland and some 40% larger that our Australian State of Victoria. But population - around 90 millions, 15 times larger than in Victoria.
Out hotel day not started yet so we begin from visiting War Remnants Museum - CLICK.
Before entering the Museum our guide thanks us for understanding as Australia was involved in this war, on the other side.
I am also asking my readers for patience and tolerance as my relation is strongly influenced by impressions from the Museum, which has been built and maintained by the current, communist government of Vietnam.
War Remnants Museum, to be precise two wars as first was the French war , years 1945-54.
Year 1945 - Japan capitulated, French Vichy government capitulated too. In this vacuum enters Ho Chi Minh with his idea on independent, communist Vietnam.
At the same time, at the Potsdam Conference, it has been agreed, that the South part of Vietnam will be included into British Southeast Asia Command and Japanese forces in the North will surrender to Chinese, Kuomitang forces under command of Chiang Kai-shek.
Chinese accepted Hi Chi Minh activity. British in the South waited for decision of France. Interesting, that at this time American Office of Strategy Services (Predecessor of CIA) supported Ho Chi Minh claim to South Vietnam.
On 23 September 1945 France declared its rule over South Vietnam and the guerrilla war started.
Year 1949 - China became a communist country under Mao Tse-tung. North Korea was under Soviet administration. Vietnam became a part of communist block.
1953 - USA decided to support France.
Justification: “Now let us assume that we lose Indochina. If Indochina goes, several things happen right away. The Malay Peninsula, that last little bit of land hanging on down there, would be scarcely defensible. The tin and tungsten that we so greatly value from that area would cease coming.” - president Eisenhower - CLICK.
American support amounted to 400 million dollars.
Year 1954 - communist forces under general Giap defeated the French army. At the peace conference in Geneva France declared full withdrawal from Vietnam.
Full history of the First Indochina War here - CLICK.
American war in Vietnam practically started in 1953, with military support mentioned above. After French withdrawal South Vietnam was ruled by non-communist nationalists under prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem. He was a staunch anti-communist and a fanatical Catholic.
The first gave him full American support, the second resulted in persecution of other religions, mostly Buddhist. It was a cause of numerous protests and culminated in self immolation of a Buddhist monk Thich Quand Duc.
Ngo Dinh Diem treated ruthlessly all political opponents and became a quite unpopular figure. His popularity waned and eventually CIA sent a supportive message to South Vietnamese generals planning a coup d'etat.
Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother were murdered on 2 November 1963.
Organizers of the coup d'etat were invited to American Embassy to celebrate. US president J.F. Kennedy sent a cable to congratulate "a fine job".
Ironically, 20 days later J.F. Kennedy was dead.
After fall of Ngo Dinh Diem political situation in South Vietnam became very unstable. There was a long succession of military governments. As a consequence American troops landed in Vietnam.
Hi Chi Minh warned Americans: "If they want to make war for twenty years then we shall make war for twenty years. If they want to make peace, we shall make peace and invite them to afternoon tea".
Military operations did not bring success as the nature favoured Vietnamese (communist) partisans. So the war against nature started. Spraying forests with chemicals causing defoliation (loss of leaves). One of companies involved in this project was Monsanto, the same which tries now to dominate the world with genetically modified plants.
More radical weapon was Agent Orange - CLICK - which caused grievous health consequences for those who came in contact. Up to 4 million people in Vietnam were affected and 1 million people have illnesses. The chemical has damaged the genes, giving descendants with deformities. American war veterans, who had contact with Agent Orange were awarded compensation.
Vietnamese people will suffer consequences for a long time - read this - CLICK.
Full history of the Vietnam War here - CLICK.
In he first section of this story I mentioned influence of Graham Greene's book - The Quiet American on my choice of Vietnam. Another significant influence was a movie Apocalypse Now based on a book The heart of the darkness by Joseph Conrad. Here is a trailer from the movie - CLICK.
Watching this trailer I have memory of one more writer - John Steinbeck who visited Vietnam as a war correspondent.
"The author was impressed with American war technology, especially the helicopters and the gunship they called “Puff the Magic Dragon,” which could saturate a football field in a few seconds with .50-caliber bullets. It never occurred to him that, in an insurgency, such a wide swath of death in heavily populated areas would not enhance the winning of “hearts and minds.” He asked incredulously: “How could we lose a war against peasant rabble when we had all the modern advantages?”- CLICK.
Here is the effect of modern advantages.
Memories of worldwide protests against the war in Vietnam are well exposed in the Museum.
There are photos and reports about protests in USA, France,Soviet Union, Hungary.
Close to the exit from the Museum I noticed a book stall...
Second from the left in the bottom row The Quiet American and above, slightly to the right, the French response - The little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Looks a bit sarcastic as next to the Museum, just behind this wall...
there is an old French prison. These bars in the floor this are ceilings of prison cells. Sometimes there were dozens of people packed into each of them.
Graham Greene got it easy. Just in this conflict Britain stayed neutral. And Antoine de Saint-Exupery? He also avoided a trap - did not return from a reconnaissance flight in 1944.
End of the tour. It is good to be again amongst alive.
In Melbourne, reading the tour description I noticed with some sadness a mention, that in Ho Chi Minh City there is an option to watch an AO Show.
AO Show? The obvious translation was Adult Only Show. Of course. Neighbouring Thailand is famous as a sex tourism destination. Vietnam could not avoid some influence. And everything is cheaper here.
So it was a big surprise when our guide led us to stylish building of the Opera House...
... and told us, that here we can but tickets for a ballet performance - details here - CLICK.
I was very glad - our tour organizer (Intrepid) maintained a good standard from the beginning to the end. I was a bit ashamed with my association, and also disappointed a bit. Had I known what it is about I would have extended my stay in Vietnam by one day.
We end the day with a walk in Ho Chi Minh central district. Skyscrapers, elegant hotels and office blocks. Our dinner is in a top class restaurant - Lemon Grass - CLICK.
Still it is good to walk back to the hotel in a typical Vietnamese street.
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