the you're watching dw news about next is our documentary series with a trip through vietnam and the re unification. express stick with us here at dw. we'll have more news at the top of the hour for you. or you can check out our website or our social media sites for watching features and the innovation green, the green revolution global. so listen to a whole lot of crime. it's probably up to speed if the carriers subscribe to those channels. we've got every friday. subscribe to plan, it's a good the book even

though i love it. every time i go to train and start walking the, it's 6 am and honda way, the vietnamese capital the,

the times that the daily flag raising on board in square the, the national anthem plays, and war veterans attend the ceremony. the, the protracted war between what was the north and south vietnam and the subsequent unification of the country. deeply ingrained in the memories of the vietnamese peoples on this now historic square that revolutionary communist leader, which he meant proclaimed independence of the democratic republic of vietnam. in 1945. this mazda, liam, honoring the late president overlooks the square,

but independence was not fully gained until the founding of the socialist republic of vietnam in 1976. at the end of what is known here as the american war. further east, at the heart of henry's old town, east one team lake nearly 50 years after the war ended. a lot of people have a positive outlook on the future. transportation infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the countries. rapid developments, including both roads and railways. being across and guard isn't increasingly dangerous profession when tom long has overseen this crossing for 12 years, the of the he works

12 hour shift in a job with a lot of responsibility. human reliability. right? so we don't sell it and when you work here it becomes your life. paul, what are you doing in vietnam? we say you have to carry your faith with you the or the i was almost 30 when i started working here and i'd had a range of different jobs before the working here is my fake. what is the allow me to move ahead and i mean, long's mother was similarly dustin to work for the railway. the highly consign surrounding mean the trains rattling through inevitably dictate the rhythm of locals lives, including new in town long. she was across and guard here herself for over 3

decades, and it has been living here just as long as soon as i realized that community, i suppose it would be a good idea. it was my job to use the pulse of land and build a house for us here. the railway had no objection, and we're still here today. i'm going to do the my oldest son has also been living here for years, not waiting. once who's shipped his over long takes his birds and walked the short distance along the tracks back home the it's now time for lunch with his wife, his children, and his mother. after sundown, there's a hardy, a range of food available in henry's old town. and that means cuisine is extremely varied, especially here on tying in street, also known as beer street. it's

a hot spot among noise evening revellers. the just to the cell is one team lake. the system is about taking the train home the because not far from the lake is how noise main railway station the ticket counter is in the main waiting hall train travel in vietnam is

straightforward, that we have tickets for the s, the one at 1015. the side gone express number one, the think. oh, yeah, the call is for that though to vietnam's real network was built during the french colonial period and has played a prominent role in the country's history recounted to us by trends on buy one ticket to come to the station. he's a frequent traveler on this train. the railways are an important symbol for the 79 year old war veterans. the are trained the parts on time the

journey will take us from north to south in this thing, coastal country and will last over 32 hours the, our route will take us right past the south china sea. the our journey will cross almost the entire length of vietnam around 1700 kilometers from handling to host human city, previously known as saigon. but our train, we'll 1st take us past or rather special kind of attraction don towel or railway street. where when juan whelan runs one of the many cafe is lining the train track, he made himself restaurants here,

used to use waiters who would hop across the tracks to serve customers. a perilous practice that is now prohibited that we're going to be focused on, you know, you so when you luckily policy, there are few, a trains now they used to come almost every hour. the schedule dictates my life and my child care to provide example, a low name example is that he's been seeing the trains hospitality for a to take on when we he and there's no danger. now we have the team, the tourist, so safe to that are the don't because the cost they own those are responsible for them as well. i know, of course i have no idea about that. i'm fine. there's okay, the thrill seeking torres are good business for land. the north south line was built to be the backbone of the country, which as our train driver,

knowing in queen queen notes also led to its repeated destruction. the route was again complete one year after the reunification of vietnam, the since the liberation of south vietnam and the reunification of the country trains have resumed from illinois to side gone and brought citizens from both parts of the country closer together. with each reunification express, we bring people from the north to the south and vice versa. the it's a train that is a symbol and physical manifestation of the countries reunification. a train of

