Ho Chi Minh

      Ho Chi Minh is still a much revered figure in Vietnam and his life and accomplishments are important parts of government nationalistic propaganda. His image is everywhere, which is interesting because he is said to have shunned the comforts and trappings of power. He requested that his remains be cremated and no special monuments erected. He died in 1969 (age 79) and did not live to see the reunification of Vietnam, a cause which he had dedicated his adult life to, but his influence is still felt.
     He is remembered more fondly in the North, where he was born. His father worked for the French as a teacher, but he was eventually fired because he was unwilling to learn French. He taught his children to resist French rule, but interestingly, he made sure Ho was sent to a French school because he thought it would help him prepare for the struggle against the French.
     Ho briefly became a teacher and then a sailor. He settled in Paris in 1917 where his socialist beliefs were nurtured. He was an admirer of Karl Marx and he became a founding member of the French Communist Party. He left Paris for China in the '30s and settled near the Vietnamese border where he helped start the Vietnam Revolutionary League. In the '40s he formed the Vietminh and mounted a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese, who had invaded Vietnam in order to secure a supply of rice. After WWII, the French wanted control again and refused to recognize the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, so Ho and the Vietminh stepped up the fighting using guerilla tactics and trench warfare. By 1953, the Vietminh controlled the north.
     The French were defeated in 1954 at the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The US, Soviet Union (who supplied arms to the Vietminh), Britain and France met after Dien Bien Phu and arbitrarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. Control of the North went to Ho Chi Minh on the condition that the French would withdraw from the north and the Vietminh from the south.
     But Ho Chi Minh continued to work towards a united Vietnam. He supported the Vietnamese Resistance (know as the Viet Cong) in the south. This worried the States and in 1964, then President Johnson launched 'Operation Rolling Thunder' which was meant to destroy the North Vietnamese economy so that North Vietnam could no longer help the resistance in the south. The rest as they say, is history and the story for another blog entry!

This mausoleum in Hanoi houses the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh, the 'father' of Vietnam. Ironically, he did not want an elaborate or ostentatious monument and would be horrified by this building.

He is still known as 'Uncle Ho'. His photograph is
 on all denominations of VND and his picture can
be seen all over the country. Lots of photos show
him with young children, like an adoring grandfather. 

It says ' tomb of Ho Chi Minh'

Paul captured this great shot of the changing of the guard.

Mekong Delta

waiting for the tour boat in My Tho

We started our 2 week Tet holiday with a day tour of the Mekong Delta with Randy and Heather Kline, visiting from Oakville.
     The Mekong River has its source in Tibet. It is 4500 kms long, and meanders through China, Burma, Thailand, Loas and Cambodia, where it gathers silt. It splits into tributaries as it enters Vietnam, giving the delta its triangular shape and fertile, alluvial deposits.
     This part of Vietnam has seen its share of conflict including French and Cambodian occupation and defoliation during the American War (Agent Orange). In spite of this, the region supports one of the most important rice producing areas in Vietnam. Forty-seven percent of the country's grain production occurs in the Delta, with the cultivation of rice accounting for more than half of the country's total output. The area is also know for growing fruit (coconut, longan, mango) and vegetables.

View towards My Tho

One of the 2 female rowers of our 'xuong ba la'

The Mekong is also Vietnam's most important fishing region. Life on the river has remained unchanged for centuries, and since many villages are accessible by water rather than road, we chose to experience the area by boat.

There are over 2800 kms. of canals in the Delta. Local people use narrow wooden boats to navigate the canals and to earn money from tourist dollars. The boats are a little like a dugout canoe made from a hollowed out log, but tree trunks are not readily available now, so the dinghies are made from wooden planks.








Although the Mekong's lush habitat is home to
a variety of plants and animals, including
monkeys, crocodiles, storks and cobras, all
we saw was this quite tame python.  They are
often raised on farms for consumption.

One of the stops on the tour included a visit to a honeybee
farm and snake charming.

Everyone had to wear the cone hats. The canals are narrow and overgrown with lush vegetation. Then women rowing our boat were fast and strong, however, and we soon pulled ahead of the crowds. Although the tour was definitely designed for tourists, it was a good way to see life along the river. We passed a few homes that were nothing more than some bamboo lashed together, planks and tin or thatched roofs. One of our women rowers pointed to one meager home, dirt floor and all, and told us it was hers. We wondered if it really was her home, or she was hoping to prey on our empathy to receive a bigger tip.

It was quite crowded with tourists when we started. Only 4
people (plus 2 rowers) per boat. 

Safety First!

Richard Parker,  I see that you are ready to practice the

emergency evacuation procedures.

 These pictures show the 'Emergency Escape Slow Descending Device' that is our way to get out of the apartment in the event of a fire, or terrorist attack, or even poor choice of apparel by Paul.


The shorter 'arm' of the device kind of swings around so the whole thing looks like an upside down 'L'. It is advertised as:

• easy to operate
• high strength
• quick descent (I bet)
• tensile strength of 1500+kg
• light weight

There are supposedly 2 parts: the speed adjusting device and the rope. I guess they don't count the safety belt and pole. Apparently it doesn't matter how much you weigh, "the escaping person will descend safely." Hopefully the 'escaping' person doesn't have to be young, fit, and a stick, like the girl in the ad, in order to use the device.

Presumably this is where we get the rope, safety
belt and pulley system.

Yes, Richard Parker, it is a long way down!

At least the view will be great on the way down.

                                                  

  And, after reading these very clear and helpful instructions (which indicate it is a SLOW descending device), I am full of confidence.

Water Buffalo (and other domestic animals)

Mekong Delta

Sightings of domestic water buffalo are common in Vietnam. In the more rural areas, vehicles often have to stop as these slow moving bovines amble across the road. We saw them everywhere we stopped on our two-week Tet holiday, from the Mekong in the south to Sapa in the north. The wild branch of the Asian water buffalo is endangered, with only a few herds left. The Asian water buffalo is not related to the African water buffalo.

Water buffalo were domesticated in India 5000 years ago. Ninety-five percent of the world's domestic water buffalo are found in Asia. They continue to be  very important to rural Vietnamese families. They pull ploughs in the

Paul with the buffalo out of the mud-hole 

rice paddies where their wide, splayed hooves  prevent them from sinking into the mud. Buffalo still provide 20 - 30 % of farm power in Vietnam.

They are also used for milk and they provide five percent of the world's milk supply. Buffalo milk contains less water but has more fat and protein. Butter, yogurt and butter oil (ghee) are also made from buffalo milk. Buffalo excrement is used for fertilizer and, when dried, for fuel.

Mom is a chicken! 

Sapa

Sapa

Sapa

Sapa

Sapa

Sapa

Hoi An farm

It is hard to tell in this picture, but the babies are ducklings. Our guide in Sapa told us that domestic ducks are too stupid to raise babies, so the ducklings are given a chicken as a foster mother. The hen was kind of walking along the edge of the ditch and the ducklings were swimming along behind. How would she know to take them near water?

A domestic water buffalo, which can have horns up to 1 metre long, lives up to 25 years. They are mild-mannered and love to wallow in mud puddles and streams where they find relief from insects and the sun. Buffalo prefer to graze on muddy or marshy gound. Apparently they are not easily driven, like cattle. The herder must walk beside or in front and they usually follow. I've also heard that they were used by the Viet Cong as minesweepers during the 'American' war (as it is called here.

These piglets were basking on the hot concrete. The sow was lying in the shade in the pen. Pork is much more popular than beef in Vietnam. We have seen very few beef cows.









Lots of small dogs and puppies in the rural areas. They room around with no collars or leashes. But on a farm, a dog is just like any of the other animals, and not usually kept as a pet. We saw no cats. In fact, I've only seen 2 cats since I've been here - both in HCMC.

These buffalo were grazing on the side of a very steep hill. The terraced rice paddies are visible in the distance. Our guide told us that the buffalo roam free and every year the mud terraces have to be repaired due to damage by foraging water buffalo. Water buffalo hides are tough and are used to make strong leather products.





















Goats are well adapted to the hilly terrain in Sapa. They are used more for milk than meat.













In Hoi An, this little farm was right across the river from our hotel. You can see the water buffalo resting out front. There were also lots of ducks, chickens and pigs. The family lived in the back of the building. Fishing was also part of their livelihood.