Hoi An in Vietnam

On July 4, 1995 you printed an article concerning the town of Hoi An, Vietnam, by Kunang Helmi Picard. I was very much surprised that the town of Hoi An would rate an article written about it. I lived and worked in Hoi An from June 1968 until December 1969. I was an USAID employee concerned with all the facets of Agriculture in Quang Nam province of which Hoi An was the capital. I worked with the various departments in the Provincial government concerned with agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry, irrigation, cooperatives, land reform, agriculture bank, extension service and any other department concerned with improving the life of the rural people.

There are a few comments in Mrs. Picard's article which I do not agree with such as her comment that Hoi An was left with hardly any trace of violence after the end of the war. I'm sure that much had been repaired or rebuilt in the 20 years after the war when Mrs. Picard spent her five restful days in Hoi An. If she could have seen Hoi An as I did she would not have thought as she did, there was not much that wasn't wrecked after the infamous "TET" offensive by the Viet Cong.

Also, Mrs. Picard states that the city of Danang was almost eliminated by the B-52 bombers (not B-50's). I used to go to Danang quite often as it was the Regional Center for "I" Corps which consisted of the five most northern Provinces in South Vietnam. The city certainly didn't look eliminated to me, life seemed to be very good there and there were many businesses which were left over from the French days. The thing I remember about the B-52 bombers is seeing them flying very high in the sky dropping their deadly cargo on the western part of Quang Nam Province and the thick clouds of red dust which just about blanked out the sun.

The covered bridge which Mrs. Picard writes about was known as the Dragon Bridge if I am not mistaken. It was only a few meters from the place where I lived and I was presented with an oil painting of the bridge when I left Hoi An. The thing I remember most about the quaint little town of Hoi An is the narrow streets which only one vehicle could pass through, if you wanted to park you would have to drive up on the sidewalk so you would not block traffic. My Vietnamese assistant was a resident of Hoi An and I would go to his house on various occasions to take part in various celebrations throughout the year.

Mrs. Picard states that Hoi An is a welcome stop between Danang and Hue. I'm not sure just how Mrs. Picard traveled but as I remember Hoi An was about 30 kilometers south of Danang and Hue was to the north of Danang. From Danang by route 1 (one) you had to climb a very steep mountain which I remember as being called "Look Out Mountain." I made one trip to Hue by jeep while I was in Vietnam. The city of Hue was particularly hard hit as the VC dug-in in the Imperial City and had to be driven out by hand to hand fighting.

I would appreciate if you could provide me with the writer's address so that I could get in touch with her.

JOHN R. WOODWARD

Ujung Pandang

South Sulawesi

Note: The writer's address is: 5 Bis Rue Des Haudriettes, 75003, Paris, France. Phone: (1) 42786240; Fax 42782886.

-- Editor