national reconciliation of a people of once fairly divided half a century later. it's a scenario that's hard to imagine. the train is a comfortable ride for nighttime travelers. and it's quiet enough for us to visit trends on bon in his compartment. to join the communist viet cong forces based in the north of the country. in 1967 the the 9th and really my uncle of my family received for notifications of my death . does 9 in 1968, 19701972 and 1974. by redeem and almost 9991 that came down. so not just one, but 4 times lately. and i'm wanting dumb lately. high level of attitude. come lead

me to don. i can imagine it was a huge surprise for my family. when i came home, the new light doesn't come on monday yet not the it just been declared dead 4 times and still came back alive and i'm wanting to do it. and it, the other lady told me, no, not really. that was helpful. that man's mother had even built an altar for her son . it stood in her home for 8 years until dawn returned home in 1976. he removed the altar himself. vaughn has since devoted his life to searching for the remains of fallen soldiers. the next morning we visit the vine law nature reserve near noon bed.

where we joined taylo novela, the german biologist came to vietnam in the early 19 nineties and has since dedicated his life to the conservation of a rare prime in the she found at the 1st wildlife sanctuary of its kind in the endo china region. in 1993, the sanctuary gives animals freed from poachers. a new home one of his primary focuses is della corps langers, a critically endangered species of monkey. i know the ask not soon as well right at the start of like a gift from gaunt. we were able to see the 2 of these animals from poachers. lock known from eric on 200 and the endangered primate rescue center was born. zillow

was its director for 25 years. he and the local conservationists played a big part in ensuring that primate like the dell, of course, lingers, have survived into the new millennium. the aim as for the animals to one day, the return to the wild, the company too low as he makes his way to the john uh, unesco world heritage site and to an island where the now 82 year old once released a number of them onto the, the lenders with white pants as they're also called have seen their numbers right back up to around 200. that's to you. it's not dollars. i the, all right me is of course to build up a viable population. so that kind of thing is going to take several decades, e mail that you all tend to fit onto the bible population means between 500000

dynamo slice 1000 t on. and it takes a lot of time for a population of that size to build up for that. so in the ask about the back aboard the reunification expressed a new day dawns and it's breakfast time. the passengers are served in their seats. coffee and the traditional morning suit, the almost 80 percent of the strategically important railway line was destroyed during

the vietnam war. of the $1300.00 or so bridges an estimated $1000.00 were reduced to ruins. although for tribes on by the loss of soldiers lives was far worse news happening, teasing, now, we knew that a lot of us would end up dead. we dug graves for ourselves. for each battle, we'd gather together and promised that after the liberation the survivors would bring the bodies of the men who died back to their mother's check to all the last half hour and then took his 1st ever trip on the train. in 1978, he dug up the remains of 34 conrad and delivered their death certificates to their families in person, the fighting was

especially fierce in the province of quarantine. the 17th parallel roughly coincided with the border that had been drawn up between north and south vietnam after the departure of french colonial forces in 1954. the area would later be witness to some of the bloody as battles of the war with memorials now honoring the casualties. such as this one in what was then north vietnam. we follow ban on this bridge across the 10 long river, until 1975 part of the border between north vietnam and the us back south. this monument commemorates the separation of families. the bones as the bridge is a reconstruction of the original which was destroyed by an american air strike in 1972. he has long forgotten the border. he has originally from the north, the married woman from the south, where she now lives in his search. but the remains of fallen soldiers

continues to this day, regardless of where they fought for the whole night. so when i dropped of it, i need not picture day. i cross these bridge, i need not as a soldier come. but while thinking about the reconstruction of our country and how to feel the wounds caused by the war that can get out of night, they need even more than that. but until you hit 9, bon has commuted between the north and south of vietnam over 40 times on the re unification. express the journey progresses. further south, past the farms and fields that dominate the countries landscape. about 700 kilometers. later, we arrive in the way, the

way was the capital of vietnam during the wind dynasty, from 18 o 2 to 1945. when physical legacy of the period is the citadel, the police show residents of the royal family, of course etiquette, and ceremonial customs such as music and dance, were very important to the emperors. the mere granted backstage access to the royal ballet of when the dancers are preparing for performance. the enemy's court music dates back to

