Viet Nam with Kim and Kevin
From July 4 to 27, my brother Kevin and I travelled in Viet Nam, peering closely at the country through our respective lenses of filmmaker and historian. Here is the first installment, my first internet photos, and my first fitful start at using technology for sharing what I have learned.
19 August 2005
15 August 2005
Viet Nam, Part One
These are the first of four sets of photos. They represent the experiences of the first week of our trip.
You can reach Part Two at www.kimallen2.blogspot.com,
Part Three at www.kimallen3.blogspot.com, and
Part Four (suprise, surprise) at www.kimallen4.blogspot.com.
PART ONE:
* HANOI
* NINH BINH PROVINCE SOUTH OF HANOI
* THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS OF SAPA AND ETHNIC MINORITY PEOPLE
PART TWO:
* TRAIN TO HANOI
* CENTRAL VIET NAM, INCLUDING
THE IMPERIAL CITY OF HUE AND THE HISTORIC PORT OF HOI AN
PART THREE:
* RELIEF WORK IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE
* SITE OF THE MY LAI MASSACRE
PART FOUR:
* HO CHI MINH CITY
* LAYOVER IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
You can reach Part Two at www.kimallen2.blogspot.com,
Part Three at www.kimallen3.blogspot.com, and
Part Four (suprise, surprise) at www.kimallen4.blogspot.com.
PART ONE:
* HANOI
* NINH BINH PROVINCE SOUTH OF HANOI
* THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS OF SAPA AND ETHNIC MINORITY PEOPLE
PART TWO:
* TRAIN TO HANOI
* CENTRAL VIET NAM, INCLUDING
THE IMPERIAL CITY OF HUE AND THE HISTORIC PORT OF HOI AN
PART THREE:
* RELIEF WORK IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE
* SITE OF THE MY LAI MASSACRE
PART FOUR:
* HO CHI MINH CITY
* LAYOVER IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Hanoi, Part One
We spent our first few Vietnamese days in the stifling heat of Hanoi. We learned to rise at 5 and go to bed early. The excrutiating tropical humidity was offset by an instant appreciation for the city, and for the good friends we made while we were there. We would return to Hanoi three times before finally flying south to Hue.
Like VIPs, we were met at the airport by our acquaintance Hoang's family in Hanoi when we touched down on July 5 after about 24 hours of travel. Hoang was an exchange student in Wichita, Kansas, our hometown, and he graciously extended his family's hospitality to us, even while he was still in the USA. His family came to be dear friends.
Yes, the masses do aerobics. Kevin would be on the filmmaker war path from then on, searching for some authentic spiritual exercise in the morning. Too much toasting with glasses of beer rendered this goal elusive. We had to make do with a few old folks doing tai chi by the lake. On the other hand, this disco music was Vietnamese "new wave, " very evocative of Kevin's childhood with his Viet Kieu friends