no clue what to comment:

[Patriot]

https://www.vietnammotorbiketours.websyte.com.au/

 

[Greg E.]

Once was enough!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[happyPuppy]

My 81 yr old mother went on a tour of Vietnam a couple years ago. They got to see all damage the USA had done to the country, our bases and could even go into the rat hole tunnels.

It was a long time ago I guess, but there is no F***ing way I would give that country a nickel. Way to much baggage in my head still and I suspect for the rest of my life. I would rather ride the Alps in the EU .

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

I promise I am not trying to stir the pot. I understand the feelings only as much as somebody who was not in Viet Nam, which means very little. But I had a VN vet go back over a couple years ago in a group with other VN vets. He said it was not what he expected, and was healing in some ways. He has fewer nightmares. YMMV.

 

[jekirby]

Our area CMA representative was in Vietnam and last year went on a mission related 700-800 mile tour of the country. He had some of the same things to say as Shiny....it was kind of therapeutic. He went with a group of about a dozen other vets. His experiences were totally positive. The only specific comment I remember was that they, as Americans, were treated very well by the general public. The younger folks kept asking them if they were here in 'that war"? Most of the people are too young to remember it.

 

[dj bill]

me love you long time,you to boocoo.

 

[wheatonFJR]

How many Vietnam Vets do we have on this board? Service in Vietnam was about 8-10 years before me. I graduated HS in 77. But I was thinking alot about that war during late elementary, jr high and HS...wondering how I would respond to the fears, and extreme physical/mental stresses of combat.

A Junior High School in Wheaton is named after a young medic in Vietnam who died serving his brothers in arms. He was given the Congressional Medal of Honor. His name is James H. Monroe. I originally thought this school was named after one of our nation's presidents until I read the citation in the newspaper. James Monroe died at the age of 22 in 1967.

Here it the citation...copied from the the following website.....https://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-m-z.html

*MONROE, JAMES H.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Bong Son, Hoai Nhon Province, Republic of Vietnam, 16 February 1967. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 17 October 1944, Aurora, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. His platoon was deployed in a night ambush when the position was suddenly subjected to an intense and accurate grenade attack, and 1 foxhole was hit immediately. Responding without hesitation to the calls for help from the wounded men Pfc. Monroe moved forward through heavy small-arms fire to the foxhole but found that all of the men had expired. He turned immediately and crawled back through the deadly hail of fire toward other calls for aid. He moved to the platoon sergeant's position where he found the radio operator bleeding profusely from fragmentation and bullet wounds. Ignoring the continuing enemy attack, Pfc. Monroe began treating the wounded man when he saw a live grenade fall directly in front of the position. He shouted a warning to all those nearby, pushed the wounded radio operator and the platoon sergeant to one side, and lunged forward to smother the grenade's blast with his body. Through his valorous actions, performed in a flash of inspired selflessness, Pfc. Monroe saved the lives of 2 of his comrades and prevented the probable injury of several others. His gallantry and intrepidity were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army, and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Whatever your thoughts on Vietnam...I am glad the dying is done there. Many Americans and Vietnamese died during that conflict.

I went through pre-engineering classes with a vietnamese girl who left in the 1975 exodus. She and I studied together for about 4 years of night school at the local junior college in the early 1980s. She and her sister got rescued and sent to Australia after many days and weeks on a boat in 1975. She ended up in Engineering school at the University of Illinois where I lost track of her. Hope she is doing well.

 

[fljab]

How many Vietnam Vets do we have on this board?

I am NOT a Vietnam Vet; I did join the USN in '73 so am an era-vet. Not the same thing as being there and I don't pretend it is. I do have an older brother that was USMC '68-9 over there and have talked to him and rolled around the idea of us going over there as I think it would help.

I know a local VV that is also a veterinarian. His brother is a local judge and was over there as well, both USMC. They have been back 2 or 3 times and visited old places they were at among other places. His experience was positive as well and said they were well treated.

I was in Guam aboard USS Proteus AS-19 (sub tender) in April '75 when Saigon fell. Many of the evacuees were routed through Guam. We built huge tent cities to handle the refugees and were working 7 days/12 hrs for a number of weeks. I have many memories of that time.

