Highlands and the Cambodian invasion—and I went back last year to come to terms with some stuff. That’s why they sent me to brief you. We’re bonding. Right?”
“Not quite, but go on.”
Mr. Conway continued, “During these five days of travel, you will determine if you’re being watched or followed. But even if you are, don’t presume anything. Often, they just follow and watch Westerners for no good reason.”
“Especially Americans.”
“Correct. Okay, after five days on the road, you arrive in Hue on Saturday, which is Lunar New Year’s Eve—Tet—where you are booked at the Century Riverside Hotel. At this time, regarding the number you got from your contact in Saigon, you look at the city map of Hue in your guidebook, which has a numbered key to various sites around the city, and that’s where you go at noon the following day, Sunday, which will be New Year’s Day, a holiday with lots of crowds and few police. Okay?”
“Got it.”
“There are alternative rendezvous points, and I’ll explain that now.” Conway gave me the details of my meeting in Hue and concluded, “This person you meet in Hue will be a Vietnamese national. He will find you. There’s a sign and countersign. He will say, ‘I am a very good guide.’ You will reply, ‘How much do you charge?,’ and he will reply, ‘Whatever you wish to pay.’ ”
I asked, “Didn’t I see this in a movie once?”
Mr. Conway smiled and said, “I know you’re not used to this kind of stuff, and to tell you the truth, neither am I. We’re both cops, Mr. Brenner, and this is something else. But you’re a bright guy, you grew up during the Cold War, we all read James Bond, watched spy movies, and all that stuff. So this isn’t totally alien to people of our generation. Right?”
“Right. Tell me why I need a contact in Saigon if all I need is a number? You can fax me a number.”
“We decided you might need a friend in Saigon, and we need someone there we can be in touch with in case you fall off the radar screen.”
“Gotcha. Do we have a consulate in Saigon yet?”
“I was about to get to that. As you know, we’ve just re-established diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and we have a new embassy building and a new ambassador in Hanoi. The embassy will not contact you directly, either in Hanoi or during your trip. But, as an American citizen, you can contact them if you need to, and you will ask for John Eagan, and no one else. Regarding Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City, we’ve recently sent a consular mission there, and they’re located in some temporary, non-secure rented space. You’ll have no contact with the Saigon consulate, except through your contact person in Saigon.”
I said, “So I can’t run into the American consulate in Saigon and ask for asylum?”
He forced a smile and replied, “They don’t have much office space, and you’ll be in the way.” He added, apropos of something, “Vietnam is becoming important to us again.”
I didn’t ask him why, but important to the American government always meant oil, sometimes drugs, and now and then strategic military planning. Take your pick.
Mr. Conway was looking at me, anticipating a question about “important,” but I said, “Okay. What else?”
He said, “Another thing to keep in mind, as I said, it’s the Tet holiday season, Lunar New Year—you remember Tet ’68. Right? So, the whole country is visiting graves in their native villages, and whatever else they do. Transportation, communication, and accommodations are a nightmare, half the population is not at work, and the normal inefficiency is worse. You’ll need to be resourceful and patient. But don’t be late.”
“Understood. Tell me more about the guy in Hue.”
Doug Conway explained, “The contact in Hue will tell you where to go next, if he knows. Tran Van Vinh, if he’s alive, is most probably in the north, so you can expect to travel north from Hue. Foreigners, especially Americans,
“Not quite, but go on.”
Mr. Conway continued, “During these five days of travel, you will determine if you’re being watched or followed. But even if you are, don’t presume anything. Often, they just follow and watch Westerners for no good reason.”
“Especially Americans.”
“Correct. Okay, after five days on the road, you arrive in Hue on Saturday, which is Lunar New Year’s Eve—Tet—where you are booked at the Century Riverside Hotel. At this time, regarding the number you got from your contact in Saigon, you look at the city map of Hue in your guidebook, which has a numbered key to various sites around the city, and that’s where you go at noon the following day, Sunday, which will be New Year’s Day, a holiday with lots of crowds and few police. Okay?”
“Got it.”
“There are alternative rendezvous points, and I’ll explain that now.” Conway gave me the details of my meeting in Hue and concluded, “This person you meet in Hue will be a Vietnamese national. He will find you. There’s a sign and countersign. He will say, ‘I am a very good guide.’ You will reply, ‘How much do you charge?,’ and he will reply, ‘Whatever you wish to pay.’ ”
I asked, “Didn’t I see this in a movie once?”
Mr. Conway smiled and said, “I know you’re not used to this kind of stuff, and to tell you the truth, neither am I. We’re both cops, Mr. Brenner, and this is something else. But you’re a bright guy, you grew up during the Cold War, we all read James Bond, watched spy movies, and all that stuff. So this isn’t totally alien to people of our generation. Right?”
“Right. Tell me why I need a contact in Saigon if all I need is a number? You can fax me a number.”
“We decided you might need a friend in Saigon, and we need someone there we can be in touch with in case you fall off the radar screen.”
“Gotcha. Do we have a consulate in Saigon yet?”
“I was about to get to that. As you know, we’ve just re-established diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and we have a new embassy building and a new ambassador in Hanoi. The embassy will not contact you directly, either in Hanoi or during your trip. But, as an American citizen, you can contact them if you need to, and you will ask for John Eagan, and no one else. Regarding Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City, we’ve recently sent a consular mission there, and they’re located in some temporary, non-secure rented space. You’ll have no contact with the Saigon consulate, except through your contact person in Saigon.”
I said, “So I can’t run into the American consulate in Saigon and ask for asylum?”
He forced a smile and replied, “They don’t have much office space, and you’ll be in the way.” He added, apropos of something, “Vietnam is becoming important to us again.”
I didn’t ask him why, but important to the American government always meant oil, sometimes drugs, and now and then strategic military planning. Take your pick.
Mr. Conway was looking at me, anticipating a question about “important,” but I said, “Okay. What else?”
He said, “Another thing to keep in mind, as I said, it’s the Tet holiday season, Lunar New Year—you remember Tet ’68. Right? So, the whole country is visiting graves in their native villages, and whatever else they do. Transportation, communication, and accommodations are a nightmare, half the population is not at work, and the normal inefficiency is worse. You’ll need to be resourceful and patient. But don’t be late.”
“Understood. Tell me more about the guy in Hue.”
Doug Conway explained, “The contact in Hue will tell you where to go next, if he knows. Tran Van Vinh, if he’s alive, is most probably in the north, so you can expect to travel north from Hue. Foreigners, especially Americans,
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