Vietnam in this journey from January to March 2020 has been a revelation. Some parts are tragic, like the children we met at Friendship Village in Hanoi with birth-defects related to Agent Orange. We have met other people who have been injured by landmines. Yet, today, if you will I want to focus on the immense beauty of this extraordinary country of Vietnam. For my baby boomer generation the war that the Vietnamese called the American war we still have many real and vibrant memories. Though we should never forget the horrors of the war, in 2020 it is time to put on a new pair of lenses. We have been savoring the vivacious and vibrant life of Vietnam
Vietnam is about children and youth. There are very few Vietnamese who are our age. My guess is that more than 60% of Vietnam is people less than 25 years of age who have no memory nor understanding of the war American kids who have no understanding nor real interest in knowing the truth of Vietnam. In our Instagram social media era if it did not appear on Facebook today it is irrelevant. I thoroughly enjoy the tremendously vibrant and friendly people here. Though I do not speak much more than 20 words of Vietnamese it is fairly easy to communicate. A smile and a wave hello and wishing people happy New Year’s Vietnam makes people.
My camera and computer are filled with thousands of photos of children playing in the parks, the exquisitely beautiful women, and the scenery from the mountains of Ba Nang to the charming city of Hue.
Children at War Museum in Dan Nang. It is a great joy playing and talking with the children here.
