BuiBuilding Memories (BM) uses personal experiences to explore topics of importance to building.
This BM reflects on visiting Vietnam and reconciling childhood memories with present-day experiences.
Growing up, the Vietnam War was a constant presence in everyday life. When my older brothers turned 18 in 1969 and 1971, we watched the draft lottery, where a woman would select a month, a day, and a number from 1 to 365 representing your draft position. Your birthdate combined with a low draft number could determine whether you would be sent to fight in Vietnam within the year. I was lucky—my birthdate fell among the last months called, and the war ended just four months after I turned 18 in 1975.
In 2017, my wife Lisa and I went on a two-week bike trip throughout Vietnam. Although I never served in the military, images of the war had been burned into my memory. Biking through the countryside and jungle areas was breathtaking, yet at times conflicted with my earlier associations of these landscapes with violence, napalm, bombings, and death. What I found instead was lush scenery and, remarkably, people of all ages who were friendly, welcoming, and helpful. While friends had told me they had the same experience, seeing it firsthand was profound.
Our trip was guided by two local men with very different life experiences. One, in his late 30s, grew up near Hanoi, the former capital of North Vietnam. The other, in his early 20s, grew up outside Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), the former capital of South Vietnam. The older guide had grown up during severe food shortages and under strict communist government control. The younger guide, growing up in the 2000s, was entrepreneurial, constantly pursuing small business ventures in hopes of achieving financial security. Despite their differences, they spent downtime together, learning to trust each other and bridge their generational and ideological gaps.
The trip was memorable in countless ways. Ancient architecture was intricate and ornate. The countryside evoked both historical memories and natural beauty. Ho Chi Minh City, meanwhile, buzzed with energy and modernity.
We visited war memorials in Cu Chi and explored Viet Cong tunnels with a docent (formerly Viet Cong) who had lived in them for over ten years. Crawling through the tunnels, even slightly enlarged for tourists, my shoulders often brushed the sides, making me claustrophobic in just the 2 minutes we stayed inside the tunnel. The determination and discipline required to survive there was staggering. Other sites, such as captured American military equipment and the former American Embassy, where the last helicopters evacuated personnel from Saigon in 1975, brought back vivid memories of the war.
One day, we met schoolchildren and a woman making rice paper. Without exception, they were gracious and helpful, showing no animosity toward Americans—a remarkable encounter given the complex history and modern politics.
The Hanoi Hilton was another memorable visit. The prison primarily held aviators shot down and captured. Senator John McCain was a memorable prisoner who was held from October 25, 1967, through March 14, 1073. The setting of this prison and the tunnels scattered though out Cu Chi and the areas of engagement between American and North Vietnamese troops were sources of nightmares during my high school years. I was happy that this trip allowed me to replace those harsh memories of my youth with positive new experiences of the country and people of Vietnam.
Photo 1-Bike Guides
Photo 2-Cu Chi Tunnels
Photo 3-Draft Lottery in 1969
Photo 4-Architecture
Photo 5-Hanoi Hilton
Photo 6-Architecture
Photo 7-Cu Chi Tunnels
Photo 8-School girls
Photo 9-American Embassy
Photo 10-American Tank