Day 11 June 13, 2012: -Da Lat Agricultural tour -University visit -Hill tribe dance
This morning’s outing focused on Da Lat’s <agricultural production> and village life. Our first stop was at a market garden to learn about flower-growing in the flower growing region. Viet Nam flower exports amounts to over $16 million to Europe. Our next stop was a visit to a <silk factory>. Here we discovered the process of silk-making from its beginning as a silkworm cocoon to the finished product. On our way to Buon Chuoi village we stopped at <Au Viet coffee plantation>. Coffee beans are fed to weasels. The weasels digest the fruit and “poop” the beans. The “poop” is collected, dried and processed. It is expensive. In cafés coffee it is served in a drip filter. While you wait for the coffee to “drip” you engage in conversation. Vietnamese coffee is exceptional however, I am not a fan of weasel coffee. Our last stop was an isolated traditional village of <Buon Chuoi (Banana Village)-1> to meet the Chil people. One of the indigenous hill tribe peoples that practices subsistence farming <Buon Chuoi (Banana Village)-2>. After returning to Da Lat city we went to <Da Lat University> to learn about the Vietnamese system of education. We had an informative discussion with a professor and local university students.
Da Lat has over 30 distinct hill tribes, each with their own language, traditional dress and customs. After dinner we enjoyed an evening with another hill tribe. Our visit with the <K’ho people-1> gave us a glimpse of another Vietnamese culture. We were treated a history of the K’ho people and a performance of traditional dances <K’ho people-2>.
Day 12 June 14, 2012: -Fly to Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon) -City tour
Today we took a <flight to Ho Chi Minh City>. Formerly known as Sai Gon, it is now a modern seaport and the country’s largest city. A <Sai Gon city tour-1> brings us first to the Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame. The structure was completed in 1880 and is said to be on the site of an old pagoda. We also stop to see the architecture of the majestic Post Office, built during the same time period as Notre Dame it features two enormous murals depicting maps of Viet Nam as it was many decades ago. Our tour continued past the former U.S. Embassy.
The <War Remnants Museum> contains exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War. Opened in 1975 as the "Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes," the museum is operated by the Vietnamese government and is located in the former U. S. Information Agency building. In 1990, the name was changed to Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression. In 1995 following the normalization of diplomatic relations with the U. S. and end of the US embargo it became the "War Remnants Museum." Within the museum building themed rooms exhibits can be seen as "blatantly one-sided." Many exhibits in the museum contain a heavy dose of anti-American propaganda," but "they do graphically portray the horrors of the Vietnam War and "worth a visit no matter your opinion of US involvement in Vietnam".
Outside the museum building in the <War Remnants Museum courtyard> is period military equipment. The military equipment includes a UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, an F-5A fighter, a BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bomb, M48 Patton tank, an A-1 Skyraider attack bomber, and an A-37 Dragonfly attack bomber. There are a number of pieces of unexploded ordnance stored in the corner of the yard, with (we hope) the charges and fuses removed.
Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, linguine-shaped rice noodles, herbs, and meat. It is a popular street food in Viet Nam and the specialty of a number of restaurant chains around the world. Pho is primarily served with either beef (Pho Ba) or chicken (Pho Ga.) The Hanoi and Saigon styles of pho differ by noodle width, sweetness of broth, and choice of herbs. Pho was unpopular in South Viet Nam. With the partition of Vietnam in 1954, people fled to South Vietnam. When variations in meat and broth appeared and additions such as lime, bean sprouts, cilantro, cinnamon basil and Hoisin sauce were added to Pho its popularity took off.
After a Pho lunch we visited a <lacquer ware company> where we learned how this art is made from experts who work patiently at their craft to create traditional masterpieces. <city tour-2>
This afternoon we had a unique tour of the <city by cyclo-rickshaw-1>. I will describe it as organized chaos. We were inches away from speeding motorbikes, cars, busses and trucks. . As we zig-zagged through the traffic we called to pedestrians “Sin Chow” – Hello. They either returned the phrase or greeted us with mile-wide smiles<city by cyclo-rickshaw-2>.
Viet Nam Photos Page 7