If I could put together a trip with my brother I would go there. He now lives up in Tri-Cities, WA, so I don't get up there enough anyway being at the extreme opposite end of the US...

 

[NightShine]

I also missed service in Viet Nam by a couple of years, and so have no personal experience of the war. All I knew of Viet Nam came from what our media chose to portray to the general public, and from the accounts in the ensuing years from returning veterans of that war and the refugees that had fled that country.

But in school and later in business, I came to know many refugees, almost all of whom I came to respect as I studied or worked with them. One is a brilliant engineer who returned six years ago to start up an electronic design house in Saigon, with the intention of helping his former countrymen step into this next century. A couple of years ago, he asked me to come to Saigon for a few weeks to help mentor his fledgling software team on one of their new chip designs.

I was hesitant to go, given all that had gone on before. But in the short time I was there, I found my fears to be baseless. This was not the same country that my father went to. With only a few exceptions, the people were polite and friendly, and I found no displayed animosity toward Americans. What I did find was a population that was strikingly young (half were under the age of 25!) and who seems to live their lives with a vibrantly positive attitude and spirit.

And I also found about 4 million little motor bikes carrying an incredible amount of goods and people. Yes, Saigon is a third world metropolis - commercialized, overcrowded, and with all of the problems such places have. But in my admittedly very limited experience, I would not at all be adverse to returning as a tourist. And what the rest of that country might offer engages my curiosity, so I would put it on my list of places to one day return to.

---

I noticed this on the web site Patriot cited: "All bikes come with Helmets which must be worn in Vietnam by law when riding."

This is a rather recent development, for when I was there in 2007 the government had a very active campaign to phase in stricter helmet laws. Up until that time helmets (affectionately know as "rice cookers") were not required when riding in the cities, but there was a Saturday set in December in which helmets were to become mandatory everywhere. Friday night almost no one wore helmets. Saturday morning everyone wore helmets. There was quite literally 100 percent compliance (due to very stiff fines)! This caught my attention, as I can't imagine there ever being such sudden and complete compliance in the states. Perhaps telling of their government and its bureaucracy...

 

[jekirby]

And I also found about 4 million little motor bikes carrying an incredible amount of goods and people.

You all might find this interesting.

Bikes Of Burdon

There are other websites, this was just the first one I found with interesting pictures.

 

[airboss]

My feelings about Viet-Nam are still conflicted. I was on the central plains around Qui Nhon, setting aside a nasty little war and all those people trying to kill me, it was a beautiful place, Palm trees, pristine beaches, blue ocean.

My job gave me the opportunity to work with the general populist and even with the war going on I got the feeling that most of the people would prefer that both sides would just go away.

 

[Khunajawdge]

Never had the privilege of serving in the armed forces. It was determined that I was 4F (physically unfit for military duty) in 1967 when my draft number came up. I went up to Oakland, CA where I took my physical with 3 bus loads of high school graduates, many of whom were my classmates. Many of those were drafted, and many served in South East Asia, some never returned. I was always very curious about that time and place, so in 1999 I took a trip over there and visited Saigon, Danang, and Hanoi. I would so do it again, especially on a motorbike.

Went back to Hanoi again in 2005 and spent Xmas there. Due to both French and Continental influences there is quite a large Christian community in Viet Nam. Xmas Day festivities were so exuberant that the entire downtown area of Hanoi was complete grid lock with probably 10,000, cars, trucks, taxi's, vans, and mini bikes. No-one went anywhere until the fireworks display was over sometime well after dark. Someone mentioned earlier here in this thread, that the age of the population is very young. That is what I discovered also. It is a beautiful country, the hotels are clean and well appointed, the food is good, and the new population is friendly.

 

[Niehart]

Steam & Cream 5 Bucks ... the rest I try to forget daily.

 

[old&slow]

I lucked out ... missed getting to go by a couple lottery numbers...

Step brother was there,, a great guy,, a real hero..

THANKS to ALL who served ,,, and who are serving,,,, :clapping: :yahoo: :clapping: