Da Nang, Vietnam: Quotes Are From The Buddha Poem by Sheena Blackhall

A country is not its past
‘Do not dwell on the past
Do not dream of the future
Concentrate the mind on the present moment'

At the Mỹ Lai Massacre during the Vietnam war
500 unarmed villagers
Were killed by American officers
Women were gang raped, mutilated
As were children as young as twelve
Twenty six soldiers were tried
One platoon leader was convicted
Served three and a half years under house arrest
He ordered his men to destroy everything
"walking, crawling or growing"

A country is not its past
Today it's still a quilt of settlements,
Rice paddies, irrigation ditches,
Dykes, and dirt roads, leading to tiny villages
And huge cosmopolitan cities touching the skies
One foot in the 21st Century
Modernity married to the Ancient

A country is not its past
‘Joy follows a pure thought
Like a shadow that never leaves'

East lies My Khe Beach, a 20-mile stretch of sand
For sunbathing, fishing, snorkelling, jet-skiing, surfing
The sands are a Western tourist magnet

South, lie the Marble Mountains
Five limestone and marble hills
Named after natural elements

Thuy Son (water) ,
Moc Son (wood) ,
Hoa Son (fire) ,
Kim Son (metal)
Tho Son (earth)
A country is not its past
Son Tra (Monkey)Mountain
Towers above sea level,
Over jungles and red face monkeys.
Here is thestatue of Quan'Am, the Goddess of Mercy
She stands on a lotus-shaped platform
Tall and compassionate, white as a turtle dove
‘Do not look for a sanctuary
In anyone but yourself'

A country must work for the future.
Dragon Bridge is the longest in Vietnam
It six-lanes cross the powerful Han River
In the form of a golden dragon
During weekends lit up, it breathes fire, spits out water

Da Nang Cathedral is catholic in a Buddhist city
Stained-glass windows, prominent bell tower
Topped with a rooster weathercock.
Built by the French it's known as Rooster Church
Part of Imperial France, in former times

A country is not its past
A country must look to the future
‘Nothing is forever except change'