Traci's Adventure Across the Pond: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I am now safely back in China, but excited to recap my travels in SE Asia to distract myself from coursework!

Vietnam was my first stop. I flew into Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. I stayed in a small guest house without a working air conditioner, which was terrible! Vietnam was always at least 30 degrees Celsius (around 86 F) and usually more. I never made the mistake of going without AC again.

During my first full day in Vietnam I took a little tour of various markets and pagodas throughout town. I was in a little bicycle rickshaw guided by a nice Vietnamese man, and it was a great way to get a feel for the city and get a lot of sightseeing out of the way.

After purchasing my train ticket north and booking a tour of the tunnels, I decided to explore the city further, and see some of the main sites like the Cathedral and War Remnants Museum, but got incredibly lost on the way. I am not very good at paper maps, apparently. I walked into a residential area of the city, completely unsure of how to get home. Luckily, an extremely friendly family rescued me! The mom got the whole family involved in the effort. Her younger daughter, Trinh, spoke English, so she did most of the translating. Dad was trying to figure out my crummy map, the older sister was trying to call a cab and the younger brother was trying to flag one down in the street. All the while, they invited me into their home to sit and have some water. Ultimately, Trinh drove me home on her motorbike. She refused to accept any money for gas, but we exchanged contact information. A few days later, she sent me an email, and a picture she drew of us. What an amazing family! This was probably one of the most memorable moments from my trip, and was a just one of many examples of the hospitality and warmness of the Vietnamese people.

My last day in HCMC was consumed with sightseeing. I took a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels with a group of about 20. The tunnels were really interesting. They have expanded them so Western-sized tourists can fit in, but there also some areas intact so you could understand how small and compact they really were. People can try to fit in, but I declined that opportunity just in case my bum decided to embarrass me in front of the group. Besides the tunnels themselves, we got an overview of the fighting tactics and booby traps used during the war. I also shot an AK47, which was my first time shooting a gun ever!

After the tunnels, I was dropped off at the museum to actually see all the stuff I missed when I got lost. It was very interesting. It is very heavily biased, as can be expected, and was extremely graphic. It has a decidedly anti-American/South Vietnam tone, and constantly refers to the "war of American aggression." The most powerful portion, however, was the Agent Orange exhibit. It featured images and stories of people affected by the poisoning, as well as pleas for the US government to acknowledge the poisoning and compensate victims. There was a donation bin that was just filled with money at the end, which I contributed to as well. Even though it is clearly propaganda and one-sided, it made me feel really bad. It made me wonder how young Germans feel going to places like the Holocaust Museum.

After the museum, I visited the Reunification Palace and the cathedral. Then I walked back to the city, enjoying street food on my way. I grabbed my stuff, then went to the train station to board the overnight train to Da Nang, which would lead to my next destination, Hoi An. Overall, I enjoyed my time in HCMC a lot, and it was a great introduction to SE Asia!