The War Remnants Museum in HCMC

A mural of a dove welcomes the visitor to the War Remnants Museum


The Vietnamese don't dwell on the American War nor do they hold any grudges as one might expect after all the suffering and years of bombardment, and the fact that today, one can still see on the streets of Saigon war veterans that are maimed, or the lucky who can wear prosthetic limbs. 

Agent orange (dioxin) is not through yet with the catastrophic deformities, cancers and other calamities it wrought on its victims. I wish we were as frank about the legacies of war as I found this to be. Most telling is the plaque on the wall entitled "Historical Truths". It begs for recognition. The Museum has assembled a permanent collection of U.S. war materiel in a plein air fashion; among the stars are 3000 lb. bombs, an A37B Attack aircraft, land shaking bombs, guns, artillery, and a framed stone representing the image of Buddha, which was given to Viet Nam by Hiroshima in the name of peace. It stands guard as a silent protester on the outside war arsenal display.

It is worth noting that former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara lamented in a book he penned in 1995 titled "In Restrospect - The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam" :

Yet we were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why

The Vietnam War, as it is known in the States, did not serve as a lesson to our leadership. Maya Lin's memorial does not begin to tell the story to our citizens of what really happened in Vietnam. It pays hommage to those who gave their lives in yet what seemed to be another desperate attempt to stop the spread of communism. However, the war killed 3 million Vietnamese and wounded another 4 million. We lost 58,000 Americans. For what?

One cannot know the whole story without hearing the other side. I urge every traveler and tourist that makes Vietnam a destination to see the War Remants Museum. I found that I learned more about the war during my visit here than at any other time. And of course, throughout the country, there are constant reminders of the destruction, especially in Hue, the former Imperial capital, where single walls are left standing, reminding us that they once formed a complete building.

 There are solidarity posters in the museum from all those countries that condemned the war, including France, who sent the above from its own communist party. Ironically, the French occupied Vietnam for almost a century.

When you enter the Museum, you will receive a pamphlet written in English and Chinese. The photographs are not very clear, mostly black and white, and perfectly capable of conveying horror. Next to each photo are data and facts. No opinions, no judgements. One of the most poignant displays is from an American soldier, Sgt. William Brown. He donated his medals, uniform and tag to the people of Vietnam for this museum, with a plaque bearing the words: "To the People of a United Vietnam, I was wrong, I am sorry".

the reflection from the glass did not help with the quality of the photos

The open air section is first as you enter the site. One is immediately faced with a barrage of weapons, bombs of various weights and sizes, shown below:

A37B Attack Craft

Left: the 'seismic' bomb weighed 15,000 lbs. and can destroy everything on the ground within a radius of 100 meters, and violently shakes up and down within a diameter of 3.2 kms. 

The description of the seismic bomb is found in the pamphlet and has much more detailed information on the blue plaque next to it at the Museum. 

A few feet further, you will see a CBU-555B (below) described as a sophisticated bomb produced by the U.S. When exploding, the bomb can destroy oxygen in a radius of 500 meters. It was used at Xuan Loc, Dong Nai province on April 9, 1975.

Did we ever get the low down on exactly what was utilized, how much of it, where, etc..? Here are some sobering facts:

6.5 million men were sent into combat
22,000 US plants and factories supplied the war machine
7,850,000 tons of bombs (all kinds) were dropped over Vietnam, including 75,000,000 liters of defoliants (incuding dioxin) that were sprayed over crop lands, farmlands, forests and villages in the Southern part of the country.
According to the figures made public by the US government, US$352 billion was the cost of the Vietnam war.
In the North, 2923 schools were either destroyed or heavily damaged; 1850 hospitals, 484 churches, and 465 temples and pagodas.
Then there was napalm. Look it up.

Fascinating is the collection of photos taken by international photographers as a reminder of the pivotal role they played in archiving the war at a time when real-time news was not at our disposal. Particular homage is paid Bun’yo Ishikawa of the Japan Press. His Nikon camera, camouflage outfit and an anti-war poster are under glass.

