Is one right? Is one wrong? I don't know.

At last, Ho Chi Minh City, the final stop in Vietnam. It took a little over 18 hours by train but it wasn’t even that bad. It’s way better when you have an actual bed to lie down in unlike a plane. Arrived at 5:30am and went to a local market that was just beginning to open up.

After that we went to see the War Remnant museum in the heart of the city. It was an elaborate building with detailed accounts of information, photographs, and artifacts from the war. Some exhibits were pretty hard to be in since they really exposed how horrific the war truly was. For example the prisoner of war and the Agent Orange exhibit showed how much the Vietnamese suffered, and the worst part was that most of them were just innocent civilians. Another one was showing the intense war crimes that American soldiers committed such as burning down entire villages with people still inside and shooting children, elders, and pregnant women dead.

It was very different from the memorial places I’ve seen in America. The perspective is different. Is one right? Is one wrong? I don’t know. In school these bits of information are said as plain facts and nothing else but in this museum it feels like it is more than that. It’s more personal. But I think it’s good to have a place like this so people can make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Afterwards we all went to the palace that was built for the old government of South Vietnam and got a tour inside. Then went to the city hall which has a copper statue of Ho Chi Minh in front of it, strict reservations are required to see the inside. Then saw the central post office and book street (a narrow street filled with many stationery/book stores) which are tourist attractions in the city. I got two watercolor painted postcards as keepsakes. Then went out for free time in the city.

I like Ho Chi Minh a lot better than Hanoi. It’s more of a modern city feel, has good sidewalks, and people aren’t bombarding you to buy things as much. I went on a thrifting spree with a few others to various vintage shops. (continued in comments)