Bimat--A Vietnamese Adventure

by Robert A Webster

  The Cambodian–Vietnamese War, was a series of conflicts between the two countries, culminating in the establishment of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation and the subsequent invasion led by the Vietnam People's Army, which resulted in the removal of the Khmer Rouge regime from power and the establishment of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. Despite the ensuing occupation of Cambodia, this war ended the Cambodian genocide from 1975-1979 under the rule of Pol Pot.

  Despite sporadic running battles from the few remaining Khmer Rouge guerrillas that had set up in Southern jungle retreats. The actual invasion and liberation took little over a year for the Vietnamese to overthrow the Khmer Rouge, but bruised, battered and scattered factions of K.R, didn’t stop incursions and disruptive attacks until Pol Pot died in 1999

  Duong Van Minh, Big Mihn, the last president of the Republic of Vietnam, was born in 1916 in the Mekong Delta, in what was then the French colony of Cochin China. Trained by the French, Minh became in 1955 the ranking army officer in Ngo Dinh Diem's newly proclaimed Republic of Vietnam. He rose to prominence a year later as a result of defeating the Mekong Delta-based Hoa Hao sect, the leader of which was publicly guillotined. Minh's rising popularity combined with his outspokenness forced Diem to remove him from military command by promoting him to a largely honorific advisory position.

  General Minh emerged from obscurity seven years later as the leader of a group of Vietnamese generals that staged the November 1963 military uprising, ending the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem. During the uprising, Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu were assassinated, reportedly on Minh's orders. The generals replaced the Diem government with a Military Revolutionary Council, with Minh serving as nominal chairman. This remarkably ineffective group governed for only three months. In January 1971, the council and General Minh were ousted by a military coup led by General Nguyen Khanh.

  After living in exile for several years, Minh returned to South Vietnam in 1968, when he came to be regarded as a potential leader of a non-Communist coalition of opponents of President Nguyen Van Thieu. Minh entered the 1971 presidential election, but he withdrew from the race when events eliminated any possibility of his defeating Thieu. Minh's last appearance on the Vietnamese political stage occurred in April 1975, during the last days of the crumbling Republic of Vietnam. On April 21, Thieu resigned the presidency. His elderly vice president, Tran Van Huong, shortly thereafter appointed Minh to the presidency as North Vietnamese units converged on Saigon. The Minh administration lasted two days. On April 29, 1975, Minh was taken into custody, after surrendering unconditionally to the North Vietnamese Army unit that had occupied the presidential palace. Duong Van Minh, the last president of the Republic of Vietnam, was permitted to immigrate to France in 1983.

  Áo bà ba or Vietnamese silk ensemble) is a traditional southern Vietnamese garment. The áo itself (“shirt” in English) is the top part which covers the torso. It is most associated with rural southern Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta. Often worn as a top and bottom set, the áo bà ba is typically a long-sleeved, button-down silk shirt with a scooped neck paired with silk pants. The shirt will be somewhat long and split at the sides of the waist, forming two flaps, customarily with two pockets.

  Non La Non la (palm-leaf conical hat) is a traditional symbol of Vietnamese people without age, sex or racial distinctions.

  Like many other traditional costumes of Vietnam, Non la has its own origin, coming from a legend related to the history of rice growing in Vietnam. The story is about a giant woman from the sky who has protected humankind from a deluge of rain. She wore a hat made of four round shaped leaves to guard against all the rain. After the Goddess was gone, Vietnamese built a temple to commemorate her as the Rain-shielding Goddess.

  Vietnamese tried to make a hat modelling after the Goddess' by stitching together palm leaves, which is now known as Non la. The image of Non la has become strongly associated with peasant lives from the paddy field to boat men and women.

  Non la is made out of such simple and available materials as palm leaves, bark of Moc tree and bamboo. Non la is abundantly sold and there are many traditional villages where tourists can get high quality conical hats. For example, the Chuong village – 30km South West of Hanoi, is best-known for its handmade palm-leaf conical hats for centuries. Especially, ‘Non bai tho’ (poem hat) – a famous Non of Hue, has a picture of bamboo or even lyric lines of verse under the leaf-layer sunk designs, which is only seen under the sunlight.

  Than Nien is one of the leading Vietnamese language daily newspapers. It provides latest world and domestic news and commentary.

  Vovinam Vietnamese: Việt Võ Đạo, is a Vietnamese martial art practiced with and without weapons. It is based on the principle between hard and soft. It includes training of the body as well as the mind. It uses force and reaction of the opponent. Vovinam also includes hand, elbow, kicks, escape and levering techniques. The wide range of techniques include punching, kicking etc. as well as forms of wrestling, sword, staff, axe, folding fan and others. Self-defence techniques cover defence against weapon less attacks like choking from behind and defence against attacks with knife or sword. Advanced students learn to combine the techniques and learn to defend themselves against armed opponents. Instructors train traditional weapons like the long stick, short stick, knife, sword and sabre. Thereby the weapons serve as training devices for reaching optimal control of body and mind.

