By train through Vietnam - From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City | DW Documentary

I love it every time I get the

train

and start work it's 6:00 a.m. in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, time for the daily flag-raising in Bin Square, the national anthem plays and war veterans attend the ceremony, the protracted war between what was then the North and South Vietnam and the subsequent unification of the country are deeply rooted in the memory of the Vietnamese. It was in this now historic square that revolutionary communist leader Hoi Min proclaimed the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. This mausoleum in honor of the late president dominates the square, but independence was not fully gained until the founding of the Republic Vietnam Socialist in 1976, at the end of what is known here as the American War.

Further east, in the heart of Hano Old Town, lies Juan Kim Lake, almost 50 years after the war ended. many people have a positive outlook on the future Transportation infrastructure is struggling to keep up with the country's rapid development, including roads and railways. Being a crossing guard is an increasingly dangerous profession. NN tan long has supervised this crossing for 12 years and works 12 hour shifts in a job with a lot of responsibility when you work here it becomes your life in Vietnam we say you have to carry your destiny with you I was almost 30 years old when I started working here and I had had a variety of different jobs.

Before that, working here is my destiny. Long's mother was also destined to work for the railroads. Such tight surroundings mean that chugging

train

s inevitably dictate the pace of life for locals, including Nin Tan Hangs. She herself was a traffic guard here for over three decades and has been living here so long I thought it would be a good idea with my job to use the land and build a house for us here the railroad had no objections and we are still here today my son Major has also been living here for years, once his shift is over he takes his birds and walks the short distance along the tracks back home.

Now it's time to have lunch with his wife, his children and his mother. After sunset, there is a more plentiful variety of food available in Vietnamese cuisine in Hanoi Old Town. It is extremely varied, it is especially here on Tahay Yin Street, also known as Beer Street, it is a hot spot among Hanoi's night revelers, just to the south is Juan Kim Lake. This song is about taking the train home because not far from the lake is Hano's main train station. The ticket counter is in the main waiting room. Traveling by train in Vietnam is easy.

We have tickets for se1 at 10:15. The Saigon Express, the number one in Vietnam's railway network, was built during the French colonial period and has played a prominent role in the country's history. told to us by Tran vanon ban1 train tickets are requested to get to the station he is a frequent traveler on this train the railways are an important symbol for the 79 year old war veteran our train leaves on time our journey will take us from the North to south in this thin coastal country and will last more than 32 hours our route will take us beyond the South China Sea.

Our journey will cross almost the entire length of Vietnam, around 1700 km from Hanoi to Hoochi Min City, formerly known as Saigon, but our train will first take us through a rather special type of attraction, donga or Railway Street, where NN Juanin runs one of the many cafes that line the train tracks. Restaurants here used to use waiters who jumped over the tracks to serve customers, a dangerous practice that is now banned. now there are fewer trains, they used to run almost every hour, the schedule dictates my life and my daughter has been watching the trains go by for eight years and there is no danger now tourists are also safe because the cafe owners are responsible for making sure they look strong emotions.

Tourists are good business for Lynn. The north-south line was built to be the backbone of the country, which, as our train driver Noen Quanqi knows, also led to its repeated destruction. The route was completed again a year after the reunification of Vietnam from the liberation of the South. Vietnam and the reunification of the country the trains have resumed from Hanoi to Saigon and brought citizens of both parts of the country closer with each reunification Express we take people from the north to the south and vice versa is a train that is a symbol and physical manifestation of the reunification of the country a national reconciliation train from a once bitterly divided people half a century later it is a scene that is difficult to imagine the train is a comfortable ride for night travelers and is quiet enough for us to visit Tran vanon ban in his compartment joined the Viet Kong communist forces based in the north of the country in 1967.

My family received four notifications of my death in 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1974, not just once, but four times. You can imagine it was a big surprise to my family when I arrived. home I had been declared dead four times and I still came back alive. Bond's mother had even built an altar for her son. She stayed in her house for 8 years until Bon returned home in 1976. He removed the altar himself. Since then, Bon has dedicated his life to In search of the remains of fallen soldiers, the next morning we visited the Van Long Nature Reserve, near Nin Bin, where we joined Tilo NAD.

The German biologist arrived in Vietnam in the early 1990s and has since dedicated his life to the conservation of rare primates. He founded the first wildlife sanctuary of its kind in the Indochina region in 1993. The sanctuary gives animals freed from poachers a new home. One of his main focuses is Deur Langer, a critically endangered species of monkey from the beginning, as a gift from God that we were able to take advantage of. two of these animals from poachers and the endangered primate rescue center was born. I was its director for 25 years, and he and local conservationists played an important role in ensuring that primates like delor lers have survived into the new millennium. the goal is the animals.

