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Show ___The Salt Lake 1 ribune TRAVEL Sunday, April 27, i997 Vietnam:A Visit to the Other Side BY MARTIN HOLLANDER NEWSDAY Before weleft for Vietnam, we noticed it was never Vietnam, period, It was Vietnam, question mark. “Vietnam?It stinks! I spent 16 4 “Were youin the service there? offering packages are Journeys International in Ann Arbor, Mich., (800) 255-8735; In- novAsian Travelin Hartsdale, wrenching war and to see it be- fore Vietnam gets to be a “hot” tourist destination. We had decided against going with a group, however, opting for an eight-day, N.Y., (800) 553-4665; Pacific Delight Tours in New York City, (212) 684-7707; Aber- singles and fives. Major credit cards are also widely accept- crombie & Kentin Oak Brook, Visas: Required. The Vietnam Embassy in Washington, semi-independent visit that in;ous cities, drivers and local New York on Cathay Pacific Airways, we switched to Vietnam Airlines to continue to Hanoi. During thatflight, ads in theair- 0694; fax is (202) 861-1297. this for you. Otherwise, send Pacific Airlines has tours at $1,705 to $1,866 per person that originate in Hong Kong smelled seam. While she demanded identification and he countered with declarations of good faith, other cabbies surrounded us to see the show. I looked at them andat the terminal crowd — and two notions about Vietnam everyone wedealt with spoke it to some extent, menus were printed in it; the American dollar, not the was that no matter how many Eu- Vietnamese ‘‘dong,” was the preferred currency, and there were ropeans, Americans and Austra- ample supplies of Coke and Pepsi. this homogeneous nation, to many he braked, accelerated and weaved around the trucks that kept pulling outto the left to pass the motorbikes that kept pulling outto the left to pass the bicycles that kept pulling outto the left to pass the pedestrians, whoat least stayed on the right. Vietnamese we were theattractions. matically addressed us in English Everything seemed green or gray. Rice paddies and cornfields stretched away from the road. Water buffalo pulled plows or wallowed in the paddies. Aad water was everywhere — in the paddies, in ditches, in streams Myfriend proved that the cab- before checking our passports bie was dissembling, and we trooped back to the terminal to locking poor but not impoverished, streamed along on foot, on and on the ubiquitous Honda Heblewthe horn constantly as lians had preceded us through and visas and logging our entry the embassy your application, two photos, your passport and a $65 money order. Service ‘was prompt. irritated us with more-than-casual questions about whom we had voted for in November and our attitudes about the war. Meanwhile, the driver demonstrated that he was confident God was his co-pilot on the two-lane highway that was sanscenterline. But my traveling companion, more wary and savvy than I, began to build: Our trip was not to be about scenery or cityscapes. It was to be part of and witness to daily human theater. The other look for Mr. Right. On our second pass, we found him. It was dislike at first sight. He ied us to a Toyota feeding the nearby Ked River. and introduced us to the driver. On the way into Hanoi, the guide Power and phonelinesstriated the sky. Numberless people, all rere a etter clo crehe) ERE Cote sd mri bum ESOL e SENS TET es Ty In Saigon, bicycles and the ubiquitous motorbikes are the main forms of ‘beneportation. Tour operators may handle Calif., (800) 360-8482. Cathay line’s magazinetouted the Saigon LasVe as €: D.C., will fax or mail an application. Phone is (202) 861- with travel agencies; Ivanhoe Travel in San Diego, (619) 272-8747; and VivaUSAInternational Tours in Santa Ana, ‘ guides. After flying to Hong Kong from Sie MgTe ed. Ml, (800) 323-7308; Japan & Orient Tours, which deals only eluded prepaid lodgings in vari- the tour company. He was good. eember to mid-May. Money:U.S. currencyis accepted everywhere. The best pretrip advice we received was to travel with plenty of Amongthe flock of companies landofthe otherside in our most into their computer terminals. The taxi driver who approached us outside the terminal was fluent enoughto say he hadbeensent by rainy season, travel mid-De- make it an extra-price option. No? So why go?” We simply wanted to see the tion officials at the airport auto- When to Go:To avoid the be-missed Halong Bay or “They've forgotten the war! They love Americans!” Even the sour-faced immigra- Minh Cityare world-class. bling back. Others skip not-to- hate us; they'll never forgive foreign-languagesigns werein it, in the main cities, ranging from standard to deluxe. The Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi and the Omni Saigon in Ho Chi Singapore or Bangkok — right over Vietnam — andthen dou- months there in the Army! They stoppable force in the universe. English had routed French; all Accommodations: There’s no shortage of hotels package tour. One caveat is that some involve flying to “It's beautiful!