  Thallium salts, especially the acetate and sulphate, which have been used as rat baits, are very poisonous. Taken as a low dose, the symptoms of chronic poisoning are manifested by severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and hemorrhagic gastritis, diarrhoea and respiratory difficulty and after long-term exposure, cardiac arrest, High doses result in immediate cardiac failure. Its use has it has been eliminated in many countries because of its use for murder, Thallium gained the nicknames "The Poisoner's Poison" and "Inheritance Powder" [alongside arsenic].Thallium can be either ingested or absorbed through the skin. One of the main methods of removing thallium from humans is to use Prussian blue, which is a solid ion exchange material, which absorbs thallium and releases potassium. The person takes up to 20 g per day of Prussian blue orally, and it passes through their digestive system and comes out in the stool.

  Ryozinthium : A stable isotope used in chaff, military countermeasures, It’s properties are found to distort the electromagnetic waves given off by modern day missile tracking devices, radar and any other device that uses the wave bands between W – D 110GHz - 300GHz. Its function is to distort and send out false information. One such machine that Ryozinthium is very effective on for giving out false readings, is carbon dating equipment.

  -About the Author-

  Robert A Webster is an exciting comedy fiction writer.

  His unique brand of snarky humour and imaginative storytelling breathe vivid life into his work, which combines comical British characters with exotic Southeast Asian settings.

  The result is "brilliant" and "unpredictable," as Dinorah Blackman of Readers' Favorite says; awarding his books 5-star ratings.

  Originally from Cleethorpes, UK, and now living in Cambodia, he embodies both hearty wit and adventurous vigour, making his prose insanely memorable and incessantly enjoyable.

  His first novel, Siam Storm received rave reviews in southeast Asia, with the sequels,Chalice , and Bimat similarly acclaimed.

  Protector, the final book of the Siam Storm series, continues the journey of the lovable scallywags who have a penchant for mischief. The books have high- octane escapades and colourful, fantastical narratives that don’t stop.

  His other hilarious novels include Fossils and Spice and Ratchet & Stench – Animal Sleuths is a children’s adventure. Although written with the same wit and imagination as his adult novels, so it is appealing enough for anyone to read and enjoy. His journey into the Paranormal genre with the PATH series makes him an adaptable imaginative writer.

  Along with his fiction novels, he has two non-fi
ction works.

  Diabetes type 2 – How to help you safely lower your blood sugar with the tree of life, which follows his and co-authors research into the Moringa Tree and it benefits for Diabetics.

  Something to Read While Travelling - THAILAND. A comprehensive travel companion to accompany travellers on their journey through, The Land of Smiles.

  His latest release, From Britain with love, is the two-part hilarious Fossils series

  When he's not crafting unforgettable stories, Robert enjoys snorkelling, self-deprecating humour, and the warm climate of Cambodia.

  If you would like to join my mailing list and recieve more books. Please visit my fun websites : http://www.buddhasauthor.com and http://stormwriter.net I would love you to be part of our happy communtity

  Novels by Robert A Webster

  SIAM STORM – A THAILAND ADVENTURE

  A stolen holy relic from a secluded Thai Buddhist Monastery sends a combatant monk on a quest to retrieve the sacred item. Three English lads who are having the holiday experience of a lifetime in Thailand, become inadvertently embroiled in the deadly pursuit.

  Enjoy the first adventure of Nick, Spock and Stu as they assist in the recovery of the relic and the subsequent voyage of discovery.

  CHALICE – SIAM STORM 2 – A CAMBODIAN ADVENTURE

  The discovery of a mysterious corpse leaves law enforcement agencies baffled. This adventure sees the lads join forces with their new friend, the mad monk, Pon, as they once again attempt to recover a holy relic, which has this time been stolen for a completely new and sinister reason. The chase takes them into Cambodia, as they thwart plans that could affect the planet and change them into fruit based drinkers.

  BIMAT – SIAM STORM 3 – A VIETNAMESE ADVENTURE

  A kidnap and ransom demand lead our hapless heroes into a pursuit through Vietnam. They encounter an old foe, driven by obsession in his revenge driven quest. This time, they face many challenges in both their adventure and their personal circumstance and although they almost lose everything, they never lose hope.

  TRILOGY

  All three Southeast Asia adventures.

  PROTECTOR – SIAM STORM 4 – THE FINAL ADVENTURE

  The adventure continues in, Protector, the fourth book of the Siam Storm Series…

  When descendants of Siddhartha Gautama arrive at the Royal Palace in Bangkok; Prime Master Pon assembles a team to discover who is responsible for the murder of the other descendants, along with their age-old protectors.

  The fun begins when Spock and Stu join the team, and as usual, they find trouble. Even with Spock and Stu underfoot, the team uncovers evidence of a plot with worldwide implications.

