Return to Vietnam

Hong Kong: the R&R destination that got away

November

Soldiers in the Vietnam War were entitled to at least one Rest & Recuperation trip, usually of about one week. The most popular R&R destinations were Hawaii for the married soldiers, where their wives could meet them, or Bangkok and Hong Kong for the (cough cough) lonely (cough cough) troops.

My father made it to Singapore and Taipei for R&R, and stopped in Tokyo for a few days on his way home, but never got to see the infamous Hong Kong: until yesterday, during our layover.

But Suzie Wong isn’t there anymore; in fact, the Wan Chai district where on-leave soldiers and sailors once congregated is completely unrecognizeable, built over by skyscrapers and infill developments that have added city blocks to areas that used to be waterfront. (The British Navy is also gone, of course.)

On to Vietnam!

This entry was posted on Friday, November 9th, 2007 at 9:00 am by Nicole Neroulias.
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