Why Relocate to Vietnam?

The prime reason for this blog is to inform friends and family about our decision to relocate to Vietnam for a couple of years and to show them the wonderful cultural experiences we know we will have there.  How do we know we will have these experiences?

I have kept fairly quiet about it for a long time -- my year in Vietnam from October 1971 to October 1972 was the best out of my good life.  My silence has partly been a matter of respect for the serious experiences of Americans and Vietnamese in the war.  I did not see the war for the entire year I was in Vietnam although I travelled up and down what was then South Vietnam as a naval officer administering 21 construction contracts to Vietnamese contractors.  However, some of these projects were in areas eventually overrun in the Tet offensive of the North Vietnamese in 1972 and later.

It was my experiences working with these Vietnamese contractors that I remember fondly, and to what I have wanted to return.  Vietnam was and is a very beautiful country, but it was and is the Vietnamese people, culture, and food that I enjoyed the most.

And of course I met my wife Hien in Saigon in early 1972, and we were subsequently married in 1973 at Newport, Rhode Island.  Although her entire family also became refugees to America in 1975, she has always wanted to return.

And return we will for a couple of years managing design and construction once again with Vietnamese architects and contractors.  After a couple of weeks in China, we expect to arrive in Hanoi at the end of September to begin this new adventure.

Update:  We visited Vietnam in September and October to orient ourselves to the country again, and decided to relocate to Ho Chi Minh City in January 2006.

Comments

[Jim Barnes]

WOW!

I am following with great interest!

Jim Barnes

[layered]

Jim, great the hear from you -- I trust that I will eventually get to some architectural subjects and opinions for you -- no stellar examples of new architecture seen yet.
-- Mel

[John Gustafson]

Dude, You were'nt in Viet Nam during the conflict so stop trying to impress and trick us as fools. You are a piece of shit liar. The Tet Offensive was in 1968 you lying piece of shit. You see I was there 1968. 1972 I believe Rumkee Bugee was pulling out long before then. You are a lying asshole!

[steve c]

John G
As you know the conflict lasted way beyond Tet of 1968. I was there from 1970 to 1972 with RMK. There were still were about 2,000 RMK US employees at the time I left. Still plenty of unfinished construction underway in 1972. The final contract close out took a couple of years after my departure. Granted the author confused subsequent offenses with Tet. No big deal.

[layered]

John Gustafson is right -- it was not the Tet Offensive in 1972 -- I misnamed it -- it was the Easter Offensive. The North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong overran and destroyed in April 1972 the Binh Long Province Supply Center that had been built by a Vietnamese construction contractor under my management. A good summary of the 1972 Easter Offensive can be found on Wikipedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Offensive
-- Mel

[Nikki Nguyen]

Hi Mel,
Please help me with the sources if you can, here is the situation, my aunt who worked for RMK in 1971, she currently keeping some of her document to prove that she worked for RMK, in order for her to come to america, the goverment required the approve signature of someone proving that she was employed by RMK. I have a copy of her VN Permanent Transfer paper with the signature of K.J Zacamy. Can you help me to find out more information. Please email me back jade7727@yahoo.com.
Thank you very much

Nikki Nguyen

[Dennis]

Mel: Are you still in Saigon? How long are you going to be there? I like your site! Nice pictures. You should do a book on the architecture of Saigon or Vietnam. I’m there often; my wife lives there; we'll have to share a pizza sometime. my next trip is March 22 - April 8.
Dennis
P.S. Friendly advise - Forget John and his crude words; no manners. Who cares?
Take Care….

[R. Streitmatter-Tran]

Mel, thanks for your comments on my reasons for moving to Vietnam. I, in turn enjoyed reading yours here. I'm still looking forward to that time when we might cross paths in this city of strangers. -Rich

[Harold]

Hi Guy:
Ran across your website. If you can spare a few minutes, would you mind taking some photos of the old MACV annex located out by the airport? I know the MACV complex is gone now but I think the Annex area is still there, however, a lot of the buildings are gone. I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

Harold

[Alan Runfeldt]

"Approaching Civilizations other than our own." I like that. In 1970, I served with a small section of the USAF 8th Aerialport Squadron - http://8thmob.org. and flew 135 combat assault missions throughout southern Vietnam.

