Jan

8

Hanoi, Vietnam

Filed Under Return To Vietnam 

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

"Hanoi Hilton"

Hoa Lo Prison "Hanoi Hilton"

We spent the past 2 days in Hanoi & Halong Bay. People, mopeds and bikes everywhere! The drive inland from the Bay to Hanoi takes almost 4 hours one way. The country is undergoing change, but remains very poor with a low standard of living. Hanoi shows very little diversity, with the residents primarily North Vietnamese & Chinese.

After countless invasions and centuries of control by the Chinese and other countries, Vietnam was occupied by the Empire of Japan, in collaboration with France during WW II. The turning point in Vietnam’s recent history came in 1954 when Ho Chi Minh ordered the removal of French Soldiers from their military firebase at Dien Bein Phu. The destruction of the French army soon lead to the US involvement in the region. In 1973 the US military began withdrawal from Vietnam and in 1975 Saigon and the south fell to communism and the takeover by the North Vietnamese army.

While in Hanoi, we visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where “Uncle Ho” has been embalmed and on display since his death in 1969. The local Army Museum has thousands of military artifacts and vehicles on display, primarily from Russia, China, and the United States. Our final visit was to the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) where American Prisoners of War were held captive. Photos included John McCain and many other US military personnel…mostly pilots. The prison conditions where difficult to view and following our time there, Hanoi began to close in on us. It was time to leave.

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