My experience of the American War

I remember in the first or second grade at my elementary school, a friend at my school table asked me “Lynn, you’re Vietnamese right?! Were YOU in the Vietnam war?” I didn’t know what the war was at the age. So I just said “Yes..?” Then our teacher told us the date, she found out I was lying and with my pride at the age I made something up. That’s my first memory of the American War and the history of Vietnam.

Just like the delicious food here in Vietnam, I’ve been consuming a lot of information and opinions about Vietnam - it’s history, with what they call, the American War and it’s legacy – and I have not been able to digest it. So, sorry about this late and muddled post.. I’m still trying to figure out my position here as a Vietnamese-American and the concept of belonging.

Now, here are some pictures of my first two weeks learning deeply about the history in culture while being in Vietnam.. 

My first weekend, I went sight seeing and saw:

Ho Chi Minh’s Vestige in the Presidential Palace Area.

Ho Chi Minhs Museum

Van Mieu - Center of scientific and cultural activities 

I went sight seeing with my friend’s host dad. Here is Sneha and her host dad. 

Here is me and Sneha’s host dad. 

Presidential Palace (formerly Indochina's General Governor Palace of the French)

We got to see the area where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked at. This is a picture of his desk, there are portraits of Marx and Lenin because Ho was very inspired by them. He lived in simplicity and modesty.

This is Lily, my new roommate for this homestay in Vietnam. We're in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (where they display his dead body. Yikes!)

After sight seeing, we had lunch at Sneha's and Tami's house. That's fried chicken, french fries, and salmon. But later we had hot pot! Yum!

Cheers! Drinking with some host daddies! 

Tami is sitting on host grandma's lap. 

Here are some pictures from a classic week day in between and during classwork:

This is me ordering food on the street. I met a Canadian man this day. He joked around about how my American friends and I were invading his lunch space. He said “What an American thing to do… especially with your history in this country.”  I certainly am a fan of obnoxious humor, but that man was not cute at all. His comment got me thinking about my hyphenated identity – Vietnamese-American. The hyphen can be representative of a  bridge between cultures. But, who gets to decide what side of that bridge I stand on? Not that man wearing an ugly shirt. Hmph...

We went to a disability clinic for children – most of them were affected by Agent Orange that was sprayed during the war. These people lived in such happiness and held no grudge after the effects of chemicals Americans sprayed. It was a concept that was uneasy for me to follow. 

Lily and I went to the market after a heavy day, got snacks, and watched Whose Line is it Anyway.

One day, during community building, we met at a local lake..

Started by playing a game called Birdy on the Perch..

I won't explain the game, but here are the results.. 

Then we rented these Swan boats and peddled around.

I went to go see my family this weekend in Da Nang and Quang Ngai:

I hung out with my Ong Noi.

Went to the beach with my aunt and cousins. 

A woman named Lady Borton once suggested me to NOT keep a journal. Why not journal? She said that journaaling is cryptic because you’re writing to yourself. She said when you write to yourself, you don’t include enough details because you know the experience. So, she said.. write to others. 

I am writing to whoever wants to read. Right now, I'm still digesting this glorious country. I hope that if you wanted - you could experience the places, the emotions, triumphs, and challenges as I travel. I don’t want to give it all away though… that way you all will still want to talk to me when I return hehe :) 

Real quick, my five senses:

Taste: The aftertaste of peanut M&Ms and bad breathe

Feel: My tailbone against this board bed thing, cramped in a room 7ft x 7 ft with 6 other people. A silk sleep sack.

Sight: A bed above me, my computer screen

Smell: Mildewy, unidentifiable

Sound: Nearness of You – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, bits of the conversation in the room, the rattleness of the train

If you couldn’t tell, I’m currently on a train to Sapa! A very rural and northern area of Vietnam..

Seeking,

Lynn