Smith shares experiences about Vietnam
Martha Smith brought a little piece of Asia to a group of CMU retirees Sunday.
An audience of about 20 retired staff and faculty members listened to Smith, a retired music and teacher education professor, speak about her trips to Vietnam, Cambodia and China.
Most of the presentation focused on her trip to Vietnam.
“I wanted people to get a flavor for what the country was,” she said. “I’m trying to have people see that here’s an emerging country that spent a long time in war and is trying to get back as a welcoming tourist spot.”
Smith showed photographs of everything from buildings to people to the crops they grew.
“I’m a farmer’s daughter so I was interested in rice making,” she said. “Somebody who was a city person might have been more interested in other facets.”
Smith came to CMU in 1962 as a music teacher and switched into teacher education in 1970. After retiring in 1994, her friends and family endowed a room in the music building to her.
Smith traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia in February of 2001 and visited China again last February.
She traveled all over Vietnam, including areas such as Hue, Hanoi and Halong Bay.
“A lot of Vietnamese battles were in that area and it was an area that did have some bombing,” she said. “As we flew into Hue, you saw these circles of lots of ponds and you know full-well they’ve got to be bomb craters.”
Smith said there was no mention during the tour of the war the United States fought with Vietnam, other than to point out the American embassy in Saigon.
Smith said many areas she visited had been reconstructed in post-war times to preserve the historical nature of the structures.
“Beautiful work is a part of the country and there’s no question that a lot of history was lost (during the war); that’s one of the negatives that happen in the war.”
Smith said Cambodia was not so rich in culture.
“The people of Cambodia are terribly, terribly poor. There were lots of beggars, lots of people with damaged limbs. It was very positive the war has been difficult,” she said. “Cambodia is just not as ready for tourists.”
She also showed pictures of her visit to China.
“If you went a long block from our hotel, you came to Tienamen Square, and if you went equidistant the other way you came to a Starbucks,” she said.
Former University President Leonard Plachta was in attendance and said he is impressed with the retirees’ program series.
“I’m very impressed with the travel series as well as the early series for people who are retired from the community,” Plachta said. “Certainly our speaker has done an outstanding job and she speaks with expertise and fluidity.”
“I think this is the beginning of a very fine series,” Plachta said. “I’m very confident that they will continue to succeed.”
Two more forums will take place this summer as part of the retirees’ program series. On July 27, Moonyeen Albrecht will speak about Russia; and on Aug. 24, Marcella Kocar will speak about the Czech Republic. Both events take place at 4 p.m. in the Park Library.
