The Army sent me to Vietnam in June, 1970, and I stayed there until August 1971. Vietnam had a major impact on me. Like many others of my generation, it was the defining event of my young life. It expanded my view of the world and of the people in it. I loved the Orient: the food, the culture, the crazy traffic, the dirty streets, and especially the people. To this day, I have a strong affinity for the Orient.
But back to Tauck. 53 years after I had left Vietnam, we went back on a Tauck tour. Of course, the devastation of the war is no longer apparent – Vietnam is a modern, thriving country, and the people welcomed us wholeheartedly.
While in Hanoi, I set up a day trip to Ha Long Bay, and while in Saigon, I arranged for a side tour to see places where I had lived and worked while in Vietnam.
Of course, I was limited to where I could go in 1970 and the Tauck tour took me many of the major sites in the country, places I had not seen before. It was a good tour.
