Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in the southern region of Vietnam was on my radar this Christmas. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. I've always heard favorable reviews about Vietnam so when I learned that my friend who lives in HMC is moving at the end of the school year, I thought
now is the perfect time to visit and get the inside scoop.
My knowledge of Vietnam to date has been limited to news and images from my childhood years. But a visit to the
Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC last June sparked an interest in me to learn more about the war and the country. It was during my visit to Washington that I realized for the first time the scope of the
Vietnam War (or what the Vietnamese call the
American War) -- 20 years with hundreds of thousands of casualties. Well, nothing like visiting Vietnam to learn its take on the war and see how the country developed since.
Toward this end, I had the privilege of visiting the
Independence Palace and
War Remnants Museum, both close to my hotel in District 1. As I walked the grounds and building of the
Palace where the southern government had its headquarters, I was able to view diplomatic conference rooms, reception/dining areas, offices, library, war/map room, entertainment facilities and even the helipad on the roof. I envisioned Johnson and Nixon on diplomatic visits, and generals pouring over strategy in the map room.
The gravity of the war, though, hit me when I realized I was standing on the premises where the final April 1975 invasions took place. I imagined the southern leaders running for cover when the building was bombed in early April and then watching from the upper floors on April 30 1975 when the communist tank stormed through the front gate. These events were significant in that they toppled the southern government and brought an official end to the war.
The war also hit home for me when I visited the
War Remnants Museum and had opportunity to read and see examples of how they tortured prisoners and civilian living conditions during the 20 year war. It's an understatement to say it was a sobering experience walking through this museum.
The message throughout the museum was definitely one from the Communist party, but no one can argue the devastating final results including use of
Agent Orange by the southern campaign. For those unaware, pilots sprayed upwards of 20 million gallons of chemicals targeted for agricultural land, intended to starve the northern guerrillas who took camp in rural areas. Turns out guerrillas were not the only ones who went hungry, but villagers experienced famine and are still suffering physical and mental handicaps to the third generation.
Today there are posters and monuments all over the city celebrating Vietnam's independence, such as the 40 year reminder that the north and south were reunified in 1975.
It is safe to say most Vietnamese do not want to be defined by the war any longer. As horrific as the war was, I learned they have a saying in their language which depicts this desire to move on:
"It's behind us." Images of life in the city today show evidence to this effect -- from celebrations of Christmas to modernization. Indeed, the people of Vietnam have moved on.
