Monday, September 3
Scheduled departure from Odense Central Station at 9.45. Unfortunately we had a komunikations errors airport. The group went on to the gate. I later came through and waited for safety checks ½ hour. I went through all the restaurants, but did not find the group. We met at the gate. I should of course have called, when Knud Erik Mobile with. I can learn something from. A nice quiet ride and good food. We landed at 5.30 in the morning.
Tuesday, September 4
We are now in Saigon in Vietnam and had rooms. Jump drove us to the old presidential palace. Hop is married to Huong, who is big sister to Thuy in Hanoi. Huy (studying in Saigon) from Hoi An contacted me by phone and was on the presidential palace, which is now a museum. It was here that a North Vietnamese tank drove through the grid and ended the war 30/4 1975th We have invited Huong and Jump and their 2 children to eat with us tonight. Huy also takes with. Everyone is a little tired but ready for the big trip tomorrow. Jump and Huong ordered food at the restaurant and we got a good exciting food. We got beer with your meal. Thang and Trang got cola. It was late when we were tired.
In 1975, 20 years of suffering ended. Now the country rebuild. There were many problems in the beginning. PolPot from Cambodia occupied part of South Vietnam. He believed that Vietnam was very weak. There live many Khmer, which is cambodia Africans in the southern provinces. It took a month as Vietnam had committed PolPot. He managed to kill the second million of his own country men. It was the Chinese to move into the northern province of Lao Cai. Kinerserne smashed all Lao Cai, which today has 600,000 inhabitants before the Vietnamese had driven the Chinese back. Then came the new congestion times for Vietnam. The U.S. was the world to boycott all goods from Vietnam. There was great famine. It was also at this time that all boat refugees came to Denmark in the period 1980 to 1990. Today's market economy in Vietnam. Vietnam has the second highest growth rate in the world, surpassed only by China. Vietnam's growth rate is 4 times larger than Denmark. Vietnam is emerging.
Former presidential palace
Huy and Trang in front of the presidential palace until 30.4.1975
Trang by presidential palace
Trang, Hop, Thang and Huong
Wednesday, September 5
we are about to pack our things because we have suitcases up to Tommy and Ruth. We check out now here at 6.00 before we go to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Thay Ninh to see the religious movement Cao Dai. Jump drove us. It was pleasant to drive this beautiful car. We were very grateful to Huong and Hop took care of us. Cu Chi tunnels built by the Vietcong during the French occupation, but greatly expanded during American war. It must have been a hell for both Vietnamese and Americans, when you see all the ways you could slaughter each other. There is approx. 250 km tunnels. Where the tunnels were, there were no trees and shrubs. Americans threw orange poison, so all vegetion disappeared. But no one thought of it also killed people. Today there are many children who were born after 1975, when the war was over, which also has problems with hearing and legs. It was interesting to see these tunnels. There is some way to Tay Ninh. Next stop is Cao Dai, a religious movement, which is composed of Christianity, Hinduism and Budism. The big parade starts at. 12.00 and lasts approx. 1 hour. We were there only for 20 min.
We ate lunch in Thay Ninh and got very delicious food. As traffic in Saigon is intense, drove Jump us to a supermarket so we could shop for the train. We ate a lovely dinner at Huong and Jump and got tasty food. Jump and Huong helped us to train. On the train we partied with 2 young people from Germany. A good long sleep, where all slept long.
Cu Chi
Hop and Huong at Cu Chi
Cu Chi tunnels Tommy
Cu Chi tunnels Knud Erik
More about Cu Chi
Tay Ninh Cao Dai
Tay Ninh Cao Dai
More about Cao Dai
Video from Cao Dai.
Huong and Henning