A little history...
I come from a very big family, and getting bigger by the year. On my dad side of the family alone, my grandparents had 15 children. My dad falling somewhere in the middle, 7th oldest/youngest to be exact. In the early years, before the Vietnam War took off, my entire dad side lived and did business in Bien Hoa City of Vietnam. My grandparents owned a couple businesses, one in Bien Hoa and the other (a farm) in Long Khanh. I was told my family were well off until the communists came and forced my family out of Bien Hoa. My family had no choice but to go to Long Khanh and take up farming. Our family lost a lot of possessions including their business, homes, and much riches. Luckily they still owned a great chunk of land in Long Khanh. Also before the communists raided my family in Long Khanh, my grandma traded in most of her money for gold blocks, which were hidden very carefully. In 1975, my grandma used the gold to bribe sailers into taking most of my family overseas. Many ended in Canada. However, my oldest uncle and his family, along with many inlaws and children were left behind. The farm and land were left to my oldest uncle. 30 years later, I got to visit this place.
Crazy Happenings in Vietnam:
1. Retracing family history
2. Being an uncle/ being called an uncle by a 20 year old
3. Motorbikes ignoring lights and rules of the road
4. Driving on the other side of the road against on coming traffic!
5. Meeting family members i never knew existed
6. Learning that there are no stray dogs because they all have been eaten
7. Understanding what everyone is saying, but in Viet!
8. And eating this fresh from Asia (WARNING: you may not want to see this!):
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