October - December 2009
Henry M Bechtold
Journal of my trip October 2009
Long Binh - Ammo Dumo - Bien Hoa
Some responses I have received
Pham Thi Chau
Indochine
Journal of our trip July - August 2008
Park, Water Puppets, Circle Sportif
Journal of our recent trip February March 2006
Wedding reception of Trevor and Ky
Chau Chuot and Dylan at Dam Sen
People from 2001 - 2003
The Imperial City
Hong Kong 2001
2009 Trip
USARV Today from Satalite
Pham Thi Tram
Le Thi Thao Ly
Old Postcards of Vietnam
2008 Trip
2006 Trip
2003 Trip
and
The Forbidden Purple City
2001 Trip
Long Binh 1967-1968
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My wife never worries about me having a mistress because she knows that my mistress is Vietnam, and Vietnam fills me with exquisite joy, and sometimes Vietnam breaks my heart. But then, I guess that is what mistresses do. The trip is over and I am back home. It is nice to be home for Christmas however I would be going back, in February, if I could afford it. It is not something that will go away.
Directions to the National Millitary Cemetery
I sat in the park and watched this little girl for two hours. She went back and forth along the South side of the
park. She picked up anything recyclable and put it in one of her 6 bags. A man gave her this bag of trash from a
bus and she separated the recyclables, filled her water bottle, poured the remains of a power drink into a smaller
bottle and found a few snackes.
At a place near My Tho, where they make coconut candy, there was a cage that had a Boa Constrictor. A boy got the
snake out and put it around his neck. Thanh liked the snake and petted it. I asked her to put it around her neck
and I was surprised that she did and she liked playing with it.
This is most of the wonderful group that we spent the day with touring the area around My Tho. They were delightful
and outgoing and we all had a very nice time. People like this make it so much more special when you travel.
On our last trip to the National Military Cemetery in Thu Duc the assistant in charge of the cemetery asked us if we
wanted to see something interesting. We followed him to a grave and the photo on the grave was the statue of the
Mourning Soldier. The Officer in charge told Hong something but she was not really sure if he meant the statue is
buried or the man who posed for it. The writing on the stone tells us that this is the Unknown Soldier who had been
buried in the tomb at the top of the hill in 1968.
Chau fishing for crocodiles inthe lake. The girls had a lot of fun in Suoi Tien but this is oneof the highlights.
Thao Ly and Tram at Suoi Tien. This is the crocodile pond which has hundreds of crocodiles. The girls like fishing
for crocodiles but sometimes the crocodiles snap so fast that takes them by surprises.
This is the structure on the roof of the former living quarters for U.S. personnel, one of them being the CIA deputy station chief in Saigon.
It is the scene of a famous photo (below) of a helicopter evacuating people as Saigon fell. Many Americans think this is the roof of the embassy
but it is not. It is living quarters for U.S. personnel about three blocks South of the Embassy.
Han and I run into each other in the park and he likes to practice his English which is very good. I really like
talking to Han because he is so excitable and animated. The girl's name is Yen. Yen lives in the park with her
father. Han and I have discussed Yen and her plight and I have told Han that Yen is his "Little Sister" and he has
a responsibility for her. Han debates the point and it is good practice of his Englsih.
Hien and I have been penpals for about four years now. We finally were in he same place at the same time and we had
a coffee and a time to chat today at the Highland Coffee House at De Tham and Pham Ngu Lao. Hao is a friend of
Hien's and came along. The three of us all had a nice time talking.
This is the gateway to a stairs that lead up a hill to the tomb of the unknown soldier. He was an ARVN (Army of the
Republic of Viet Nam) soldier and he was interred here. Behind this hill is a large cemetery with a large monument.
The government removed the soldier in 1975 and desecrated the tomb. A water plant is behind the hill and covers some
of the ground of the adjoining cemetery. If you drive up Rt 1 it is hard to see the gate which is about a quarter
mile off rt1. There are no signs or markers and the road leading to the gate has 2 foot swells and foot deep potholes
filled with water. The Tomb used to be visible for miles but now it is overgrown and hidden by roadside buildings
and huge bill boards. Most taxi drivers will not know it is here. Even My Bich, who has had a weekend home nearby,
has heard of it but did not know if it existed or not. Mr. Bich asked how I could have seen the gate from the road.