To someday return to nature, we accompany Tilo on his way to the jangan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and to an island where the 82-year-old once freed several monkeys, the langers in pants. Whites while also called have seen their numbers rise to around 200. Our goal is, of course, to build a viable population, but that sort of thing will take several decades. A viable population means between 500 and a thousand animals, and it takes a long time for a population of that size to recover on board the Reunification Express a new day It dawns and it is time for breakfast passengers are served coffee and the traditional morning soup in their seats Almost 80% of the strategically important railway line was destroyed during the Vietnam War of approximately 1,300 bridges, an estimated 1,000 were reduced to ruins, although for Tran van ban the loss of soldier lives was much Worse, we knew that many of us would end up dead, we dug graves for ourselves before every battle we met.

B of him made his first train trip in 1978, unearthing the remains of 34 comrades and delivering their death certificates to their families in The fighting was especially fierce in Quang Chi province. The 17th parallel roughly coincided with the border that had been drawn between North and South Vietnam after the departure of French colonial forces in 1954. The area would later witness some of the bloodiest battles. of the war with monuments now honoring victims like this one in what was then North Vietnam. We followed the ban on this bridge over the Hen Long River until 1975. Part of the border between North and South Vietnam backed by the US.

This monument commemorates the separation of families Bon says the bridge is a reconstruction of the original that It was destroyed by a US air raid in 1972. It has long forgotten the border. He is originally from the north, but married a woman from the south, where he now lives and searches for the remains. of Fallen Soldiers continues to this day no matter who they fought for Today I cross this bridge not as a soldier but thinking about the Reconstruction of our country and how to heal the wounds caused by the bond of war that has switched between the North and the South of Vietnam more than 40 times on the reunification express our journey moves further south passing through the farms and fields that dominate the country's landscape about 700 km later we arrive at what was the capital of Vietnam during the Nwin dynasty from 1802 to 1945 a physical legacy of the period is the Citadel, the palatial residence of the Court of the Royal Family, etiquette and ceremonial customs, such as music and dance, were very important to the Emperors.

We are granted backstage access to H's actual dance. The dancers are preparing for a performance. Vietnamese Court music dates back as far as the 13th century, but it was during the last NN dynasty that it reached its pinnacle with music that served to demonstrate the power and longevity of the emperor. A frequently performed dance is the L Kong quad ladang, which is based on Buddhist traditions and focuses on the custom of praying. six times with each prayer accompanied by a symbolic offering to Buddha incense flowers tea fruit food and lanterns the dance was later expanded and was often performed to commemorate the birthday of the Emperor's mother and in this orchestra the drum plays a fundamental role Music of the court was seen as an expression of reverence towards the emperors and gods, dances like this were now also performed at festivals in 200 three.

Vietnamese court music was recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity when it is located in the Huang kachan or Perfume River and right next to it is the dong ba market, the market opened in 1899 and the countless stalls here, mostly run by Hawk women, all kinds of food, some as fresh as they come, the market attracts 7,000 visitors daily, many of them on mopeds, now it's time for us to return to the train station which It also has a large waiting room shortly before departure The platform doors are open The tickets are digital It's approaching lunchtime nin Quang is happy to be filmed while cooking He has been serving passengers on the Reunification Express for 10 years his hobby traveling of course he is happy with his job the work is not very hard I cook for an average of 100 to 120 people per day the work earns me enough to support my family the meals are freshly prepared and delivered in the passenger compartments Dr.

May Vu Tang is in service and also sees the Reunification Express as symbolic. I have worked for the railroad for 17 years. Working on the Reunification Express is really interesting because you get to meet people and see a lot of different places compared to others. jobs, it's a real pleasure to work here D The height in central Vietnam is the next highlight at 70 M long. It is the largest freshwater lagoon in Southeast Asia. Most people in Vietnam do not adhere to one belief system, they tend to follow one or several. popular religions or an amalgamation of classical beliefs today we will see the culmination ceremony of this house of faith with construction work that basically completes what else the ceremony will be led by a monk the ground floor will house a cafeteria while the upper stories are still being built finished it is a Vietnamese custom to celebrate the construction of a new building the prayers are for our ancestors the ceremony is to bring good luck to the owner to ward off evil and protect against unemployment it is a very old Vietnamese custom Distributing money is also part of the previous ceremony earthly wealth is deposited in the fire an offering to those in the hereafter the most spectacular leg of our journey begins aboard the Reunification Express the train passes under High's van the ocean Passage of Clouds trains have to leave Hanoi at night To allow passengers to appreciate this stretch during the day, many passengers take the train just for the stunning views, going by train is safer and cheaper than by car, plus I wanted see the landscape in the cloud parks.