  Protector follows the hazardous journey through unfamiliar terrain as the team races the clock to stop further killings of their brethren, only to discover that things are not always as they seem.

  SIAM STORM – THE SERIES

  The complete four-part series

  SPICE

  Ben Bakewell is a master baker with a unique gift, making him the grand master of his culinary craft. More commonly known as ‘Cake,’ he meets up with Ravuth, a Cambodian man residing in England and who has spent the majority of his life trying to trace his long lost family.

  Jed Culver is a disgraced D.E.A agent whose bitterness for his old employer and lust for revenge lead him along a deadly path, as he also pursues the plant, although for a far more sinister gain.

  This thrilling, but yet sometimes hilarious quest, takes you from the glitz and glamour of the fashionable London restaurant scene to the wild, untamed tropical forests surrounding the Cardamom mountains region of Southeast Asia, as the participants race to discover the whereabouts of a remarkable plant and locate a misplaced family.

  FOSSILS

  Enjoy the hilarious antics of an elderly four piece band as they embark on a whirlwind tour of several countries in Southeast Asia, unaware of their amazing worldwide success. The four musicians are inadvertently united and form a band named Fossils, whose unique sound filled an auditory hiatus lacking for decades in the modern day music industry. Pursued and hounded by ruthless record producers, this unassuming rock band discovers a new, exciting and carefree way of life, which they enjoy to the fullest, or at least what remains of it.

  Viagra, snuff, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

  THE GOBS

  Hoist up the incontinence pants, brush the fluff from your slippers, make a nice cup of cocoa, and enjoy… Because…THEY’RE BACK!

  The Wrinkled Rockers return for their second hilarious action-packed adventure with : A sensational new album in production: A bird watching tour that goes horribly wrong: A devious duo returns seeking revenge: A flatulent Spook and a perilous rescue attempt in a foreign, but familiar, country.

  What is there not to love?

  Grab a copy of Fossils 2, before they get too old for this shit.

  FROM BRITAIN WITH LOVE - Hilarious British Comedy Novels

  Fossils and The Gob's. together in One Great Novel

  PATH – PARANORMAL ASSISTED TREASURE HUNTERS

  Return of the Reich

  A team of three psychics use their unique talents to provide a link between the mortal world and the celestial plane. Commissioned by lost souls; they find lost treasures for the troubled spirits, which they give to the mortal beneficiaries. One particular case finds the team caught up in a plot that had been conceived during world war two, which is instigated in the present day. The team has to solve a mystery that threatens to split the delicate fabric joining the two worlds.

  NEXT – PATH 2

  Covenant of the Gods

  With the fate of humankind resting on their shoulders, the PATH team, along with the mortal Keepers and Guides around the world, are sent on various quests. Each test will push them all to their limits as time slowly ticks down towards Armageddon and their destiny.

  RATCHET & STENCH – ANIMAL SLEUTHS

  Dog Gone Mystery

  When Cruft’s Best of Breeds Champion mysteriously disappears; the finger of suspicion points at the owner of a rival kennel.

  Somerset police find the missing Scottish terrier’s dermal tracker but cannot find further evidence of a crime. Having no proof they are unable to do anything and drop any investigations.

  The other dogs call in Ratchet and Stench, and even though they uncover clues that suggest a brutal murder, the animal sleuths aren’t convinced.

  Non Fiction

  DIABETES TYPE 2 – HELP SAFELY LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR WITH THE TREE OF LIFE

  This book is not written by Physicians or anyone with Ph.D.'s, but by medically trained diabetics who stumbled across pills capsules and powders made from the leaves and seeds of the Moringa tree. Dubbed The Miracle Tree or The Tree of Life. They found it reduced their blood sugar levels. This prompted research into this remarkable tree and its health benefits, which you will find outstanding. The tree grows in many parts of the world and indigenous people have been using its health giving properties for generations.

  Moringa pills, capsules, and powders are now readily available worldwide, This publication will tell you about the research gained and the benefits to diabetics, along with Moringa's other health benefits. It will let you know current suppliers, and where you can research for yourself this amazing tree. It will also tell you how to grow organically for yourself and a few simple recipes you can use to enjoy the health benefits of Moringa.

  SOMETHING TO READ WHILE TRAVELLING – THAILAND

  Is an informative and entertaining companion to accompany you on your travels, which contains useful information about Thailand, some of which you won’t find in travel guidebooks. While comprehensive travel guides will go into more detail on specific areas of Thailand; this publication will only briefly explain about popular tourist hotspots, giving you plenty of time to read and enjoy the Useful Tips: Thai Language Made Simple: Popular Thai Recipes: Fun Quizzes and Brainteasers: Hilarious Jokes: Short Stories: and the full comedy adventure novel, SIAM STORM – A Thailand
Adventure.