Oh, Saigon. Or Ho Chi Minh. Or HCMC. It's a city that seems to be primarily defined by it's pervasive sense of "midlife crisis." A little French, a little American, definitely south Vietnamese. Was it the fall of Saigon? Or the liberation of Saigon? Were the Viet Cong nationalists or terrorists? After hearing conflicting things throughout our trip, we were ready for answers, but, as it turns out, Saigon/Ho Chi Minh/HCMC isn't really sure either.
Our first stop in HCMC was the War Remnants Museum. We knew it was very anti-American heading in, and were not disappointed, with the first exhibit "Historical Truths," complete with historical and current propaganda on the government's position on the American War. Regardless of the anti-American rhetoric, the museum does an incredible job depicting the gravity of this terrible war, including photos from both the Vietnamese and Americans . These photos provide a glimpse into the horror of combat and the Agent Orange aftermath.
These photos are not pleasant, FYI, so scroll to the next paragraph if you prefer.
After the War Remnants Museum, which took us the better part of three hours, we headed to The FITO Museum (Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine). We found this to be 1) expensive [$10 each], and 2) very dry. It didn't tell much of a story, and was a lot of artifacts that seemed obvious [like, how many mortars and pestles do you need to call it an "exhibit"?].
The next day, we ended up following the Ho Chi Minh Historical Walk outlined in a 2014 Lonely Planet we picked up earlier in our trip. Pros: it got us to many different parts of the city, with specific sites to see. We also had cocktails on 2 rooftop bars [major win]. Cons: The sites were super lame [except for the rooftop bars #obviously].
This is me, pretending to be interested in art:
We also headed out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Another huge anti-American pitch, but so fascinating. Some things to keep in mind if you go: it's 1.5-2 hrs from HCMC, and the tour lasts 2 hours- make sure you leave early enough to get back before rush hour starts at 3. More advice: hire a private tour guide. We went with the one provided by the museum, but our group was 20-25, which it made it hard to hear/see the nuances.
Still. So damn cool. The tunnels are a massive underground system of tiny tunnels, bunkers, air holes, and water wells. The Cu Chi people spent most of the war living underground, complete with smokeless kitchens and makeshift hospitals. At night, they would comb the fields for dud bombs dropped by Americans that never went off. They would diffuse the bomb and extract the explosives to use as landmines. Even if you're not a Vietnamese nationalist, you have to admit their resourcefulness is impressive.
The last major win in Ho Chi Minh was Saigon Saigon, a rooftop bar at the top of the Caravelle Hotel. During the war, most of the major networks used this rooftop to provide the evening news updates, with Saigon in the background. We went for happy hour (HELLO 1/2 price cocktails), and it was just incredible. Great vibe, most amazing food, delicious drinks. A fantastic way to close out our time in Vietnam.
Our first stop in HCMC was the War Remnants Museum. We knew it was very anti-American heading in, and were not disappointed, with the first exhibit "Historical Truths," complete with historical and current propaganda on the government's position on the American War. Regardless of the anti-American rhetoric, the museum does an incredible job depicting the gravity of this terrible war, including photos from both the Vietnamese and Americans . These photos provide a glimpse into the horror of combat and the Agent Orange aftermath.
These photos are not pleasant, FYI, so scroll to the next paragraph if you prefer.
After the War Remnants Museum, which took us the better part of three hours, we headed to The FITO Museum (Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine). We found this to be 1) expensive [$10 each], and 2) very dry. It didn't tell much of a story, and was a lot of artifacts that seemed obvious [like, how many mortars and pestles do you need to call it an "exhibit"?].
This is me, pretending to be interested in art:
We also headed out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Another huge anti-American pitch, but so fascinating. Some things to keep in mind if you go: it's 1.5-2 hrs from HCMC, and the tour lasts 2 hours- make sure you leave early enough to get back before rush hour starts at 3. More advice: hire a private tour guide. We went with the one provided by the museum, but our group was 20-25, which it made it hard to hear/see the nuances.
Still. So damn cool. The tunnels are a massive underground system of tiny tunnels, bunkers, air holes, and water wells. The Cu Chi people spent most of the war living underground, complete with smokeless kitchens and makeshift hospitals. At night, they would comb the fields for dud bombs dropped by Americans that never went off. They would diffuse the bomb and extract the explosives to use as landmines. Even if you're not a Vietnamese nationalist, you have to admit their resourcefulness is impressive.
The last major win in Ho Chi Minh was Saigon Saigon, a rooftop bar at the top of the Caravelle Hotel. During the war, most of the major networks used this rooftop to provide the evening news updates, with Saigon in the background. We went for happy hour (HELLO 1/2 price cocktails), and it was just incredible. Great vibe, most amazing food, delicious drinks. A fantastic way to close out our time in Vietnam.
Such wonderful writing!
ReplyDelete