Hanoi, Viet Nam - January 22, 2018 I have not talked about the smog. The air here looks as if a cloud is resting on the ground; the blue sky cannot be seen. The cloud however is pollution; pollution from burning rice fields, food being cooked on the street, exhausts from thousands and thousands of motor bikes and cars, nearby factory smokestacks and even the many, many sticks of incense that burn and smoke the pagodas, temples and small shrines at peopl...

I never in my life dreamed that I would be here or even seek to be here, but here we are . . . in Hanoi, NORTH VIET NAM, that vile, mysterious city we all we heard about and feared on a daily basis in the late 1960's. I get chills thinking this city was the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh who directed the horrible war that we called the Viet Nam war; what they call the Viet Nam Civil war; and what others here we have just learned call the American War. I don't ...

Our guide, Tuyen, picked us up at the airport and delivered us to our hotel, the Silk Path Hotel. He and Khai, our driver, will be our best friends for the next five days as we explore the city and then later move on to Halong, 3.5 hours away. It was evening. Tuyen said that weekends here are times for big celebrations. Streets are closed off. People are out until late and music and entertainment is available on the streets. The most popular area is the str...