Thirty-Three At 33: Things We Lost In The War: Vietnam

Every major city has its “thing”- the attraction, the event, or the entertainment that pulls in tourists; Orlando has Disney World, Cairo has the Pyramids, Gary, Indiana has Michael Jackson and the list goes on. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is no different than any other city except that its “thing” is war, specifically, the Vietnam War or the “Vietnam Conflict” as we learned to call it in school or the “American War” as the Vietnamese call it. For a place whose tourist industry is focused on such a brutal time in our history, it amazes me that HCMC is one of the happiest places I’ve travelled thus far and I could actually see myself living here. Let me rephrase this: I actually could have seen myself living there; until we went to the War Remnants Museum.

OMG…

Initially our plan was to spend just 2 days in HCMC and then move on to Cambodia. However, once we (mom and I) got there and I learned that I could shoot an AK-47 and an M-16 at the gun range on the Cu Chi Tunnels tour… Well, as you can imagine, that whole plan went to the crapper. Where else am I going to get the opportunity to shoot guns like that?! Side story: I actually said this to an Australian traveller I met in HCMC and with genuine incredulity he said, “You’re American! Don’t you have access to guns like that all the time?!”

Notre Dame

Crickets…. How do you respond to that?

It occurred to me in the moment, that some people really see Americans as gun toting, war mongers from the Wild, Wild, West! Not one to disappoint, mom and I booked another day at the hotel because although I’m not a “gun person” (I’ve actually NEVER fired a gun in my life), I’ve seen enough gun toting, war monger, and Wild, Wild, West movies starring Steven Segal to know that this might be a ridiculously cool experience.

So, we laid out our plan of attack.

Day 1: Delta team will get some much needed R&R and wake up at oh-eight-hundred hours on Day 2 to go on a self-guided expedition of the Notre Dame cathedral, the Post Office, Reunification Palace (Hoi Truong Thong Nhat), Ben Thanh Market, and the War Remnants Museum. Day 3 will commence with a half day tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and will terminate with dinner. We will evacuate the premises by boat along the Mekong Delta, destination Cambodia, on Day 4.

Street vendors sell EVERYTHING!

Day two began and off we went. HCMC is awesome! The downtown area is amazingly easy to navigate and most of the “attractions” are in one area. Further, there are quite a few parks to sit and people watch and even more street vendors selling food and other goodies, so spending time outdoors without a guide is stress free and very pleasant. Crossing the streets can be a bit challenging though, but locals are always willing to help even with that! Did I mention that it’s really cheap too! After lunch at this cool jazz restaurant where my paella dish and mom’s fried shrimp plate cost us an equivalent of $7 USD, we headed to the War Remnants Museum.

Napoleon is quoted as having said that, “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon." For me, this explains why the Vietnamese perspective of the war looks nothing like what was taught in school.

Let me preface the rest of this post by saying, “THIS IS WHY I TRAVEL!!”

The War Remnants Museum is littered with things we lost in the war: tanks, planes, shells, guns, our minds etc. The first floor is filled with news clippings from around the world explaining and condemning the events occurring during the war. As the floors increase, the gravity and sadness of the past intensifies with names, ages, and pictures of villagers killed, photos of American soldiers carrying disemboweled corpses, and journalist’s recollection of horrific tales of torture and abuse. Further, with statistics and pictures of disfigured people and children born as recent as six years ago, the museum catalogs the lingering after effects of Agent Orange on the soil and the population. They also show how a plethora of unexploded mines in the country side have affected people even today.

OMG…

The Tunnels! Wayyyy tooo small!

Within ten minutes of entering the museum I had stopped taking photos. Thirty minutes later, my stomach was turning and I was sweating something fierce. One hour later, I leaned over and told me mother that there was no way in hell she was wearing that American Flag t-shirt she packed, while walking with me in Vietnam. “You can be proud without making us a walking target!”

Although I understand that there are always three sides to every story and I was appreciative of having gained another viewpoint, I couldn’t shake the melancholy that came over me. Do I really want to shoot guns tomorrow?

Answer: Um… YES!!