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since the station was bombed during the war and it was rebuilt in the current fashion of the time.

I've noticed other architectural non-sequiturs around the city that give me some vague idea of what went on here over 30 years ago. The Long Binh bridge across the Red River is another good example. It was built in the late 19th century by Gustave Eiffel, and most of it has that same graceful elegance and symmetry that's evident in his immortal tower. Looking at the bridge now, however, it's obvious which sections are original and which ones were rebuilt after being bombed.

I offer these examples without any moralizing and I am not one of those to wallow in guilt and self loathing over the past. These are simple facts that give us some historical context and provide continuity. Although young Vietnamese students have been taught that we were the enemy, there seems to be no overt hostility toward us from any generation. They won the war after all, and they take great pride in continuing a long tradition of repulsing foreign invaders that dates back a thousand years.

The earliest of these incidents involved the Trung Sisters. They were two 1st century Vietnamese women revolutionaries who successfully held off Chinese invasions for three years, and are regarded as national heroines of Vietnam. Illustrations often depict two really angry looking ladies. It's evidence of a perverse, stubborn streak running through the culture, and a pride that comes from being in the shadow of the older brother to the north for too long. It's best just to leave these people in peace and do our best to trade with them.

Coming up to more recent times, The French debacle at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 came about because the military minds of the time couldn't fathom the ability of their adversaries to defend themselves. The Viet Minh forces under General Giap were able to move heavy artillery and anti-aircraft guns into dominant positions in the hilltops surrounding the valleys.

General Navarre waited on the low ground for the Viet Minh forces to obediently march in where they would be annihilated. This military stroke of genius resulted in a bloody siege that lasted for two months while the French were slowly bled dry of all supplies. Another example of Gallic arrogance, but this time, with fatal consequences. The French troops surrendered in a humiliating defeat that seemed all the more shameful for coming at the hands of a people they once subjugated, and sadly, underestimated.

Fast forward to 1964 and look at why we came to Indochina in the first place. I can only attribute our presence there to misplaced altruism, and the firm belief that China and Vietnam where marching in lockstep to topple the rest of the dominoes in Southeast Asia.

We ignored history and gave the peoples of Asia too much credit for a team spirit they never had. The bitter rivalry between China and Vietnam that had existed for a millenium culminated in a nasty border war in 1979 in which 8,000 Chinese soldiers went home in boxes, and another 16,000 limped home. Just a replay of the past and business as usual for the Vietnamese.

I'm not going to explore the aftermath of our decisions to enter the "quagmire." There are too many others who've made a career of that. I want to focus on the present and the future while I'm here and move forward. I'll be adding to this article in installments about once a month.

Learn more about this author, Joe Roissier.
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