Chu Lai was my home away from home during the Vietnam War. Though you likely never heard of it, Chu Lai was much much more. What happened in and around Chu Lai turned out to be emblematic of the misery and tragedy of the entire war.Read More
Say what you will about President Obama. But at least he kept it low key and metaphysical. When he was in Hanoi, he had the good sense to chill among the people, sipping beers with Anthony Bourdain in a hole in the wall Bun Cha joint.Read More
All of the new friends I made traveling throughout Vietnam last year are in the midst of celebrating Tet 2019, the Lunar New Year. Many gave me a glimpse of their cherished holiday rituals. Some are traditional and some are new. And all are simply wonderful.Read More
So what DID you do in the war, Daddy? This is the time of year that folks say to countless thousands of veterans: “Thank you for your service.” I respond, usually, by saying “Thanks for your support”. Frankly, I don’t know exactly what that means. ButRead More
We each have a defining moment in our lives. For John McCain, there was more than one. You might say my one encounter with the late Senator John McCain (1936-2018) was off-the-wall. It certainly wasn’t face-to-face. It came at the Hoa Lo Prison Museum in HanoiRead More
No mention of food in Vietnam is complete without a heartfelt nod to the trail blazing of Anthony Bourdain. I dedicate this post to his memory. As “George Washington Slept Here” signs are the folksy cliche of US inn travel, “Anthony Bourdain Ate Here” designations areRead More
Today, Memorial Day, or anytime you salute those who served — in Vietnam and elsewhere — also remember our sisters who went to the field, and some who did not return. Night-walking The Wall—the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, DC—was eerie. Not at all theRead More
Today is just another spring day for most of us. But for Vietnamese, both there and here, April 30 is monumentally significant My friend Oanh in DaNang took her family to the seashore this past weekend for an extended holiday. In Saigon, my fashion-forward friend HangRead More
Look deep into their eyes and you will find hope Everywhere in Vietnam, the children shout “Hallo!” Toddlers, teens, school children and street kids. On bike baths, from cars, buses and motorbikes. In the restaurants and museums. They see a Westerner and it is a jubilantRead More
Weddings in Vietnam are filled with indigenous traditions. The groom and his family have a strict protocol to meet the bride in her family’s home, laden with gifts from betel flowers to roast pigs to lacquer boxes filled with jewelry. On her special day, the brideRead More
