Rick Liebermann
Prior to November 2003, the last time I saw Vietnam was in 1970. For
me, the country was much different when I visited it again in
November 2003. Back in 1970, it was a country at war, and I had just
flown off the flight deck of the USS Constellation and landed in the
South Vietnamese city of Da Nang, after having been in and out of the
region for the better part of the prior four years. I was part of a
Navy photo reconnaissance squadron.
In those days, we flew out of Guam, Da Nang, the Gulf of Tonkin
(Vietnam), Thailand, and the Philippines. Our objective and mission
was to take aerial reconnaissance pictures. For a while, some of
these missions took the squadron over North Vietnam and Hanoi.
Coming from the USS Constellation, I was on my way home to San
Diego to be separated from the Navy. I felt like I had enough, was
feeling a bit superstitious and I was doing my absolute best to
minimize any more time "in country." Upon landing in Da Nang, I
wanted to be on the first available flight back to the United States.
I never, ever, thought I would have any reason to go back to Vietnam.
That was 1970.
Scroll the clock up 33 years to 2003. I found myself, once again,
back in Vietnam; this time as a tourist in, of all places, Hanoi.
Many of you may recall that Hanoi in the 1960s and 1970s most
certainly had chilling name recognition as the capital of North
Vietnam. Those of us who were part of a Navy squadron flying over the
city at the time viewed Hanoi with high anxiety.
My plan was to visit Hanoi on the end of a November 2003 Asian
business trip. I chose Hanoi because of its cooler temperatures,
regional historical significance, French architectural heritage, good
food, abundant art, and, quite frankly, because it was so "verboten"
as part of my past.
I sought to see as much as I could in six days: ancient temples,
Vietnamese rivers and waterways, historic buildings, restaurants, art
galleries and the like. As it turned out, I could not get it all done
in six days.
I left the Kuala Lumpur airport to begin my Hanoi tour with some
degree of angst as we ascended toward Vietnam. I kept thinking back
to the last time I flew over Vietnam; times were much different.
My feelings changed a bit when I noticed about half the Vietnam
Airlines plane was filled with tourists from around the world. After
a great flight, good food and service, we landed at the Hanoi airport
where a brand- new, modern terminal greeted passengers.
