In 2008, I was pleased to announce that "Love and the American War" was the very first of my travel essays to be published.  The essay below is included in a collection called To Vietnam With Love.  ThingsAsian Press.  2008. pp 93-96.

July 30, 2003

Saigon
Vietnam

Dear Family and Friends,

My dear readers. You must be wondering, "Jan has traveled the length of Vietnam. He has extolled the physical beauty of the country and the wonderful people he has met. But nowhere has he mentioned the unmentionable." Stand by.

My tour outside of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) made two stops. The first was the Caodai Temple in Tay Ninh. The second was the Cu Chi Tunnels.

The Cu Chi Tunnels formed a network of military strongholds which held up to 16,000 Viet Cong for months at a time. Only 6000 survived the relentless bombing. Thousands of civilians died in the vicinity.

At Cu Chi, tourists crawl around the tunnels and then visit the adjacent museum. I politely declined. Instead, I sat at the nearby café and started to gather my thoughts for this letter.

I really cannot explain my reasoning; I cannot account for my emotions. Sometimes, I just "decline." Read more »

Location

July 29, 2003

Ha Long Bay
Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is the culmination of my three weeks in Vietnam, the "cross of the t and the dot on the i, the icing on the cake."

Listen:

Sushma and Paawan Seksaria, newlyweds from Mumbai (Bombay), were with me on the Hanoi city tour. They had reserved a car and driver for the three-hour drive to Ha Long City. They were booked on a luxury yacht for a two-day, one night cruise of Ha Long Bay. They invited me to join them. Cabins were available.  I knew it would be a splurge....I said "yes!" Read more »

Location

 July 28, 2003

Hanoi
Vietnam

My most frequent question for other travelers is "What are the highlights?" I will answer that question regarding my brief visit to Hanoi, the end point of my journey from south to north in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

One of my favorite stops on the all-day city tour was The Temple of Literature, Vietnam's oldest university, founded in 1076. This sanctuary from the noise and commotion of the city consists of five courtyards surrounded by buildings of traditional Vietnamese architecture. The most precious artifacts are the eighty-two stelae, large stone tablets, each one sitting on a stone tortoise. The tortoise represents longevity. The inscriptions on the stelae describe the accomplishments of the teachers. Throughout Asia, teaching is a highly respected profession. Read more »

Location

 Hue, Vietnam
July 29, 2003
Sunny, hot, breezy

I am sitting at the Mai Huong Patisserie, a small sidewalk cafe near an intersection of the main street. I am watching an unending stream of incessantly beeping motorbikes; police officers with whistles stop speeders! I am enjoying my favorite - iced Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Deeelicious.

Huang, the friendly lady who runs the cafe with her husband, bakes muffins with dried fruit and nuts on top. No wonder I am not losing any weight.

I sign up for an all day boat trip on the Perfume River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Read more »

Location

July 26, 2003

Hoi An
Vietnam

At last Hoi An, a picturesque riverside town famous for its dozens of custom tailor shops. The driver brought me to a new hotel, with very comfortable guest rooms that surround an inviting swimming pool. The receptionist was apologetic when she quoted the rate of $15.00, including buffet breakfast.

Hoi An is a centuries old Chinese market town. Three hundred year old homes use construction materials and design to capture the breezes - cool inside, despite the considerable heat outside.

The numerous Chinese Assembly Halls are very large wooden buildings with high ceilings supported by tall wooden columns and beams. There are colorful statues, sculptures and murals depicting myths and old sea stories. Also replicas of important members of the various congregations: Fujian, Cantonese, Hainan, Chaozhau, Hakka.

Just out of town is the popular attraction, My Son, the ruins of ancient Cham temples. I wander among the broken Buddhas and fallen towers.

Did I mention tailor shops? Mae West once said, "I never let anything tempt me, unless I can't resist it." Your friend Jan is an easy mark. Read more »

Location

July 25, 2003

Danang
Vietnam

Dear Family and Friends,

The flight from Nha Trang to Danang was uneventful. At the Danang airport the drivers persuade me to hire a taxi for the trip to Hoi An.

