Vietnam

We landed in Ho Chi Minh City (formally known as Saigon), eager to soak up the history and culture of this mystical nation. Our first impression was disappointing as our taxi driver from the airport tried to rip us off. First, we made sure to find a driver which would put his metre on. When we sat in, we checked and saw he turned it on. Unfortunately, after driving 10 minutes out of the airport, the driver turned his metre off, and told us we had to pay a flat rate. An argument ensued, and we finally got him to turn the metre back on. He ended up losing the fee for the few kilometres he had already driven because of his poor conduct. It was quite a shame, but made us act more cautiously afterwards.

We settled in our hotel and set to explore the city after a good night’s sleep....

HCMC is an incredible mix of ancient pagodas and sleek skyscrapers, where posh hotels meet cheap backpackers, classy restaurants cohabit with steamy street stalls and fancy businessmen walk next to scruffy vendors in conical hats. We walked everywhere around the town’s many districts and tried the local delicacies like jelly deserts and noodles with fresh herbs, visited temples and made our way to the War Remnants Museum.

The War Remnants Museum documents the atrocities from the war with disturbing photographs, posters, US armoured vehicles, and weapons, as well as the famous “tiger cages” used to house Viet Cong prisoners. According to the Lonely Planet, “there are few museums in the world that drive home so well the point that war is horribly brutal and that many of its victims are civilians”. However true this may be, and independently of the amount of tears I shed in that museum, I did find it to be very one-sided. Indeed, Vietnam is still today a Republic and propaganda posters can be found plastered all over the city. The collection of photos depicting children and civilians injured by US bombing and napalming is extensive. All in all, the museum is worth a visit and helps anchor the reality of how recently these events took place and shaped life in Vietnam today.