Postcard from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Today we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City -- which most local people still call Saigon. During the days leading up to our visit to Vietnam, we professors educated our students on the history of Vietnam and the role of the USA in that history. Among the Vietnamese people, 85% are Buddhist and over 10% are Catholic. After the Franco-Viet War (1946-1954), the Geneva Accords provided for a temporary division, creating North South Viet Nam. The plan for the country's unification was interrupted by the American intervention. The "American War" (as labeled by the Vietnamese) was the longest military conflict in US history. This war cost the lives of over 58,000 Americans, 3-4 million Vietnamese, and 1.5-2 million Lao and Cambodians. I presented a slide comparing the rate of American fatalities in Vietnam to the present fatalities in Iraq. These numbers pale compared to the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian losses. Although Cambodia is famous for the terrible slaughter associated with the Khmer Rouge (the Communists in Cambodia), Vietnam suffered far greater casualties.

I served in Vietnam (1970-1971) in the US Army as an advisor to Army of the Republic of Vietnam Combat Engineer Battalions. It was a difficult assignment. I had no desire to return to Vietnam and do not plan to visit the Mekong Delta where I was stationed (Semester at Sea offered an excursion there). I return to Vietnam only because this is one of the ports that the ship is visiting.

The ship docked in an unsightly port facility, and after a lengthy immigration process we were cleared to disembark. We were told that we will be a shuttled by bus to and from the downtown area because the government does not want cyclo drivers to congregate at the port gate. I took the bus into Ho Chi Minh City where we were discharged close to the People's Committee Hall.

I changed some money at a bank and made my way to the Ben Thanh Market – a huge building where you can buy almost anything – so, of course, I bought souvenirs and presents for Karen. Crossing streets in Ho Chi Minh City involves dodging hordes of motorcycles – many carrying more than one person. This is a modern city with tall buildings, healthy looking people, and shops full of stuff for sale, as well as an air pollution problem.

I took a taxi to the Mental Health Center – in a relatively distant district of Saigon. The grounds of the hospital were undergoing major construction, perhaps the installation of water or sewer pipes. I had not been able to pre-arrange a student trip here, but thought I'd take a chance on being able to meet some doctors and patients here so we could compare mental health care here to other countries. I sat in the waiting area and observed my surroundings. In my class, we had discussed the deep stigma of mental disorder in Vietnam, a problem prevalent in many Asian countries. Even though my Vietnamese language skills are marginal, it was easy to identify which family members were mentally disordered. One can detect symptoms of distress merely by looking into the eyes of many these patients. Some were clearly manic (one woman broke away from her family in order to attempt to talk with me); others were severely depressed; some were responding to internal stimuli. It appears that something is going on with each person's brain chemistry causing these symptoms. I talked with a psychiatrist who explained that he had to seek permission from his supervisor before he could speak with me. After a lengthy search, the supervisor could not be found. He granted me permission to take photographs of the treatment facilities (I carefully avoided patients' faces). A security guard stopped me from returning to the main waiting area so I gave up my attempts to gather information. The treatment situation appears grim; the staff is working diligently to process the many people waiting to see a doctor. Although I did not get a close look at inpatient facilities, my impression from looking at the building environment is that this situation is also grim.

I returned by taxi to the market – a trip that cost only one fourth of what the original journey cost (I suppose the first driver used a circuitous route). I must admit that it is extremely strange for me to be in Saigon again. The buildings are different but the people are the same. I see many European, Japanese, and American tourists purchasing souvenirs such as conical hats, tee shirts and other clothing items. The average Vietnamese person was born after the "American War" ended and is not much concerned with this history. Although Vietnam is the poorest country we will visit on our Semester at Sea voyage, it is developing rapidly due to globalization. The increase in trade among nations is benefiting some countries to a far greater extent than others and the gap between the rich and poor within and among nations is increasing. Vietnam is a country that does not fit this pattern. It is a poor country that is growing rapidly economically – benefiting from globalization more than most others. This makes for a strange form of Communist government – one that supports capitalist expansion.