Marshall Hawkins
"Rat Pack " 1-3/70 "Bandit 26" 3-12/70
Vietnam Revisited #2
Going up to the Cham Towers. I don't remember ever visiting this when I was
there but was very interesting. Built between the 7th and 12th centuries, they were under reconstruction.
Another view reflecting the need for reconstruction
Another of the Towers
From the Cham Towers looking back South toward Nha Trang showing the mouth
of the river. Didn't ask the reason for the sad condition of the old bridge but looks like its well utilized as support for the water line.
Slightly North of the Cham Towers is the Hon Chong Promontory. Jutting out
into the Bay, it has a spectacular view of the islands. I remember flying over it beau coup times but don't remember ever visiting it. Has some neat
"touristy" type shops not pictured.
Another reason I went back to Vietnam was to refresh my memory on some of
the sights there. In this case, I'm not for sure it worked. I think I remember this pass in the mountains as "Dead Man Alley." I do remember as a
Newbie, I was told to never fly through it because you would draw fire every time. Apparently, those directions stuck because I don't ever remember
flying through it. We would always fly around the mountain to the North or around the coast to fly South. Looking West from the top floor of the Nha
Trang Lodge.
My buddy, Steve Butcher, in a pedicycle outside the Nha Trang Airport
terminal. A pedicycle is a bicycle that has two front wheels with a seat mounted between them and collapsible awning that provides a basic form of
transportation throughout the country. Men and boys make a comparatively nice living transporting paying passengers around. (Of course, I would
always tip heavily due to the extra work involved in transporting me around) Anyway, it is a close and personal way of seeing the city, except for the
traffic. There is only one rule about driving anywhere in Vietnam- that rule-There are no rules! Bicycles, mopeds, cars and large trucks (and yep,
pedicycles) all try to occupy the same space at the same time. The only way of coping with it is "don't look back."
The guy standing to Steve's right was my driver. He was a former Lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Army, university educated in Saigon, widowed but
with two kids still at home. After the war, he had spent 10 years in a "reeducation camp" (read Jail) and driving a pedicycle was the best job he
could find. He spoke passable English and drove me for the four days I was there. I found his condition to be common for veterans of the wrong side
throughout Vietnam.
I left the Airport terminal in my Pedicycle and tried going North up the
side of the runway (I believe the Aussies and Koreans were on that side back in the old days) but was stopped by a couple of little Commies in uniform
that informed me that because it was a Vietnamese military installation, I would not be allowed go anywhere on the old airbase. I told them I had
already seen everything that was there (Hell, we built it!) and all I wanted
to do was walk around some barren land and take pictures. From my best observation at the terminal, nothing but a couple of old radar screens and
maybe our maintenance hanger was left up on that end of the runway. Anyway, no amount of persuasion (didn't try cash) would cause those little Pinko's
to let me in. My driver/interpreter started getting nervous so we headed South outside the perimeter and came up the back side (Southwest). This
picture is one of the first I took. Although I didn't recognize it, it look old
enough to be from that period and may have been part of Camp McDermont (?) and according to my driver was now used as dependent quarters for officers
of the Vietnamese military.