the 13th century. but it was during the later and when dynasty that it reached its pinnacle with the music serving to demonstrate the emperor's power and longevity, the one frequently performed dance as a new comb plugged on. the new cool, one done is based on buddhist traditions. it senses on the custom of praying 6 times with each prayer, accompanied by a symbolic offering to put up in sun flowers, the fruit food. i'm lambton, the dog was laced to expanded and would often be performed to mock the birth date of the emperor. his mother and in this orchestra, the drum please, a pivotal part. 3 the

word music was seen as an expression of reverence towards the emperor's and god like the music, like this one are now also performed at festival. in 2003, beginning these courtney's day was recognized by unesco. as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity way lies on the long tongue or perfume river. and right next door is the dawn ball market. the

market opened in $1899.00 and the countless stalls here mostly run by women, hawk, all sorts of 2 sons as fresh as they come. the the market attracts 7000 visitors daily, many of them on no pets. it's no time for us to return to the railway station, which also has a spacious waiting room, the shortly before departure. the doors to the platform open. tickets are digital. the

lunch time is now approaching the when crying, he is happy to be filmed while he cut the . he's been serving passengers on the re unification expressed for 10 years. his hobby traveling, of course, the

content with his job, the the work isn't terribly hard. i cooked for an average of 100 to 120 people a day. the job earns be enough to support my family. sometimes the meals are freshly prepared and delivered to passenger compartment. the conductor, my tongue is serving g, also sees the re unification express as symbolic half hour and

the way by and i'd be walking to the round road for 17 years now. working on the reunification express is really interesting because you get to meet people and see a lot of different places compared to other jobs. it's a real pleasure to walk. you know, we have done call hi, in central vietnam is the next highlight the, the at 17 meters mom. it's the largest fresh water lagoon in south east asia. the majority of people in vietnam do not adhere to one belief system. they tend to follow one or several folk religion or an amalgamation of classical

fates the today, we will see the tapping out ceremony for this house to face with construction work basically complete the the ceremony is conducted by a monk. the, the, the ground floor will host the cafe. while the stories higher up are still being finished. the, i don't know why they didn't know that now. and then i will be in the muse custom

to celebrate a new building being constructed. the prayers are for our ancestors. while for monday, the ceremony is to bring good luck to the owner to drive away evil and protect against unemployment. it's a really old vietnamese custom. hi, i'm distributing money is also part of the ceremony. a high before the earthly well is consigned to a fire and offering to those in the after life the

the most spectacular section of our journey aboard the reunification express is now beginning the train passes beneath the del hi yvonne the ocean cloud passed the the trains have to set off at night to allow passengers to appreciate this stretch. during daylight, the

many passengers take the train just because of the breathtaking view. the going by train is safe and cheaper than my call. last, i wanted to see the scenery that the account passed. i am the i have on the long ocean mountains constitute a kind of meteor, a logical border between north and south vietnam, a top tours, destination and paradise. for bikers,

the ocean cloud path rises almost 500 meters from sea level the the we reach our next stop, a few kilometers from the top of the past. the don on is the terminus station. so the engine has to be coupled onto the other end

of the train, the which gives us a brief opportunity to look around. the coastal city with a population of around a 1000000 done own is famed for its features. the 1st to us combat troops landed nearby during the vietnam war. the few americans set up a vital air base and on which subsequently grew to become one of the biggest cities in south vietnam the a few kilometers further south. we visit jolla. the old town enjoyed the rear feet of not being destroyed during the vietnam war.

and today, both moscow world heritage status. before our train journey continues, we've arranged to meet someone outside town out on the tube on river, who tries to attract fish by hitting an or against his boat. he's always lived here and has mastered the art of coaxing his prey towards his round basket boat. the mad at all music, i really liked the beautiful maid how we were to that team told me to go today and notate that i was 9 when i learned how to swim. and i've been working on the water ever since a have them made up a black. oh yeah, i have never done anything else. so it doesn't come with them. when i go out in this round boat and every day i managed to catch a few kilos or fish when i they, they the label that came to me and i'm booked on today as i'm unfortunately an

exception for the 62 year old the, perhaps tomorrow's hall will be better of the leave then return to the station in done up the reunification express. that's off once again in the afternoon. since the narrow tracks were built by the french, the train is often called the g g. v. after the famous high speed french train