I said I knew where it was. It is not on any tour or in guidebooks and the government wants it that way. Only in
the last few years has it been removed from off limits. A sign once said “This is where the puppet soldiers pay for
their crimes”. Now the overgrowth almost seems to hide and protect the sight. In the cemetery some of the graves
are cleaned and cared for by family. Others have no family to care for them. Some graves have no marker. It is a
stark contrast to the Ho Chi Minh City cemetery a short distance towards Saigon. HCM City cemetery is nicely planted
and maintained. The ARVN buried here are all but forgotten. It is a beautifully sad place and yet very peaceful. It
was once open and was hot, the sun beat down. Now the trees and shrubs, growing wild, have made it cool and quiet
much like a chapel. The artist who sculpted the Mourning Soldier lives in California, I have heard. It would be
nice if he could cast another statue of the Mourning Soldier and they could place it by the road again. To think
that so many gave so much and yet nothing was accomplished, nothing was learned.
Chau, Sister Cam Thuy, Thao Ly and Tram. At the Anh Linh Free School
One of the three palaces of Emperor Bao Dai in Nha Trang. He also had three in Dalat. I wonder how many he had
all over Vietnam.
Baskets that are a part of the exhibits in the Museum of Ethnic History in Dalat
Yesterday we were without power but the line crew showed up and in a few hours we were up and running.
This Barber Shop proves that no space is wasted. The shop is in a place that is just a little bigger than the chair
itself.
Thanh Ngan workes on Bui Vien Street and was in the park one morning
Nguyen Xuan Hai is in his first of 6 years of study after which he will be ordained as a Priest. He told me that
the campus was so quiet because much of the stydies were carried out in silence.
Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi and Le Thi Gai were inte park enjoying the festivities of the SEA Indoor Games Celebration.
Thu is left and Mai is right
Mai invited me to her home today for a dinner of some things she liked to cook. Mai is my Little Sister. We have been corresponding for almost a year. Mai is a teacer and she also invited one of her students, Thu. We had a very nice meal of Spring Rolls, Noodles, Meat and a Salad of Lotus Flowers, greens and peanuts.
I was out by the remnants of Petrus Ky University and stumbled on this group. They invited me in and kept the Ice
Tea flowing. We talked for two hours with almost no comon language. Still we found that two of us were in the
service in 1968. I was in the US Army and Thai was Viet Cong. It was a beautiful time. This group was so happy
and fun loving.
Newark to TaipeiBoeing 777 300 ER Anyone who lived in Philadelphia will recognize the color scheme. PTC Trolly Cream over Green with an Orange stripe around center and a small Cream stripe under the Orange.
Taipei to SaigonAirbus 330 200
I look forward to this trip so much. I have new friends to meet, who know history. I have new places to find
including the French Infantry Barracks from the days of French rule. Also the French Artillery Barracks and the
Barracks of the Army Annamite. There is also the posibility of finding a Japanese prison camp from the second
world war. Much to see and much to do. I will also be meeting Andreas who is from Germany and we have been writing
for some time. This year we will be there at the same time so that will be nice.
I think my index is complete. The home page has links to every page on my site. In each section the pages have
links to all pages in that section plus Guest Book and back to Home page. This allows me to add a new section
without having to changing every page in every section. I hope you all like it. As always suggestions are always
welcome.
I have a Phanfare account and if you go to www.henrybechtold.phanfare.com you can see all the Post Cards I have
collected so far. Some are duplicates and a few may be unlabeled or miss labeled. I also have every photo I
took on my trip of 2008 since I am now 100% digital it is relatively easy to upload everything.
Please write if you wish. I love these contacts I make here.
My name is Henry Bechtold and I live now, as I have for most of my life, in Beautiful Bucks County, in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Just north of Philadelphia, along the Deleware River. I was in Vietnam from September of 1967 till September of 1968. Stationed at Long Binh, RSVN. Most of my time was with the 572nd trans company but I spent some time with the 10th trans, 534th trans and the 543rd trans which was at the OK Coral in Thu Duc. I returned to Vietnam in 1969, 2001, 2003, and most recently, in February and March of 2006. This site is about my trip in 2006. There are also some pages, in the links to the left, which will take you through my 2001 and 2003 trips and there you will find some photos and stories about my time in 1967 - 68. |
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