Trying to figure it out

I am an American, 34 years old. Altho I was only 7 in 1969 the scene around my home was "heavy". So much conflict which was not there before, neighbors turned against neighbor's kids, pictures of men in skinny black ties seeming very angry on TV, the daily newspaper image that I had to go pick up for my Dad, the near explosion of our mailbox by protesting hippies, being welcomed by the hippies in the park who were drinking grape wine, seeing Edna Podlasek who used to dress regular change totally and she started cutting thru our backyard towards the park where the hippies hung out while my parents made bad comments, I knew the people were OK. As I grew up it became clearer, the senselessness and the death, social fabric torn, a nation ripped apart by fighting. I have just returned from bring my children to Hanoi, and visitied HCM 2 years ago, trying to figure it out. As an American, it is important to me to search the place that was on everyone's lips at the time. No answers, just friendly, happy, regular people. What was the deal anyway? Anyone? Tucker