Vietnam Forever

Photo Credit: Cable News Network: A Time Warner Company

I find myself quoting Anthony Bourdain more often than not, his branded words echo in my mind, resounding and poignant. He was and still is a hero of mine. The word ‘hero’ is a pretty hefty word, but to me, heroism is as simple as making this world a bit better. He did just that. He was brave in how he lived boldly as a soft-hearted rebel, a road-paving explorer, and a food-hungry humanitarian. I sometimes wonder if watching the world through his lens, I wanted to see more of it, and that’s partially why we’re in Vietnam right now. This is what he had to say about it…

“Vietnam… It grabs you and doesn’t let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever.”

Jeremy and I settled into the beachside, lantern-lit town of Hoi An. It is flooded with tourists, selfie sticks galore. It feels good to kick our feet up, unpack, and take root in one location for more than a few days. We needed it; our bodies and minds were at the brink of a major power outage. The Old Town of Hoi An feels straight out of a storybook tale when night falls; you become engulfed by a million incandescent lights. It’s not called “The Lantern City” for nothing.

I think we came across the greatest Banh Mi sandwich on our last night in Hoi An at a tiny, crowded street shop called Banh Mi Phuong, made famous by... Can you guess? Anthony Bourdain. He visited this stall years ago and called this particular French Vietnamese creation “a symphony in a sandwich.” My vegetarian Banh Mi was 90 cents and Jeremy’s beef Banh Mi was a dollar. We then crossed the street, sat our bums in plastic chairs once again, watched the nightlife spring to animation, and drank 60 cent beers. I’m telling you... It doesn’t get better than this.

To Da Nang we set forth next, a modern city with a swarm of fancy beach resorts being built along the entire ocean front coast. We ventured to Ba Na Hills, set within the surrounding jungled mountains, upon scooter once again, but this time dodging through morning rush hour traffic. Jeremy elegantly navigated his way through thousands of scooters, tour buses, and cars... I’m holding my breath in the back, but secretly loving the thrill of it all. I swallowed exhaust fumes until we got out of the heart of the hustling city, then I felt the highway wind rush through the ends of my hair and I already felt it in my bones how much I’ll miss Vietnam. We rode the longest and highest cable car in the world, walked across the famous Golden Bridge, and strolled through the French Village, overrun by Chinese tourists. We hit up an expat bar in the evening, “Stand By Me” playing in the background and a tropical breeze sliding by as we watched the river of nighttime traffic, then off we flew to Ho Chi Minh City the next morning.

Here we are in Ho Chi Minh City, but most of the locals preferably still refer to it as… Saigon. The heat is on in Saigon. It is the most Western city in Vietnam, snugging the bends of the Saigon River, and blanketed with rich, French architecture and modern skyscrapers. It is a fast-paced scooter city with stark contrasts; old and new, Eastern and Western, five star and street stand. We visited The War Remnants Museum, slowly scanning through a gallery of gut-wrenching photographs; severely disfigured people affected by the obliteration of Agent Orange and napalm, murdered women and children, dismembered American and Viet Cong soldiers. History is not a hardcover book you study in high school. Suddenly, my stomach twisted into tight knots, nauseous from emotion as the hazy, afternoon sky thundered down and broke open with a violent downpour.

Vietnam will stay with me. I wonder, maybe a year or so from now, on a crisp morning back in the States, if there will be a moment when I think back on this place, and I will feel it once again through my memories. I will see the smiles of the beautiful, resilient Vietnamese people and the greenest views my eyes have ever seen. I will feel the extreme heat and the heavy, monsoon rains and the feeling of being free and alive on the back of a scooter. I will hear the caged birds chirping in every storefront and the revving, rushing sounds of the streets. I will smell the vivacious, delicious nightlife and the cigarette-infused, steamy air. I will miss the greatest bars in the world… miniature, plastic stools lining the sidewalks.

Vietnam has taken hold of me and will never let me go.

I will love it forever.

Cheers,

Tera