Hoi An in Vietnam<\/p>\n
On July 4, 1995 you printed an article concerning the town of
\nHoi An, Vietnam, by Kunang Helmi Picard. I was very much
\nsurprised that the town of Hoi An would rate an article written
\nabout it. I lived and worked in Hoi An from June 1968 until
\nDecember 1969. I was an USAID employee concerned with all the
\nfacets of Agriculture in Quang Nam province of which Hoi An was
\nthe capital. I worked with the various departments in the
\nProvincial government concerned with agriculture, animal
\nhusbandry, fisheries, forestry, irrigation, cooperatives, land
\nreform, agriculture bank, extension service and any other
\ndepartment concerned with improving the life of the rural people.<\/p>\n
There are a few comments in Mrs. Picard's article which I do
\nnot agree with such as her comment that Hoi An was left with
\nhardly any trace of violence after the end of the war. I'm sure
\nthat much had been repaired or rebuilt in the 20 years after the
\nwar when Mrs. Picard spent her five restful days in Hoi An. If
\nshe could have seen Hoi An as I did she would not have thought as
\nshe did, there was not much that wasn't wrecked after the
\ninfamous \"TET\" offensive by the Viet Cong.<\/p>\n
Also, Mrs. Picard states that the city of Danang was almost
\neliminated by the B-52 bombers (not B-50's). I used to go to
\nDanang quite often as it was the Regional Center for \"I\" Corps
\nwhich consisted of the five most northern Provinces in South
\nVietnam. The city certainly didn't look eliminated to me, life
\nseemed to be very good there and there were many businesses which
\nwere left over from the French days. The thing I remember about
\nthe B-52 bombers is seeing them flying very high in the sky
\ndropping their deadly cargo on the western part of Quang Nam
\nProvince and the thick clouds of red dust which just about
\nblanked out the sun.<\/p>\n
The covered bridge which Mrs. Picard writes about was known as
\nthe Dragon Bridge if I am not mistaken. It was only a few meters
\nfrom the place where I lived and I was presented with an oil
\npainting of the bridge when I left Hoi An. The thing I remember
\nmost about the quaint little town of Hoi An is the narrow streets
\nwhich only one vehicle could pass through, if you wanted to park
\nyou would have to drive up on the sidewalk so you would not block
\ntraffic. My Vietnamese assistant was a resident of Hoi An and I
\nwould go to his house on various occasions to take part in
\nvarious celebrations throughout the year.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Picard states that Hoi An is a welcome stop between
\nDanang and Hue. I'm not sure just how Mrs. Picard traveled but as
\nI remember Hoi An was about 30 kilometers south of Danang and Hue
\nwas to the north of Danang. From Danang by route 1 (one) you had
\nto climb a very steep mountain which I remember as being called
\n\"Look Out Mountain.\" I made one trip to Hue by jeep while I was
\nin Vietnam. The city of Hue was particularly hard hit as the VC
\ndug-in in the Imperial City and had to be driven out by hand to
\nhand fighting.<\/p>\n
I would appreciate if you could provide me with the writer's
\naddress so that I could get in touch with her.<\/p>\n
JOHN R. WOODWARD<\/p>\n
Ujung Pandang<\/p>\n
South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
Note: The writer's address is: 5 Bis Rue Des Haudriettes, 75003,
\nParis, France. Phone: (1) 42786240; Fax 42782886.<\/p>\n
-- Editor<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hoi-an-in-vietnam-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }