9/23/10 (ho chi minh city)

Ho Chi Minh City

Our first full day in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. Our plan was to visit the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. These sites are within a few blocks of our new plush penthouse suite and we were out the door by 9:30am. The Reunification Palace is the famous last scene of the Southern Vietnamese resistance before the Viet Cong tanks crashed through the gates on April 30, 1975 to assumed power and effectively ending the Vietnam War. The Palace is essentially untouched from its 1960 architecture and decor and provides a window back into these historic times. 

The Palace is four stories tall and surrounded by a city block of greenery and gardens. The first two stories were administrative offices and Presidential rooms but when you get to the third and forth floor things got more interesting as they had a movie theater, dance floor, game room, and helipad. We then made our way down to the basement and my favorite part of the tour. The basement was the center of communications and the narrow rooms were lined with old radios and receivers. The walls were covered in historical maps. They also had a photo gallery and English video displaying the historical highlights flavored with a strong Communist bias against the Imperialist Americans. 

Annie and I decided to grab some lunch and ran into a fellow American named Judd headed to the same destination. We all ate together and enjoyed exchanging traveling tales during lunch. 

After lunch all three of us went to the War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. We were once again treated to a very different viewpoint of the Vietnam War. The museum had thousands of war relics including several US tanks, helicopters, and airplanes parked out front. The aim of the museum is to give an “honest” record of the Vietnam War and they have done a wonderful job of portraying America as an evil empire showcasing many of the atrocities the US committed. It was an interesting take and very different from what I had grown up seeing. While the opinions probably weren’t the most balanced it was incredibly disturbing to see some the horrific devastation from this drawn out conflict. They had several exhibits showcasing the awful effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese and Cambodians. The highlight of the experience was the Requiem Exhibition organized by American war photographer Tim Page that highlights the work of photographers on both sides of the conflict. Some of the best pictures were taken by Larry Burrows and used in Life magazine in the 60’s. 

After a sombering day, the three of us decided to have some locally brewed beer at Hoa Vien. Hoa Vien was a wonderful beer garden enjoyed by local Vietnamese and recommended by Ross. After several beers and many laughs, we met up with Ross and returned back to his place for dinner. We met one of Ross' coworkers, Richard, and swapped Australian stories for the next hour before heading to bed. A solid day in Saigon.