Chris Wallace
Right away, I notice the smells.
Jackfruit in the sun.
The woody spice of cloves.
From left: A view of the Jade Hills from the Hotel de la Coupole, in Sa Pa, a town in northern Vietnam; a suite at the Capella Hanoi.Credit:Chris Wallace
Star anise in a pot of steaming pho.
Its springtime inHanoi, and the flame trees are in fragrant, coral bloom.
Vendors pile bushels of lotus flowers onto their three-wheeled rickshaws and motorcycles.
From left: A flower vendor’s bicycle in Hanoi; women in traditional ao dai on the grounds of Hoa Lu, the site of Vietnam’s 10th-century capital.Chris Wallace
I get a blast of cherry blossom, rice wine, and incense at the entrance to a temple.
Of course, Vietnam has changed, too.
All these fracturing realties, past and present, will take some getting used to.
From left: A quiet moment in downtown Hoi An; the library of a private home in Hoi An.Chris Wallace
But my memories of who I was back then havent been trapped in amber.
My memories of Vietnam, too, have been edited over time.
Jackfruit in the sun.
From left: A residential balcony in Hoi An; a walkway at a lotus-flower farm in Ninh Bình.Chris Wallace
The woody spice of cloves.
Star anise in a pot of steaming pho.
Its springtime in Hanoi, and the flame trees are in fragrant, coral bloom.
From left: Bich Dong Pagoda, built in the 15th century, outside the city of Ninh Bình; a shrine in a café in downtown Hanoi.Chris Wallace
Every room on my floor is named for an opera figure; I am in Sarah Bernhardt.
On the outskirts of Hanoi, new buildings seem to have proliferated like stucco mushrooms.
But in the citys leafy old town, things feel relatively unchanged.
The pool at the Ancient Hue Garden Houses, in the city of Hue.Chris Wallace
Also, I run, he says in a way that makes me wonder if he is joking.
Running would not have fit with the lifestyle we once shared.
Like everywhere, I say, to make a joke.
From left: The dining room of the Ancient Hue Garden Houses; cuts of meat for sale at a Hoi An market.Chris Wallace
But a new highway has dramatically reduced the travel time to the famous Jade Hills of the northwest.
Maybe the heat has gotten to me.
Is it cynical to worry about the impact on these tender farming landscapes?
From left: Scooter traffic in Ho Chi Minh City; the private beach at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.Chris Wallace
To be concerned about the pressure that development is putting on this fragile, singular place?
Are any of the memories from my life in Vietnam representative of reality?
I am in a place that looks perfectly like the country of popular imagination.
From left: Offerings—including gourds, money, and alcohol—at a Buddhist temple in Sa Pa; a tunnel through a hillside in the province of Ninh Bình.Chris Wallace
And I am nevertheless elated, as well as overwrought and clearly unraveling.
Maybe the heat has gotten to me.
Shortly after we opened, I thanked Minh for the opportunity and gave my notice.
Waterside villas at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.Chris Wallace
I wandered around the country, and I wrote.
Its still one of the most enchanting sights I know.
This pops up in both beautiful and weird ways.
I was kicked out of my first apartment here after nearly six months for having a colonists face.
Many of those returning vets are evangelical about the beauty of Vietnams land and people.
On this trip, I was determined to see it.
In 2007, I intentionally didnt bring a camera to Vietnam.
On this trip,I was determined to see it.
Thanks to 15 years of development, Saigon is almost unrecognizable.
But in any case it is difficult to be dispassionate about the changes I see.
The dizzying metropolis that I knew has been supersized.
Colonial mansions are dwarfed by massive malls and apartment blocks.
I am overwhelmed by the citys scale, the sheer concentration of its stimuli.
Sometimes Id get a foot massage at the little spa upstairs.
But maybe that just means there is more to see, to taste, and to write about.
Lunch at Le Club Bar is a must, as is a drink at the poolside Bamboo Bar.
The 36 guest rooms are cozy, and the location near the city center is ideal.
This one stands out thanks to its stylish rooms, waterfront restaurant, and excellent spa.
Keep an eye out for the rare monkeys that live in the surrounding hills.
The rooftop bar has fantastic views.
