An Unexpected Paradise

I vacationed in Vietnam with my family. I was surprised by my war-veteran dad's positive reaction

- BLAIR UNDERWOOD

LIKE SO MANY OF US AMERICANS, THE WAR IS my point of reference for Vietnam. The country felt like this faraway land where many Americans fought and died.

My dad, Colonel Frank Underwood Sr., fought in the Vietnam War. He's 92 now and still looking good. He was there for a year but was injured a month in and received the Purple Heart.

In his later years, my father has become more introspective and emotional. He chokes up whenever he thinks about Vietnam: what he saw and the relationships he had with fellow soldiers, but also the Vietnamese people and the friends he made there.

I remember hearing from him that it was a very difficult war, fighting on their terrain and in the jungle, an environment very different to what us Americans are used to.

The Vietnam War has always been a conversation in my family, so I was fascinated by the fact that it is now a destination for vacation. It felt like an oxymoron in my head.

My wife Josie and I were celebrating our first anniversary on June 24, 2024. We have nine kids between us; her six and me three.

I would always take my kids on international trips each summer. I think the seed of travel was planted in me from a young age. I was an Army brat because my dad was in the military, so we traveled at least every two years.

After my earlier divorce, I wanted to keep a sense of continuity as I transitioned to my new life, so we booked this special family trip to Vietnam.

When I told my dad we were heading to Vietnam, I was surprised by his reaction. I thought he'd say: "What are you thinking?"

As he listened, he thought about it and said: "I gotta tell you, it's always been a beautiful place-a tropical paradise. It's sometimes hard to see that through the fog of war, which is hell and a lot of death."