The Xang Shen Mountains constitute a kind of meteorological station. border between North and South Vietnam, a major tourist destination and paradise for cyclists. The ocean. The cloud pass rises to almost 500 m from sea level. We arrived at our next stop, a few kilometers from the top of the pass. Danang is a terminal station, so the engine must be attached to the other end of the train, giving us a brief opportunity to look at the coastal

city

with a population of around one million. Danang is famous for its beaches. The first American combat troopsThey landed nearby during the Vietnam War.

The Americans established a vital base. air base in Danang, which subsequently grew to become one of the largest cities in South Vietnam. A few kilometers further south we visited Hoan, the old town enjoyed the rare fate of not being destroyed during the Vietnam War and today boasts UNESCO world heritage status before our train. The trip continues, we have met someone outside the

city

, on the Tubon River. Vu Leu tries to attract fish by hitting a mineral against his boat. He has always lived here and has mastered the art of coaxing his prey into his round boat.

I was nine years old. When I learned to swim and since then I have worked in the water I have never done anything else, I go out in this round boat and every day I manage to catch a few kilos of fish, today is unfortunately an exception for the 62 year old, maybe tomorrow the room will be better, then we return to danan station. The reunification express leaves again in the afternoon, since since the narrow gauges were built by the French, the train is often called TGV because of the famous stop. french high speed train about a quarter of the 1300 bridges need renovation the night falls early and fast in

vietnam

now we prepare for our second night on board the train passengers before could take a short detour here to dalat at an altitude of almost 1,500 M this charming little station was built by the French in 1938 with touches of Art Deco style the railway was attacked by the Viet Kong during the Vietnam War the route was discontinued in 1968 later a short tourist service was introduced with this locomotive We found a steam train behind the station who was a conductor during the war.

Decades later, in the early 1990s, he drove the cog train and remained at the controls until the end. I was the last steam engineer on the old railroad. I was very sad when I had to stop this locomotive in 2016. It was my workplace and I have very good memories of it. I feel like an old friend. I really miss him. The mild climate was one of the reasons why the French founded the city of Dalat and built a series of hotels and other buildings. The railway reached Delat in 1932, which eventually became known as Little Paris, the city now home to more than 200,000 people.

Then we go on a different kind of trip with the easy Riders Motorcycle Club. Its members have been traveling together in the area around Delat for more than a quarter of a century. Its itinerary includes multi-day tours and day trips, but the club was not originally founded for the pure pleasure of riding a motorcycle, but rather out of necessity, as members turned a hobby into an occupation, as Hong explains, 73 years old, after reunification. difficulties finding work and we began showing foreign visitors around the area. English was not commonly spoken back then, but many of our members could be teachers, professors or army officers.

After a short drive, we are shown a popular local attraction in the area around the Lot known for its waterfalls and we visit one in Naman. It is named after a supposedly elephant-like rock at the water's edge, although we were unable to detect it at 30m high. It is one of the most visited waterfalls in the area. Now we are back. aboard the Reunification Express for the final leg of our journey in the early hours, only a few kilometers to go until we reach Hoochi Min City our second morning on the train Lin T high is old enough to remember when it was not possible to catch the train from north to south it's great to see our country unified every time I take this train now I no longer notice any difference between the north and the south that's why I love traveling on this train yes, it's 6:30 a.m.

When we arrive at Hoochi Min Station in the city, the Reunification Express arrives only 20 minutes late despite having traveled 1,700 km. The train is not only a symbol of the country's unity, but has also brought the country a little closer. the people of the two once-hostile parts of the country, while making a small contribution to reconciliation between North and South Vietnam The Saigon sign still adorns the station people have not necessarily gotten used to the new name Hoim Min City's central post office and its main hall Barrel vaed are another reminder of the French colonial period A portrait of communist leader Hoi Min Towers above the hall Saigon was renamed in his honor in 1976 following South Vietnam's defeat in amidst the hustle and bustle of Vietnam's largest city with 9 million inhabitants.

They often seek refuge in The Daily Grind by visiting a pagoda we arrive at. accompanies nen as he enters the bat yanha pagoda, lights incense to mark the beginning of his visit, after the prayers, the 47-year-old woman buys a piece of paper on which she writes her name and wishes and then gives him the note that is hanging from a spiral ornament, trusting that his prayers will be answered, this is all part of the ceremony in which the prayers are not only focused on the well-being of the individual and their loved ones, everyone in my family is healthy, but I keep going on. to the Pagoda to pray for a peaceful life and career success.

Yes, I have a couple of side jobs in addition to my main profession and I want everyone to do well and I want my kids to do well in school. I just pray for everything. To be okay after the ceremony, Hyen buys some songbirds which she will release again shortly after. Another ritual that is part of visiting a pagota. Releasing the birds is an offering and is supposed to create positive thoughts. The liberation of animals also means generating Good Karma, an endearing experience to complete our illuminating trip through Vietnam.