Central Vietnam and Singapore - conclusions

As a traveller, I always feel as a cork floating along on top of a river or ocean.  I pass along quickly observing everything I can and try to discard much of what I know from history and the more contemporary media, and just absorb what I can sense.  But in the case of Vietnam, it has been impossible in two trips now, to set aside the hideous criminality of my own country's vicious and pointless suffering on that nation.  Of course, Vietnam's own military and political leaders are no angelic figures.  But to think of waging such a costly war in human and animal, flora and fauna loss and damage, not to mention it nearly bankrupted the U.S. for 20 years,  for absolutely nothing at all, is constantly at the front of my mind every hour of every day in every place.

There were constant questions about what was the point of the war.  Thatcher said it was to stop a communist takeover.  Later we learned it was a proxy war fought between Russia and the U.S. - with Chinese meddling - on a 3rd party soil.  But now, it is a communist country.  To any eye it is not apparently so.  There is no visible propaganda supporting a party or regime.  It seems that every child is in school 5.5 days a week as there are no school age children working or loose on the streets from 8-4 daily.  There are 99.95% less beggars and homeless than in Toronto (I saw no mentally ill at all).  Only the physically deformed beg and I saw about three the whole trip (nothing - zero - of that sort at all in Singapore  - the sight one one beggar would make the nation gasp simultaneously and they would feel pity about Toronto's plight). There is no graffiti at all - not one mark in Vietnam or Singapore - so beautiful!

But the motor vehicle has ruined Asia - except for Singapore.  When only Japan made motorbikes, they were expensive and well built and lasted long.  Then China began making cheap bikes which I believe are far more polluting than cars, and nearly overnight. the larger cities were overwhelmed with darkened skies and physical discomforts due to CO2.  The noise is overwhelming in itself.
In Vietnam, the old megaphones on every street corner from the war days, still plays some patriotic music and then makes announcements for the day.  One of them is that in the evening some streets are closed to motor traffic.  That announcement states that motorbikes must be parked on sidewalks and not in the alleys.  Every day, all day, what were once sidewalks are packed solid with paid motor bike parking.  Many merchants use the sidewalks for goods or working areas or restaurants tables.

As a result, the pedestrian has to walk in the street and the roaring traffic has no respect at all for the pedestrian with no where to walk - they honk their horns constantly at walkers and give them no comfort.
I will post a photo of usual daytime traffic in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon).  Where there is no traffic light (or often where there is a set, but they are ignored by many motorists), the method of crossing the street for a pedestrian is simply to start walking across no matter how fast, how many or what size vehicles are coming at you.  Usually, the mass of racing vehicles magically pass on either side of you.  But there is always a percentage of aggressive smart asses who want to be macho and will drive right at you at full speed and pull away only at the last possible second. One making a right turn came from behind me, turned and ran over the end of my shoe.

People often ask how Vietnamese regards Westerners or Americans. Of course, the ones being paid to be nice on little tours and in hotels etc. are polite.  But I have felt that the rest are simply indifferent.  They have their lives to do and pay little attention to the foreigner.  But I must say, that I did have to ask for help several times doing something really confusing, terribly foreign, or dealing with written language, and in every case the Viets always took the time to try to understand the problem and then help me with it, even walking several blocks to complete what was needed.

As much as I enjoyed it all, I think Vietnam for most travellers would be more enjoyed on a tour. I am a hopeless solo traveller and have to deal with the demands that involves.  But I am tired of it now and would not do it again at 70 years.