SE Asia Day 33: HCMC

/ alliwanders

Day 2 of my Cambodia tour and I’m still in Vietnam, lol. Today 3/4’s of the group did the optional trip to the Mekong Delta but since I just spent 2 days there I opted for another day at leisure in Ho Chi Minh City.

I pretty much covered the main tourist sites yesterday, albeit briefly. Today my only goal was to see the War Remnants Museum so I planned my walking route via the parks to maximize shade and minimize the din of traffic.

Without getting into too much detail the museum is a sobering and somewhat distressing delineation of the 25 years of American intervention in Vietnam with descriptions and brutal photographs of the 17 year long war and it’s lingering effects.

Let’s start with a pic of a peaceful oasis as they’re going to get more disturbing
Tanks and planes left behind by US military on display
1954 US was supporting the French occupation; initially to protect the flow of natural resources, later to stop the spread of Communism
Mantra was kill all as you don’t know who’s the enemy and who’s not
The US backed the unpopular government in South Vietnam in a military coup in 1963, steadily increasing it’s military presence. Photo: 1966 near Saigon
1966 villagers fleeing bombardment of their village
Simple farmer pleading for freedom
From 1967-1974 saturation bombing and herbicide spraying decimated the landscape near the north-south demarcation line
Orders were to raze everything and everybody (1969)
1976 – one year after the war and all still utterly lifeless after being saturated with Agent Orange
Famous “Napalm Girl” photo, 1972. After 14 months in hospital she went on to become a doctor and is now living in Canada
14,300,000 tons of bombs/shells dropped
Map of US bombing saturation. Interestingly, in a scary way, the airport we flew out of a few days ago to come here was an Agent Orange hotspot up until 2018 when it was finally decontaminated 🤢

There were many truly horrific pictures displayed: graphic photos of the dead – both civilians and military; photos of children suffering from Agent Orange exposure or even 2nd generations experiencing birth defects. Nothing was held back. (I wouldn’t photograph those pics).

After such a moving and haunting visit I needed to turn my frown upside down. In wandering back downtown I came across a big fancy high rise mall = nothing like Michael Bublé Christmas carols to lighten the mood!

I window shopped and enjoyed a delightful meal at Poulet!, a French chicken restaurant.

A few hours at my hotel to escape the afternoon heat then I ventured out after sunset to the Chill Skybar on the 26th Floor of the building opposite. 270° views, a deliciously cool breeze and funky downtempo dance music made for a fantastic Happy Hour. Even the twinkle of the red & white lights of the traffic seemed festive from so far up. ‘‘Tis the season! 🎄