After a relaxing time in Sapa we returned for one more day in Hanoi. Our sleeper car pulled in to the Hanoi train station around 4:30 am so we got a hotel room for a few hours sleep, or what we hoped would be a few hours sleep. Less than two hours later we woke to the blaring loudspeaker, right outside our window, blasting Hanoians with the daily propaganda radio broadcast. We tried to ignore it, but eventually we were laughing deliriously. Sleep-deprived, we set out for the mausoleum to see Uncle Ho. It was a solemn and strange experience. Still, I was glad to see the man who fought for so long for his country to be free. I am very sympathetic with Ho Chi Minh's goals. Based on my understanding of the long conflict, I feel that he wanted independence for his country, from the French, Japanese, and Americans, and it makes sense why Marxism appealed to him as a just alternative to colonialism. I know he visited Moscow, but I don't know to what extent he was working on his own versus working for Stalin or Mao. I want to think that he was not a puppet, and I find it very tragic that we didn't support him. Anticipating his sure win in a nationwide election after winning independence from France in 1954, the U.S. government supported a corrupt and cruel regime in the south, creating the country of "South Vietnam" which we would then "defend" from northern aggression. Ho died in 1969, never to see his country free. Now Vietnam is free, but incredibly corrupt, undemocratic, and poor. What would Ho think today? I think an epic biopic about his life would be fascinating!
For our final excursion around town Karinna and Michael took motorbike taxis while Karinna's mom and I squeezed into a rickshaw together. Hanoi kinda grew on me, but man, that traffic was nuts!
After a relaxing time in Sapa we returned for one more day in Hanoi. Our sleeper car pulled in to the Hanoi train station around 4:30 am so we got a hotel room for a few hours sleep, or what we hoped would be a few hours sleep. Less than two hours later we woke to the blaring loudspeaker, right outside our window, blasting Hanoians with the daily propaganda radio broadcast. We tried to ignore it, but eventually we were laughing deliriously. Sleep-deprived, we set out for the mausoleum to see Uncle Ho. It was a solemn and strange experience. Still, I was glad to see the man who fought for so long for his country to be free. I am very sympathetic with Ho Chi Minh's goals. Based on my understanding of the long conflict, I feel that he wanted independence for his country, from the French, Japanese, and Americans, and it makes sense why Marxism appealed to him as a just alternative to colonialism. I know he visited Moscow, but I don't know to what extent he was working on his own versus working for Stalin or Mao. I want to think that he was not a puppet, and I find it very tragic that we didn't support him. Anticipating his sure win in a nationwide election after winning independence from France in 1954, the U.S. government supported a corrupt and cruel regime in the south, creating the country of "South Vietnam" which we would then "defend" from northern aggression. Ho died in 1969, never to see his country free. Now Vietnam is free, but incredibly corrupt, undemocratic, and poor. What would Ho think today? I think an epic biopic about his life would be fascinating!
For our final excursion around town Karinna and Michael took motorbike taxis while Karinna's mom and I squeezed into a rickshaw together. Hanoi kinda grew on me, but man, that traffic was nuts!
No comments:
Post a Comment