around the corner of the 1300 bridges are in need of renovation. the night to send early and swiftly in vietnam. we now get ready for our 2nd night aboard the train passengers used to be able to take a little detour here up to the lot at an altitude of almost 1500 meters. this delightful little station was built by the french in 1938 with touches of art deco style. the

railway was attacked by the viet calling during the vietnam war. the route was discontinued in 1968. a short torres service was liter introduced. featuring this scheme, local motives, the meat and window to behind the station. he was a driver during the war. second later in the early 19 nineties, he drove the called railway train and remained at the controls right up to his end . the idol mainly real quick and we'll not doing them. i was the last time he mentioned driver for the old railway. though i was really sad when i had to stop in 2016. the trees on the like the look through that don't light and the local motive was my place of work and i have very fond memories of it. well,

i mean, it feels like an old friend. i really miss it. i'm going to do a lot and then i knew that the temperate climate was one reason why the french founded the town of the building, a range of hotels and other buildings. the railway leech though not in 1932, which was essentially dog, little paris. the city is now home to over 200000 people. the then take a different kind of trip with the easy riders motorcycle club. the youth members have been hitting the road together in the area around the lot for over a quarter of a century. there i generate includes multi day tours and day trips. for the club was not originally founded for the sheer joy of motorcycling. it was more out of

necessity with members turning a hobby into an occupation, a 73 year old home. explain the new things on google. yeah, go to the number. so number 1, december, the beloved after unification, older people have difficulty finding a job. but no, don't disney movie a new one over a month and we started showing 4 and visitors around the area really uh, newly uh, english wasn't commonly spoken back then and then went in. but a lot of our members could turn in. uh, they were teachers, professors or army officers, but we also are just talking to you got a new the c one good. after a short ride, they show us the popular local attraction. the area around the lot is known for its waterfall and he visit one in number. it's named after supposedly elephant like rock at the water's edge. although we were unable to spot it,

the 30 meters high, it's one of the most frequently visited waterfalls in the area, the near. now back on board, the reunification express for the final leg of our journey in the early hours. just a few kilometers to go until we reach coach human city. our 2nd morning on the train, the wind t hi is old enough to remember when it wasn't possible to take the train from north to south club. boy, it's great to see our country unified. whenever i take the train now i no longer notice any differences between the north himself. that's why i love writing on this

training on that it's 6 30 am as we pull into hope, she meant city station. the the, the re unification express arrives just 20 minutes behind schedule. despite having traveled 1700 kilometers. the train is not only a symbol of the countries, unity is also brought people from the to one how style parts of the country a little bit closer, while making a small contribution to the reconciliation of north and south vietnam. the, the side on sign deal adorns the station. people haven't necessarily gotten used to the new name, pushing in city the central post office and it's beryl bolton,

main hall, are yet another reminder of the french colonial period. a portrait of the communist leader, which he men towers over the hall side garden, was renamed after him in 1976, following the defeat of south vietnam. amid the hustle and bustle of vietnam's biggest city with 9000000 inhabitants, people often seek refuge from the daily grind by visiting a po to read it to accompany new n t k. yet, as she goes inside the body and how pagoda, she lights incense to mark the start of her visit the

after prayers. the 47 year old buys a piece of paper where she writes down her name and her wishes of the she then hands over the know which is hung up on a spiral ornament. confident that her prayers will be answered. all of this is part of the ceremony in which prayers do not just focus on the wellbeing of the individual and their loved ones, but not too much. i thought i did and i did that and you maintain not happening. i'm every one in my family is healthy, but i still go to the pagoda, to pray for a peaceful life. i'm for korea successful. i have a couple of college jobs in addition to my main profession paper from the past. and

i want to move to go well, soon, and i want my children to do well at school. i just pray for everything to be right with the holiday. we're not going to go after the ceremony, pagan by some song, birds which show release again shortly afterward. the, another ritual that's part of visiting a proto setting. the birds free is an offering and just the post to create positive thoughts. deliberation of the animals is also meant to generate good karma, the enduring custom to round off or in lightning journey across vietnam. the,

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