Vietnam Road Trip - Somewhere Between Saigon, Phuoc Vinh and Bien Hoa, circa 1969

These are the last of my uncle's slides. They're in color, probably dating from 1969 or 1970 during the Vietnam War. My educated guess is that most were taken from the back of an army transport truck leaving Saigon on the Bien Hoa highway. Most likely on my uncle's way to the 74th Field Hospital in Long Binh where he was stationed.

I figured this out by first trying to hunt down the location of the soldier statue and temple. Then, I stumbled on another American soldier's post of the same Shell gas station from the same time frame.  He labeled it as "somewhere between Phuoc Vinh and Bien Hoa."

More of my uncle's photos:  Vietnam in Black & White - 74th Field Hospital, Long Binh 1969

Soldiers cycling with baskets full of bananas.

Thuong Tiec, a memorial statue to the fallen ARVN soldiers, located at Bien Hoa. It was destroyed in April 1975. 

Bien Hoa Cemetery, also called the National Military Cemetery of Bien Hoa, still exists under the name Bình An Cemetery. It was established in 1965 as an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) military cemetery. 

The Shell station, that appears to be the same one identified by Ken Roy as "Shell station in the middle of no where, somewhere between Phuoc Vinh and Bien Hoa, Vietnam."

Vietnamese movie posters. "Tinh Yeu va Su Mang" in Cinemascope.

Farmers and livestock. 

Water buffalo on the side of the road.

Saigon Bridge, known as Newport Bridge before 1975.

 

I'm not sure exactly where these were taken, guessing they're still along the same road from Saigon. 

Sign says "US ARMY" along with "50th" but can't make out the rest.

Donald William "Bill" McCaw, Jr. (1945-2005)

10 Photographs at a Time: Photos 31-40 (Hong Kong 1969, Part 2)

My Uncle Bill in front of the HSBC Bank

These are the last of the photos from my Uncle's slides of his trip to Hong Kong in 1969 while on leave from the war in Vietnam.

Check out the first set of 1960s Hong Kong photos.

His adventures take us from primitive boat dwellings, to the then 80 year old Hong Kong Peak Tram, to a modern school surrounded by barbed wire. They are a snapshot in time of the people of Hong Kong going about their daily lives.

I love that every time I look at these photos I see details that I missed upon first glance. I only wish there were more, but unfortunately this is the last of the roll. The next photos (which I hope to post soon) are of Vietnam.

  

Originally called Hong Kong Harbour it was renamed Victoria Harbour after Queen Victoria.

Boat dwellings (also called junks) of "on-water people"or "Nam Hoi Yan"formerly called Tanka but that is now considered a derogatory term.

Close up of the picture above. I looked at this photo dozens of times before seeing the families on the boats going about their daily lives. It's been described that the "on-water people" have lived on junks in Hong Kong "since time unknown."

The Hong Kong Peak Tram has been around for 125 years. “You can’t say you've visited Hong Kong if you haven’t been up the Peak, and a journey up Victoria Peak without the Peak Tram is simply incomplete.” 

Rice paddies. Maybe viewed from the tram? UPDATE: This picture has been identified in blog comments as Lok Ma Chau, the Hong Kong/China border.

Paintings for sale by the side of the road, I wonder if Mr. Brown Pants buys one or is just posing for the camera. UPDATE: This picture has been identified in blog comments as Lok Ma Chau, the Hong Kong/China border.

Busy Hong Kong market.

Mercedes & green double-decker buses bearing Hitachi tv ads. Bus transport in Hong Kong was started in the 1920s. 

In the 60s European cars were used as taxis in Hong Kong. I think what's pictured here are Mercedes W120 Pontons. 

Tailor Tailor Tailor. 

It must have been odd for my uncle who grew up on a farm with no fences to see school children behind barbed wire.

10 Photographs at a Time: Photos 21-30 (Hong Kong 1969, Part 1)

Donald W. "Bill" McCaw Jr. (1945-2005)

I came across these long forgotten slides tucked away in a cabinet in my grandma's basement. They were taken by my late Uncle Bill, I'm assuming that he took them when he was on leave during the Vietnam war.

Of all of the family photos I've seen and sorted through these are some of my favorites. They transport me back in time to a place that is foreign and western, modern and ancient, vibrant and grimy all at the same time. 

There's no way I could limit this set to just 10 photos, there are too many great one's that I want to share. So if you want to see more, just check out Hong Kong Part 2!

The Hong Kong Festival was first held in December of 1969.
Not sure if the construction is related to that since this picture was taken around the same time. 

Much like Molly Shannon on Seinfeld this gentleman doesn't swing his arms when he runs. The randomness of this photo is great, I'm assuming he ran into the shot and this isn't the picture my uncle was intending to take which makes it even better. UPDATE: Taken at 3 Hennessy Road, showing a view of the Chinese Methodist Church that is still there but has since been renovated. 

These two appear in a few of the shots. UPDATE: Thanks to a helpful commenter who wrote "This must be the Hong Kong/China border. It was hard for a traveler to visit China at that time."

And here again walking the streets of Hong Kong looking like they stepped off the set of Happy Days. UPDATE: View of Hennessy Road, Wanchai.

Is that a 3-legged dog or is he scratching?
There's so much going on in this one I didn't even notice the dog's legs until the 10th time I looked at this photo. 

Hong Kong Harbor. At the time the population was estimated at 3 million, now it's over 7 million.

The best part of this photo is not the boy running with one hand in his pocket (and the other one carrying a ???),
it's that I'm pretty sure what's behind him is called "The Old Dragon Store". 

Sorry guys, there aren't any photos from inside the night club. 

There must be 20 slides of Hong Kong Harbor at night.
I can imagine this would have been an amazing sight to my uncle who had never left the US before this trip. 

10 Photographs at a Time: Photos 11-20 (Around the World with Uncle Doug)

Today we celebrate the birthday of the kind, generous, spontaneous, hilarious Uncle Doug. Uncle Doug is the youngest of the four McClelland brothers, my father the oldest. Because he was a teenager when my brother and I were born he's always been more of an older brother than an uncle.

My uncle started his journey in Berlin, when my grandfather was stationed there in the 50s. Every day is an adventure for Doug, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to go along for the ride.

Did they not have color photography when you were born Uncle Doug?
Ever wonder whose job it was to paint these photos? "What do you do sir? Oh I paint rosy cheeks on babies."

This picture is pure awesome. I would ask if you can get this close to the White House now, but I think we all know the answer to that. Also, do the kids visiting the president now wear suits and ties?  

I can't read it, but I think that's a certificate for Best Goggles. (August 1962)

Doug and my Great Grandpa Charles Siemen on his farm in Elizabeth, Illinois. (August 1965)

The back of this says "Doug Halloween" 4th Grade, Urbana, Illinois.
Way to prepare early for the Zombie Apocalypse Uncle Doug. 

That's my uncle far right. Despite it being the 70s there's not much I can pick on him for in this photo.
Where are your bell bottoms, facial hair and giant belt Uncle Doug? (August 29, 1975)

The house that my grandpa and Doug built. Lake of Egypt, Illinois. As much as we all groaned when grandma pulled out her Polaroid camera, I couldn't be more thankful that she documented every day occasions when I see photos like this. 

My uncles with the cool staches. San Diego circa 1987. 

This one says "Leaving Victoria BC on a boat."
I'd like to get my hands on that cool white coat your lady friend is wearing Doug. (May 1976)