Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (March 2018)

Kristin and I toured several key cities of Vietnam through Gate 1. The tour began in Ho Chi Minh City and to Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue, Ha Long Bay and ended in Hanoi, the capital city. After the tour with Gate 1, we flew to Dalat for our own travel for three nights. Then we returned to Ho Chi Minh City to minister to BAMers in the city.

Vietnam is a Southeast Asian nation, a member of ASEAN. Its population was 93 million in 2016. Its traditional commerce was agriculture but has been industrializing at a fast rate in the recent decades. Its currency is Vietnamese Dong or VND and its exchange rate to USD is approximately USD 1.00 = VND22,500.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest and most bustling city of Vietnam. It used to be called Saigon before the North Vietnam unified the country after the Vietnam War in 1975. Despite the official name change, however, Saigon is still used as the airport code (SGN) and many other business names keep the name Saigon.

The city was named after Ho Chi Minh who was the first president of Vietnam after the country was liberated from the World War II. He died in 1969 even before the Vietnam was unified. But there are his portraits all over the city buildings and structures. He must have been a remarkable person.

He lived approximately 30 years overseas, including two years in Hong Kong, three years in Thailand, six years in France, six years in Russia and several years in the U.S. As a result, he spoke six languages. He returned to Vietnam in 1941 at 51 years of age. He served as president of Vietnam for 24 years. No wonder he is revered as Uncle Ho.

In Hanoi, there is HCM Square and his memorial tomb, namely HCM Mausoleum, still receives a long line of visitors who want to pay respect to him.

His statue in front of the city hall sends greetings to the citizens of his city.

One of the most prominent buildings in Ho Chi Minh City is the Skydeck or Bitexco Financial Tower as officially called. It was designed to look like lotus flower, a symbol for Buddhism. It is overlooking the Saigon River. You could see the entire city from the observation deck of the building.

Right in front of the hotel we stayed, there was a pedestrian plaza and when we visited Ao Djai Festival was taking place. This festival takes place on a quarterly basis and it was the first of its kind at the location. A lot of Vietnamese women gathered all in colorful Ao Djai dress.

The city hall building is located at the end of the pedestrian plaza with the statue of Ho Chi Minh in its front. The overall scenery was tranquil.

We took the guided tour in the afternoon. We paid a visit to Opera House, Reunificiation Palace, Central Post Office, Former CIA Building, Notre Dame Cathedral, Laquerware Factory and Ben Thanh Market.

I walked over to War Remnants Museum. On the way, there were wall paintings that depict the life styles of the Vietnamese people.

War Remnant Museum displayed contents of the Vietnam War entirely from the viewpoint of the victorious Vietnam. So it could be a bit offensive to some, particularly Americans who lost the war. Some photo shots were exhibiting the severity of the war.

One exhibition was quite disturbing. It is about US using chemical agent called Agent Orange. The side effect has been births of many deformed children. Now they can get married, but they are not allowed to give birth to their children. They are indeed cursed generations. It is ironic that America is now condemning Syria for using chemical weapons. President Obama came to visit Vietnam in 2015 and apparently made a gesture to bring the bitterness and resentment to close.

After the tour with Gate 1 and our visit to Dalat, Kristin and I traveled back to Ho Chi Minh City to minister to Koreans living in the city. Seon Jae Lee, a missionary focusing on teaching Korean at a Vietnamese university and also running a Korean language institute, has organized the gatherings. He is leading an informal gathering of BAM Ho Chi Minh City, consisting of Korean BAMers for fellowship and peer learning. Elder Byung Suk Kim is leading the CMBC Ho Chi Minh City and I had separate fellowship with these two gentlemen with great joy.

Also, I had a meeting with Sung Ok Cho who is planning to set up a HR consulting firm in Ho Chi Minh City as a BAM. We met in Chiang Mai a few years ago and we have maintained the relationship. We agreed to explore the possibility of collaboration.

I shared a message at the CBMC Ho Chi Minh monthly gathering and had fellowship over breakfast and coffee. CBMC members are all Christian businessmen who desire to follow biblical principles in their business practices. Elder Byung Suk Kim is leading this group at present. We had a wonderful time together.

I had a gathering with Korean BAMers in Ho Chi Minh City. We exchanged thoughts about effective management of BAM and were mutually encouraged.

Later, I worshiped at a Korean church with Elder BS Kim and there I ran into Pastor Tae Jong Lee, whom I know from the time of OMC in Los Angeles. It is a small world indeed.

In the afternoon, I shared a message at a prayer gathering of Koreans along with my life testimony. This gathering is led by Sung Kyu Kim, a Korean missionary who used to be an executive at E Land. His business acumen was sharp and impressive.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of the metropolitan cities with many tall buildings and a lot of traffic. But it was a memorable visit to this city that will no doubt play a growing important role in the regional economy. As far as BAM is concerned, it is a place that can produce a spark among Korean BAMers. - Jeffrey