On a hot August morning in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the War Remnants Museum was hosting a meeting of Children of Agent Orange - youngsters affected by the defoliant used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War and a cause of genetic defects. The congenital disorders of these teenagers and preteens resembled those caused by thalidomide, but little could stop their enthusiasm as they received awards, gossiped and climbed on the tanks and aircraft outside the museum.

Vietnam is a dichotomy. Decades of wars against a number of foes left parts of the country and its people devastated, with reminders such as beggars with war injuries dotting city streets. But in the last 40 years, a new generation has grown up - a generation raised with motor scooters and karaoke, proud of its country and eager to show it off to the rest of the world, historical warts and all.

I traveled to two major hubs - Ho Chi Minh City and Hué - with side trips by car, motor scooter and bicycle to outlying areas. The service industry is strong; hotel staff is trained to respond so immediately that when you are inadvertently kept waiting, apologies pour forth, almost unnecessarily by our standards.

The staff at the War Remnants Museum (there are war museums in most of the major cities) are happy to show visitors around - and to sell copies of Robert McNamara's controversial In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.

At sites such as Cu Chi, tour guides proudly show off the immense network of tunnels that confounded both the French and the Americans, enabling the Vietnamese to cleverly hide an entire society. It was both refreshing and astounding that the guides were happy to serve tea next to what 40 years ago was a door booby-trapped for Americans.

As the country lurches into the 21st century of high technology, the Vietnamese guard their history while they preserve their resources and move forward. It is evident that the spirit of the people and the beauty of the country have outlasted decades of war - the sun set magnificently over Hue's Perfume River no matter who was marching along its banks.

It seems that in this new era in Vietnam, history, people, and a true Southeast Asian identity have finally come together.