 |
In front of the Reunification Palace
|
 |
Today we went to the War Remnants Museum. It was very poignant and tragic to see the reality of the war and to face what is missing from our own history books. Being an American in this museum, it is impossible not to feel ashamed and also grateful that the Vietnamese have, somehow, subsequently been able to form a relationship with the United States in spite of the horrible war crimes committed against them; however, through this forgiveness, nothing has been forgotten. Our own Declaration of Independence was quoted on a wall right next to the pictures of destitute Vietnamese people and American soldiers brutally attacking them, it read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” American hypocrisy was a common theme in the museum and rightfully so. We would have never learned about the war crimes committed by the American government had we been to a museum at home the way we did here. After our eye-opening experience at the mall, we went to the park to reflect in our journals the realities the war and the view of America from the perspective of the Vietnamese. Next stop was Pho 2000, a restaurant whose main attraction is the fact that Bill Clinton visited in the 90s. Western power is way more real than I thought. After our amazing lunch, we got to
shop at the markets! The chaos inside the markets was unreal. It had a particular smell that I can’t describe specifically but it was a mixture of salty meat and body odor. It was also really crowded and extremely hot, nevertheless, the markets were a success! We loved trying to bargain with the store owners and it was a very real experience. We really got to interact with the locals, who really loved trying to rip us off because we were western. Today I felt very materialistic.
-Sydney and Maya
|
 |
| In the park with learning about university students' eco initiatives. They gave us a token of their friendship! |
 |
| Making the keychains with the environmentalists. |
Day two in Vietnam began with a jarring 7 am wake up call for our sleep-deprived bodies. However we were quickly cheered up by another quality breakfast, which like the day before included a peculiar mix of Western classics, like toast with jam, bacon, and Frosted Flakes, and Vietnamese breakfast foods, like steamed rice, pho, and dragon fruit. We then headed out to the War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the American War Crimes museum. As we would find out, the name change did nothing to obscure the museum's heavy anti-American attitude. The museum's different exhibits frequently referenced America's cruel war of aggression, and one even had a sign quoting the Declaration of Independence ("We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal") among a smorgasbord of war photographs indicating American brutality. Nonetheless, the museum was a shocking exposition of the atrocities of the war. The Agent Orange exhibit was particularly sickening, with hundreds of images of Vietnamese children with varying deformities as a result of a parents' exposure to Agent Orange in the war. The exhibits "crown jewel" was a glass tank with two preserved newborn children's corpses, haunting reminders of the pain and suffering caused by war. After the museum, we headed to the park for some journaling. There, several of us were approached by aggressive shoe-shiners with he peculiar sales tactics of trying to begin the shoeshine without consent and then demanding payment after. Fortunately, most of us caught on to the ruse before it was too late and shoo'd the entrepreneurs away. Additionally, we met a group of university students sewing strawberry key chains to promote environment friendly consumerism. They invited us to come help them and several of us sat down, sewed, and chatted with them for some time. Next up was Pho 2000, the pho restaurant where Bill Clinton famously went to eat during a visit to Ho Chi Minh city. After a tasty lunch, we walked across the street to the Ben Thanh marketplace, a crowded, chaotic marketplace teeming with aggressive vendors trying to rope you into purchasing some of their merchandise for ridiculously inflated prices. The merchandise was a healthy mix of popular brand name counterfeits and Vietnamese souvenirs. Among the purchased items: Yeezy's, Ray Bands (of the John Lennon variety), soccer jerseys, Buddha figurines, traditional Vietnamese straw cone hats (do they have an official name?), Gucci wallets, T-shirts (some with gag lettering--"Pho King" as an example), Hawaiian shirts, a Beats pill, Beats headphones, hats, a beaded necklace. After everyone had satisfied their shopping urges, we headed to the Reunification palace, the building where many key wartime decisions were made. We saw the room where peace terms were finally signed, as well as what appeared to be the South Vietnamese wartime HQ, complete with maps, radio transmitters, and stale air. After a brief respite at the hotel, we voyaged to a delicious traditional Vietnamese restaurant in an old, French colonial building of some sort. The day finally ended with a relaxing walk around the city block by our hotel. --Michael and Will
 |
| Conversing with locals in the park |
 |
| Prison cell during the colonial and war era |
 |
| At Reunification Palace on the terrace |
 |
| The game room for the South Vietnamese president |
 |
| Windows of Reunification Palace |
 |
In the Cabinet Room
The first few days of this trip have been a whirlwind. We arrived to our hotel groggy and jetlagged at 1 AM on Tuesday, but nonetheless threw ourselves into Saigon life at 9 AM and have not looked back since. The different culture of the city immediately struck me, scooters and motorcycles are constantly whizzing by with no regard for lanes or stop lights, vendors are craftily searching for easy American targets to take advantage of, (as I learned two book purchases later) and the city’s density, noise, and pandemonium is unlike anything I have experienced. Later that night I played a game of Hearts while sitting poolside on the sixteenth floor roof of my hotel, which was a first. This morning we visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. Although it's name has been changed from its initial “Museum of American War Crimes,” the anti-American stance throughout the building remains.
|
I was particularly struck by an exhibit showing the impact of Agent Orange on Vietnamese people, as many of the images shown were disturbing and made me feel uncomfortable and question how relevant my materialistic concerns at home truly are. Later today, we visited the market, and Saigon’s #1 customer emerged. Four tee shirts, four soccer jerseys, one pair of sunglasses, and one fishing hat later, I felt satisfied with my steady improvement in bargaining skills. --Matt
 |
Transmitter from Vietnam War
|
