Thread: My Recent Trip to Viet Nam

Some of you know that I was able to visit the country of Viet Nam recently.

Since this was my first visit to Viet Nam, I had many questions about what it would be like. Well, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful countryside and the beautiful people.

All the people I encountered were very friendly and open to conversation. Language issues sometimes made it difficult to communicate but there was usually someone nearby who understood some English and could interpret. The Christians I met were very warm and hospitable and strong friendships developed rapidly.

I found Christians in Viet Nam who have a deep, sincere love and devotion for Christ and who are committed to following Him even in the face of persecution. They have great respect for the Bible and honor it as the Word of God.

The Church is alive and thriving in Viet Nam! Estimates are that there are about eight million Roman Catholics and about two million evangelicals in Viet Nam.

The oldest church in Viet Nam is St Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi. It was completed in 1886. The cathedral is situated west of Hoàn Kiếm Lake in the Old Quarter of the city. We walked all around the church building. It is a very impressive, beautiful building. Services were suspended here for many years but started up again in 1990.

In Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), a historic landmark is Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. All the original building materials for this beautiful building were imported from France.

While there are restrictions on religious activity and publications, there is a degree of religious freedom in Viet Nam. Back last summer there were many pastors arrested a few weeks after President Obama visited Viet Nam.

There are many home churches where an upstairs room is used for religious services. In these home churches, the worship is free and passionate with contemporary praise and worship music, the preaching is biblically based, and the prayers are very intense and from the heart.

Pray for Viet Nam! Pray for the Church to continue to grow and impact the nation with the light of the Gospel!!! Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in this nation and for many Vietnamese people to hear the gospel and come to accept its truth and Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Originally Posted by Ari

Back last summer there were many pastors arrested a few weeks after President Obama visited Viet Nam. .

Why is that ?

I watched Anthony Bourdain's show a couple of weeks ago when he was in Vietnam (on CNN)...he said (and some of the ones he interviewed) that there seems to not be any lingering bitterness over the war..that the people were open and welcoming and that there is a lot of Western influence. Some former US soldiers/POW's have even went back to visit..

Originally Posted by Colonel

Why is that ?

I do not know why the arrests were associated with Mr Obama's visit. There was some thought that the authorities were concerned with the growth of churches among the minority tribes in the highlands.

Originally Posted by Ari

The Church is alive and thriving in Viet Nam! .... There are many home churches where an upstairs room is used for religious services. In these home churches, the worship is free and passionate with contemporary praise and worship music, the preaching is biblically based, and the prayers are very intense and from the heart.

Pray for Viet Nam! Pray for the Church to continue to grow and impact the nation with the light of the Gospel!!! Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in this nation and for many Vietnamese people to hear the gospel and come to accept its truth and Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

That's awesome Ari, I had no idea about the amount of Christians in Vietnam! In agreement with you that the gospel continues to be spread and received.

Originally Posted by FaithfulOne

I watched Anthony Bourdain's show a couple of weeks ago when he was in Vietnam (on CNN)...he said (and some of the ones he interviewed) that there seems to not be any lingering bitterness over the war..that the people were open and welcoming and that there is a lot of Western influence. Some former US soldiers/POW's have even went back to visit..

The American War, as they term it, ended over forty years ago.

The median age of the population of Viet Nam is 30 years. Most of the people have little or no direct knowledge of the war.

I did tour the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. There was a lot of propaganda there, yet the exhibits graphically portray the horrors of war. There were some military helicopters, tanks, planes there. There were displays of various types of weapons, and depictions of anti-war protests from all over the world. A large section was devoted to the horrors of agent orange (dioxin), other sections covered the use of napalm and phosphorus bombs, and war atrocities such as the My Lai massacre. Agent orange was devastating to the general population. There was also material depicting the tiger cages at the island prison of Côn Sơn, also known as Côn Lôn, where political prisoners were tortured and abused.

However, Viet Nam and the USA have become friendly the last few years. Our president visited the country last summer. Viet Nam is seeking to draw more tourists into the country. I met and spoke with many tourists from not only the USA but also from multiple countries in Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.

Every person I encountered was warm, friendly, and welcoming to my presence in country.

Originally Posted by FaithfulOne

I watched Anthony Bourdain's show a couple of weeks ago when he was in Vietnam (on CNN)...he said (and some of the ones he interviewed) that there seems to not be any lingering bitterness over the war..that the people were open and welcoming and that there is a lot of Western influence. Some former US soldiers/POW's have even went back to visit..

I did meet a former Marine (who was a door-gunner on a machine gun on a Huey) who was working in Hanoi as a consultant for some type of airport business.

BTW, Viet Nam is highly respected for its cuisine. Pho Bo or Pho Ga is available everywhere and is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This simple staple consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef, features predominately in the local diet -- and understandably so. It’s cheap, tasty, and widely available at all hours. Another delicacy was Banh Xeo. It looks like a large pizza dough fried in a large flat skillet, then folded over like a giant taco, bulging with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts, plus the garnish of fresh herbs. You cut it up into cut it into manageable slices, roll it up in rice paper or lettuce leaves and dunk it in a special sauce and eat it by hand.




Lord only knows some of the things I ate that were unknown to me.....

But everywhere I went, there was bottled water to drink!!! And as steamy hot as it was, you didn't get ice unless you were in a nice restaurant. You had to take every precaution against dysentery!!! And Praise God, .... I had no stomach issues at all!!! Glory!!!

Thank you for sharing! It's wonderful to hear of the Christians there!

Originally Posted by Ari

I did meet a former Marine (who was a door-gunner on a machine gun on a Huey) who was working in Hanoi as a consultant for some type of airport business.

BTW, Viet Nam is highly respected for its cuisine. Pho Bo or Pho Ga is available everywhere and is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This simple staple consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef, features predominately in the local diet -- and understandably so. It’s cheap, tasty, and widely available at all hours. Another delicacy was Banh Xeo. It looks like a large pizza dough fried in a large flat skillet, then folded over like a giant taco, bulging with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts, plus the garnish of fresh herbs. You cut it up into cut it into manageable slices, roll it up in rice paper or lettuce leaves and dunk it in a special sauce and eat it by hand.




Lord only knows some of the things I ate that were unknown to me.....

But everywhere I went, there was bottled water to drink!!! And as steamy hot as it was, you didn't get ice unless you were in a nice restaurant. You had to take every precaution against dysentery!!! And Praise God, .... I had no stomach issues at all!!! Glory!!!

There's a pho place that opened up here not too long ago, gonna have to visit!

Originally Posted by FaithfulOne

There's a pho place that opened up here not too long ago, gonna have to visit!

My favorite is the pho bo, with beef, but you can get it with chicken, pork, fish, and once I had it with all four meats in combination.

Sometimes the leafy spices and bean sprouts come already broken up within the broth, sometimes they are on the side and you put in as much as you want. Lime slices are also provided. It adds to the flavor to squeeze a few into the broth.

Also, I learned to like the special pepper (red or green) that was presented in a side bowl. Just a couple of little pieces dropped into the bowl instantly flavored the whole thing. a taste of the broth immediately caused me to break out in a sweat, gave me a running nose, and made me red in the face. But it was very tasty!

You eat the pho with a decorative spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, bending your head low over the bowl as you lift the noodles up to your mouth for a bite.

Wow!!! I want some NOW!!!! Will have to have some very soon!

Here's something about how to eat pho ...