Our guide in Saigon, Minh was a re-educated former pilot of the South Vietnamese Army. He’s in his mid 60s and sports a gray ponytail just like a lot of his American counterparts. He crashed of his aircraft three times and the scars of burns are still visible on his right arm. In the late 1960s he was sent to San Antonio Texas for flight school. Minh is South Vietnamese through to his core.
Minh’s tour was more subdued. He would frequently say, “Excuse me, I am stupid,” as he would point to his head seemingly at a loss for words, but more so this was his explanation that he lost some of his knowledge during his re-education.
Toward the end of the two and a half days we were with him, he told us that he used to speak French, but had forgotten after his four years of re-education. He hinted that there were other things that he had also forgotten. Minh never said anything negative about the communists; the harshest thing that he said is that Viet Nam was no longer the third highest producer of rice that it had been before the war. In our tours, he would just remind us to look at the relics of the past and think about the stories that they told us. He wanted us to know that there would be a communist slant to the sights we would see. He would make certain that we knew where the Americans were stationed. He pointed out a park that the Americans used as an assembly point for helicopters. Most of the places that we visited he would tell us what the Americans did in that location. When he spoke about the Americans and the war there was warmth in his voice.
Binh had a different story to tell in Hue. Binh is 30 years the junior of our first guide.
Binh was born in 1973, the year of the American military withdrawal. Binh was born in North Viet Nam, but his family is from Hue, just south of the DMZ. Binh’s father was a draft dodger, one of the many who opposed the South Vietnamese government, but not politically strong enough to become one of the Viet Cong in the south. Binh’s father wanted to avoid fighting for the south in a war that he didn’t agree with. Binh told us more stories that were critical of the South Vietnamese government. Hue was the location of some important Buddhist centers that opposed the south. He didn’t direct any negativity toward the Americans, but his heroes were the Viet Cong.
Diep was born in 1979 and is a product of Hanoi. While he recognized corruption in the government, his stories glowed about the works and wonders of Ho Chi Minh. Since we were in the Holy of Holies in Ho Chi Minh’s museum and mausoleum, Diep’s stories make sense. Of course he would tell us the party line of what a saint Uncle Ho would have been. Diep didn’t really address the issues of the war. He answered questions and gave us the information that he was supposed to when we asked him specific questions.
We both recognized that the people of the north were just as friendly as the people in the south, they just didn’t speak English as well. Their abilities were only slightly less. They would smile as we passed and talk to us when we initiated conversation or had questions.
Diep told us about his preparation for becoming a tour guide.
In college he focused on classes to prepare him for becoming a licensed tour guide. His classes included history psychology geography and of course English. The information he shared with us in Hanoi was in depth. Binh’s was also very informative. All of our three guides were very good. I think Chrissy and I both favored Binh, simply because of his personal charm and experiences. When speaking to us he would always begin with, “Excuse me, excuse me,” Chrissy came to like this tactic. She has threatened to use it to get my attention in the future to make sure that I am listening before she begins to speak. Binh would also embarrass himself and giggle while turning away and covering his face. We never did figure out what would embarrass him so frequently.
The more I have read about the Vietnam War, the more I realized that he US was supporting a corrupt dictator. Focusing on the corruption of the dictator, I failed to realize that even dictators have supporters from within the country. There are always people who profit from corruption. There are always people who profit from conflict. I read once that during our own American Revolution that a third of the people were all for the revolution, a third were loyal to the King of England and a third didn’t care. The situation in Viet Nam must have been similar.
Speaking with our guides, I was reminded about how people’s perspectives can be different. It became clear to me that the South Vietnamese government had support. While it wasn’t broad or deeply rooted with the Vietnamese people, they still had support in their opposition to the Communists. Where the government of South Vietnam lost support is when they surrendered their moral obligations. The Communists unfortunately were able to build support through the population under Ho Chi Minh’s greater moral awareness.
The questions I had as a kid about the war have for the most part been answered, but the answers have given rise to more questions. The questions I have now are more cynical and focus on the long-term effects of war and political policies. I know it is a balancing act. There are no perfect governments or leaders. There is a thin margin between what makes a war good or bad, just as there is a thin line that marks the differences between good and bad governments and leaders.
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