Nov 7
This morning we went to Ho Chi Min tomb and Presidential Palace. The Vietnam people are very proud of him. The Temple of Literature is where the Royal children were schooled. In 1425 the poor people from the provinces competed to be chosen to study there, and they were to become the leaders of the country.
I asked "Q", my guide, about how the Vietnamese feel toward Americans. He said his grandparents who were in the war do not like to interact with Americans. His father was shot in the leg by an American soldier, and even though he previously did not like Americans, his parents are now more accepting. "Q" belives the younger generation who did not experience the war, like American music, clothes cigerettes, and have a positive attitude toward Americans. He agrees with America going into Iraq and getting rid of Saddam.
He is the middle child of 3. Since he was 6 months old, his mother worked at the embassy in Hong Kong, and would come home to visit for 2 weeks every 2 years. This schedule continued until he was 11 years old. When I asked him how he felt about this, he told me he remembers being driven to school on a bicycle and how all the children thought his mother must have a very important job to be able to afford a bike. He likes the current system of communism with controled capitalism.
All motor vehicles use their horn constantly to let everyone else know where they are. It is unerving! Many women on motorcycles wear scarves on there faces to protect themselves from the sun.
I walked around the Hoin kiem Lake near my hotel, which is like the 'Central Park' of Hanoi. It is in the middle of Old Hanoi. 1'000s of people, walking, jogging, lovers kissing, traffic and shopping all around the boardwalk.
"Q" is getting married in 20 days to a girl is also a tour guide. He is 27 years old, and says this is the average age for a male to get married.
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