Photographs by Paul Haeder
halls- bia hoi's- where barrels of weak beer are served in dirty mugs, where 18-inch rats scamper between our feet, fighting for the scraps of split King cobra bones and dog meat. Without war, Vietnam- Hanoihas been immolated in the same
throbbing sensuality and pain wrenched up in a continuous ecstasy of brawling life and survival that is Latin America. Hanoi had become an extension of my experiences on the border. Vietnam had become a country, a frontier, not a war. M
Editor's note: In commemoration of the end of the Vietnam War twenty years ago, UTEP and El Paso Community College are launching a weeklong series of films, lectures and discussions focused on the issues surrounding this tumultuous period of history. "Vietnam War Week: A Community Remembrance" takes place October 28 through November 4, 1995, on the UTEP campus and at EPCC's various campuses. In the spirit of this commemoration, NOVA Quarterly is publishing excerpts from two essays, winners of the English Department's annual john and Vida White Travel Essay Contest. This year's contest produced three winning essays, two of which focused on Vietnam. Unfortunately, space limitations prevent publishing the third essay '~ 'Mexican' Village in the Alps" by Frederick Kluck and Sandra Beyer, associate professors of languages and linguistics. For more information on "Vietnam War Week: A Community Remembrance," please contact Paul Haeder, at (915) 747-5374 or 833-7531. FALL 1995 • 15