| It 's myfavorite foreign country , Golf and Country Club, new luxu|Ty hotels and office and apartment condominiums in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.It all looked soslick, so Sun Beit, so American, And, once there, we indeed found confirmation that — even in a former colony of France -— American culture is the one un- offices there, 011-852-2747- Tours: It’s best to use a Or Vietnam,exclamation point. . and must be booked via their IF YOU GO ere ei) ROLRECan er coyRed bicycles, on three-wheeled cyclos Dream motorbikes — some even carrying Dad, Mom and the two kids. The buildings we passed were narrow, worn brick and cementblock structures. Their openfirstfloor fronts werelike stages, with cooking, eating, retailing or manufacturing performances going mn. After about half an hour, we plunged into Hanoi — which in the evening gloom was displaying none ofthe old French colcnial charm the guidebooks had described. Our disappointment was inadequate for the growing trade, and a very 1996 addition gleamed in the atrium lights. The staff was solicitous and welcoming — as was that of every restaurant and less. We then circumnavigated the downtown Hoan Kiem lake. A groupof “one dollar” childrenintercepted us. One, about 4 years hotel we stopped at during our eight days in Vietnam. Wewere reviving. Near-recov- old, grabbed my hand and walked ery came after a lobby conference with the tour company manager, whoagreedto replace our guide. The driver, however, stayed. Driving in Vietnam was driving in with me, insisting that “You my father. You myfather. You take me to America. You take care of me.” A dollar sufficed. The next morning, our new Vietnam, the managerexplained. guide, Le Thanh Hieu, took us on There was no wayout. Mission half accomplished, we wentfor an evening walk. On the street, we were stared at — though nothinglikeit was to be in Saigon, Vietnam’s putative most compounded by exhaustion after sophisticated city — and accosted morethan 20 hours offlying, our irritation with our guide and our dread of going out the next day with the kamikaze driver. Buteven at 6:30 at night, there can be a dawn.Thehotel,the Sofitel Metropole, was an exemplarof by one kid after another chanting loving of children — weshelled out several dollars. We aiso stopped in an art gallery, where a colonial architecture, its center- smiling woman handed usa bro- found the 1920s original building age stamp designs: American planes being blasted out of the sky, dauntless Communist sol- piece a mahogany four-sided staircase up to the sixth floor. Still, charm was not enough. The hotel’s European managers had diers stormingto victory over GIs, ete. Looking at them wasnot pain- “One dollar, one dollar” and waving post cards and mapsat us. Being Americans — “rich” and chure about the exhibit. If was mostly of paintings used for post- an auto tour of downtown Hanoi. In thatsection, atleast, the books were correct about the city’s gracefulness. Hieu began talking about Ho Chi Minh, repeatedly calling him “Our Uncle.”Atfirst, we thought she was beingflip, but she was being reverent — very reverent. She let us out at the gate of the compound surrounding the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, home and museum and said she'd see us at the otherside, We waited with a crowd of more than 100 Vietnamese and talked briefly with three Ameri- can tourists — the only other See next page Ba CRI 53TETa psy ona1323 ris BBSamer rTP Bertola (CRUISES CRUISE FARES With Alamo, you don’t have to look far for great savings. - For 9, Nomatter where you'retraveling, we've gotjust the right spring into action and experience the freedom ofthe great outdoors. Now youc Yourfavorite getawayis waiting, andit’s ourpleasureto take youthere. aboardthe Skagw since rincess® offers the mostitineraries and w + anuime FinancING LOAN 7-Day Alaska Cruises from per month’ Travel Smart™ $129 ws. 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