Vietnam. Feb 12, 2026

Ho Chi Minh City

For a long time after my 1970 discharge from the U.S. Air Force, I never gave much thought to revisiting Vietnam. It wasn’t until 2025 that I began to feel interested in seeing it again. So, cutting to the chase, all the planning and preparation were finally completed and our trip was set. At first I felt fine about the whole idea and actually looked forward to seeing Vietnam again. To break up the long journey, we decided to travel to Singapore by way of Fiji, taking three or four days to explore the island before continuing on to Singapore. One night in Singapore was enough for me. I was anxious to set sail deeper into Southeast Asia. We were on board the Diamond Princess by noon. Checking in was easy and everything went smoothly. Our small group of seven processed through the terminal and headed up to the 14th floor to sample the lunch buffet before inspecting our quarters—or staterooms, as some call them. Since we are budget travelers, they seemed more like quarters to me. We did have a small balcony, though, and I enjoyed spending time there watching the South China Sea roll by.

We pulled out of Singapore around 6:00 PM, cruising all night, the entire next day, and into the following night. We arrived near Ho Chi Minh City about 7:00 the next morning. Sometime during that full day at sea, I began feeling different. I became more anxious—perhaps even nervous. Thoughts began to consume me, and I had trouble focusing. That evening at dinner, I told the rest of our group about my anxiety and asked them not to mention anything about my past presence in Vietnam. My reasoning was this: when the United States withdrew from Vietnam in 1975, the North Vietnamese forces quickly overran the country. Many South Vietnamese people were killed, imprisoned, or forced into the Communist system. I reasoned that with several generations now living in the south, there could still be resentment or hostility toward Americans who had been part of the war. I began to wonder if I had made a wise decision in coming back. My wife Debby had created an itinerary that included a private tour of several highlights of the city. It still felt strange calling this place Ho Chi Minh City. During the war it was known as Saigon. I had been here a couple of times in 1970. During the past 50 years the physical changes to the city have been tremendous. One of our stops was a coffee shop on the 76th floor of a downtown high-rise building. From there we had amazing views of the city. It reminded me a lot of looking down on Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. Our guide said it has more than 12 million inhabitants. There are many high-rise apartments near downtown in what they call the high-rent district. He also claimed there are about 18 million motorbikes in the city. I’m sure I didn’t see 18 million, but I did see a lot! One of our visits included a Buddhist temple where we had to remove our shoes and hats before entering. Photography inside was not allowed, so I have no pictures from that visit. Our guide explained much of what we were seeing. One smaller room was dedicated to the god of Hades. People were coming in, bowing down, and praying there as well. It was a strange custom to me. I believe our guide told us that about 71% of the Vietnamese population is Buddhist. I also saw evidence of Muslim and Hindu influences. This is one country that could certainly use Jesus. Seeing this made me appreciate even more the work of the World English Institute, which reaches people around the world by teaching English using the Bible as their primary text. I personally have had two students from Vietnam. Liam, our guide for the day, told us that Vietnam wants to remain neutral and avoid future wars. The French had been here for many years, and the United States was involved for about twenty years. The war ended in 1975 when the U.S. withdrew. Since then, the country has been rebuilding and expanding at an amazing rate. It makes me wonder where all the money has come from.

Our guide repeatedly referred to the conflict as “the American War.” From his perspective, that is how it is remembered here. Of course, the United States entered the war in the early 1960s at the request of South Vietnam because of Communist aggression from the north. It is interesting how history and indoctrination shape the way events are remembered. Liam also used the phrase “when Vietnam won the war.” In reality, the United States withdrew from Vietnam. Today, Liam said, Vietnam holds no grudges and simply wants peace. China has a strong influence in the region, but he said Vietnam wants to remain neutral. Many Vietnamese admire the United States. They enjoy our movies, our music, our language, and our fashion.

Liam also mentioned that many Vietnamese like President Obama because he once visited the country. According to Liam, they even named a pagoda after him when he came to pray to Buddha for a son. As it turns out, he actually has two daughters. Oh well.