My very first stop is a music shop where I buy six CDs for sixty-five cents each. I hope they play.

We visit the local Caodai Temple, attractive, yet a distant second in size and beauty to the one I saw in Tay Ninh outside of Ho Chi Minh City. Dressed in long white robes, the priests welcome me, ask that I attend their prayer service, and encourage me to take pictures.

The next stop is the Champa Museum. The guidebook says, "The best sight in Danang. Founded in 1915, the open-air collection of Cham sculptures is the finest in the world. Many of the sandstone sculptures are breathtaking."

The Hindu artifacts here date from the 7th to 15th Centuries. I wander among the pantheon of gods and goddesses, communing with Skanda, Siva, Uma, Ghanda, Brahma, Surya, Ganesa. I attend my second wedding ceremony of the trip. This one is carved into the base of a 7th Century altar. Heavenly dancing maidens present flowers to the newly-weds under the guidance of two gandara musicians.

The last stop in Danang is Marble Mountain -- really five hillocks which were islands ages ago. Teenage girls clamor, implore me to ride with them on their motorbike, if only I will visit their shop later. One cheery girl asks, "Where are you from, mister?" I say "America." With a great smile, she responds sincerely and enthusiastically, "Totally awesome!" Read more »

Location

July 24, 2003

Nha Trang
Vietnam

Now, here's a story:

In Nha Trang, I have breakfast at the rooftop restaurant of The Rainbow Hotel. The owner, a woman about my age is surprised and then happy when I insist on the Vietnamese breakfast of Pho -- delicious broth with noodles and vegetables, and a cup of filtered Vietnamese coffee.

We chat for a while. She lived in Chicago for many years before returning to Vietnam. A bit later, her thirty-six year old daughter appears. Han is "drop-dead" gorgeous. Need I say more? With smiles all around, Han invites me to dinner that evening. Read more »

Location

July 23, 2003 

Nha Trang
Vietnam

My Dear Curious Friends,

OK. I know more than a few of you are just aching to know the details of my "coffee date" in Dalat.

After coffee, Ha persuaded me to stay another day. The next afternoon we strolled around the lake. In the evening we had dinner and drinks at a French style club. Very conservative. Very proper. Ha is delightful and smart.  I hope I will see her again.

How many times can I use the word "spectacular"? OK ... superior, then. The three-hour bus ride from Dalat (elevation 1475m) to Nha Trang (sea level) was superior. We go down and around; down and around; down and around. We leave the cool, rainy, temperate, mountainous climate of cabbage, carrots, green beans and coffee and descend into the tropical flat coastal climate of water buffalo and rice. Read more »

Location

Dalat
Central Highlands
Vietnam

July 22, 2003

OK “Blinky.” Here's one for you....

Flew from HCMC to Dalat... Hilltop city on a lake. Cool ... need sweater ... didn't bring one. Rain sometimes ... need a jacket ... didn't bring one. Chilly at night.

Pine mountains, green valleys, vegetable farms, coffee trees.

Signed up for hike-tour. My group for the day: man and wife from Montreal with their twenty-two year old adopted Vietnamese daughter. She speaks French, Spanish, English with a French accent and only a little Vietnamese.

 We climb Lang Bian Mountain. Young Guide and young girl on point. Mom and Dad close behind them. Jan, huffing and puffing, bringing up the rear. One and a half hours of 25- 45 degree slopes. Through woods. No bears or tigers. Great vistas. (Legs ache today.) Read more »

Location

 Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam

July 21, 2003

On my flight from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, I met Mi, a lovely young woman who was returning home from a business trip. Mi owns the Cara Nguyen Fashion Design Company. I called her and she invited me for lunch.

I met Mi and her sisters at a beautiful restaurant. We consumed a remarkable amount of food and had a great time. Since Mi was busy with her business, she suggested that her sister be my unofficial tour guide for the day. Sounded good to me.

Read more »

Location