But from 1985-87, I lived and worked in "Saigon No~" (Little Saigon) in California, developing the first Vietnamese-language typesetting system for the refugee newspaper "Nhat Bao Nguoi Viet"

Today, I saw a painting made in 1975 of two Vietcong on elephants. I asked the owner if he knew what he had there - "Hai Ba Trung" circa 1975. He was amazed and intrigued to learn more about the Trung sisters who chased the Chinese out of Vietnam in 60 AD (about the same time that Boudica tried to chase the Romans out of England)

I found it fascinating that this artist evoked the Trung sisters - but as Vietcong - in his propaganda poster circa 1975.

So tonight, I've googled "Hai Ba Trung" to find other images to post on the story I will publish at http://frenchtown.com/museums/twobuttons/ and stumbled upon your site. I am intrigued and will come back to learn more of your second adventure to Vietnam.

I wanted tocome back my self in 1985, but was warned not to, because I was told that "in Hanoi, they know who you are" and that a trip to Vietnam at that time would be dangerous for me. Frightening news for a still ignorant and innocent veteran of the war. Apparently, I knew too much and had something that 'they' (the communist government) wanted.

Of course, today, that time is past, but my life has moved on as well. Now I am a 57-year-old veteran of the war. But my heart is still in Vietnam in many ways.

It's good to see what you have done and it's good to find your blog. Perhaps someday I will return to Vietnam and see it again as it is long after that stupid war is over.

Thanks again

Alan Runfeldt
- nicknamed "Anh Lang Tu" - as the 'noble vagabond' because of my solitary travels and work to help the Vietnamese people I met and helped - in California, San Jose, Houston, NYC and Antwerp, Belgium - after the fall of Saigon.

[Ko]

Hello,
I caught this Site when seeking some pictures of houses for my project,very impressiv, what you´ve done for and with Vietnam.
I was born in Vietnam, at the moment working in Germany after studied in Vietnam and in Berlin. Recently we I and a german architect have been there on trips for dokumentation of ethnic housing, from the Tay, the Mong in the North and the Ede, Bahna in the South.
I´m really interested in what you are doing there.
Look to hearing from you.
Ko.

[Tracy Reed]

Nice website! I got here from a link on Kevin Miller's blog. I met Kevin two and a half years ago during my first business trip to VN. I visit often due to having a Vietnamese wife as a result of all of my time spent over there the last two years. I will probably be back there in another year. Hopefully we can have a drink sometime. I would love to hear about how Saigon has changed since those days.

[Bill Shaw]

Hello,

My name is Bill Shaw and I would be interested in corresponding with you over email about Vietnam. I cam back from Vietnam in May and I am trying to find way how to find work and proper living quaters so I may remain in the country longer then 1 month (as per my travel Visa). If you have some suggestion or contacts could you please email me. I have completed 2 university degrees from Queen's University in Biology and Life Sciences. As of right now I am working in the flooring industry running a store and working with contract builders across Ontario, Canada. Thanks for your time and looking forward to hearing from you.

Bill Shaw
905-207-2455
Bill@dicksonhomedecor.ca

[Bill Shaw]

Sorry about my typos.

[ken bingham]

Informative nice web site. And thanks for your help with the pictures.

Ken Bingham

[vuara]

Dennis:"You should do a book on the architecture of Saigon or Vietnam."

Yes, Mel should write books on the architecture of Saigon and other cities in Vietnam.

vuara

[Thiep hoang Bui]

Could anybody let me know the RMK-BRJ Currently address in USA . or Email , Phone # etc ... Because I would like to contact to my Supervisor .
- His name is Bob .
We worked together at Metal Sheet Department at Vung Tau and Long Binh since 1965-1967
I am hightly appreciated for your help
Sincerelly Yours
Thiep hoang Bui

[Howard A. Daniel III]

I am doing some research on a military token supposedly from Vietnam. It has OICC and Wine Mess on it. Do you remember this mess or know someone who might?
I am in Vietnam once or twice a year now and own a townhouse in Phu Nhuan. I will be back there in late October and will leave in mid-December.