I would say healthcare in Vietnam is so-so. There are several international clinics that are good but expensive and the care offered is limited.

For the most part Ho Chi Minh City is safe but like any large city you need to pay attention to what's going on around you.

After high school and a year of College I made a half-hearted attempt at professional skiing in Aspen, Colorado and then found myself back in Flint.

I'm always hearing warnings about keeping your belongings close to you [in Ho Chi Minh City] as thieves who ride motorbikes are adept at snatching things off a person as they ride by, but I personally have never seen it. Funny though, I don't hear folks talk about pick pockets but it's happened to me twice. Beware of that cute little sweetheart and stay away from those talented little hands.

I would say healthcare in Vietnam is so-so. There are several international clinics that are good but expensive and the care offered is limited.

Some 30 years later I found myself back here again [in Vietnam] on what was to be a short visit that lasted months, and since then I've been living my life with one foot in Ho Chi Minh City and the other in Fair Oaks, California.

On my discharge, I had the challenge of putting my life back together but Vietnam stuck in the inner recesses of my mind.