Some of the photos are familiar, having appeared in our own national publications, or having won prestigious awards. They are nonetheless horrific. I learned that world opposition to this war was far greater than imagined: posters in French (they warned us to stay away), German, Danish, Japanese, and many in English from the US asking for an end to the hostilities.

Several buildings comprise the exhibit, but they are numbered, and you can follow the sequence, if order is something you need. You will find facsimiles of the tiger cages (building # 3), which were built by the French in 1939 and later used by the US to house "non-combatants". If you are not familiar with these structures, please visit this link . And as expected, the entire exhibit is told from the perspective of the Vietnamese; I would not imagine any country in the world that was being invaded to do it differently. Some things strike more than others: the quasi-methodical manner by which the American War arsenal is described – factual, historically accurate, to the point. One simply cannot ignore some of the "writings on the wall" literally. At the end of one exhibit, I photographed the following:

"We would like to thank the communist parties and working class of the countries of the World, national liberation movements, nationalistic countries, peace-loving countries, international democratic organizations, and progressive human beings for their wholehearted support, and strong encouragement to our people’s patriotic resistance against the US for national salvation".

Stone carving received from Hiroshima

The Continental Hotel is still the jewel of Saigon

Sure, there are hotels that are more 'posh' and modern, but if I wanted to have those, the US can drown me in them...actually, now that I think of it, so can Abu Dhabi. However, no matter if you stay at a five star, or a two-star, you need at least a weekend at the Continental. There is an atmosphere in the place that makes you want to talk to the walls, as they'd probably have so much to say.

 The Venezia Restaurant has replaced the old "Cafe de la Musique" in this dated picture

The Continental Hotel earned its place in history, as its former terrace café served diplomats and journalists during the American War. If you saw the movie “The Quiet American,” then you might remember that the Continental Hotel was the locale for part of the story. If you didn't see the movie, go ahead and rent the DVD. It's a great and romantic love narrative and you'll get acquainted with Saigon.

 The hotel tells you its age: since 1880

As you walk in, you can almost feel the history envelop you and beckon you to stay. It didn’t take much convincing actually, as we had established a silent dialogue between us that said we’ve got to experience this.


The hotel itself is situated in the heart of District One in Saigon, where anything worth its weight is located. In fact, most of the hotels I mentioned are within walking distance of each other. The Caravelle sits right across the street, only separated by the majestic Opera House. One of the entrances is on posh Dong Khoi Street, facing an amazing bookstore called Fahasa, which deserves its post. I had gone in there, and was thrilled by the selection of French books, something I had not seen since the Librarie de France shut down in Rockefeller Center.

 inside courtyard where you can dine al fresco

On one of the other corners, construction is going up fast and furious, and we learn a new mall is coming. Shame, since Dong Khoi has a string of fantastic boutiques of silk and mother of pearl crafts, lacquered items that are positively bewitching, embroideries, art and more.


We were shown a room prior to our booking during our first phase of the trip in Saigon , and we were awestruck. The room we finally did get was no less regal. We did not have decent photos of the room, which was humongous, so to get a feel for the interiors, I am giving you a link to the hotel's website. When you begin the see the layout of the rooms, and all the wood carving, you'll understand what I'm trying to convey. It looks exactly as the photos. We had one huge king size bed instead of the twin beds that appear; other than that, everything is identical.

 We were able to share the balcony with large potted palms in the evening, as the air was less humid. As we arrived in the room, the living area, which is larger than my own living room at home, was so very welcoming with an assortment of those gorgeous fruits, from the Mekong Delta undoubtedly. The hot-water container was there, with the magical white coffee that became our addiction. The ceilings were so high and adorned with exquisite woodwork that continued from the entrance hall and turned into wall-length closets with plush, white robes and straw slippers for the bath. A king-size bed anchored the room, separated by a built-in wooden room divider with some lovely, typical Vietnamese sculptures.

Behind that were carved benches and sofa for “entertaining,” and one could conceivably have a party here for six or more people quite comfortably. I later realized this is very typical of luxury rooms, as we had a similar arrangement in a deluxe room in Hanoi, at the Hong Ngoc Hotel. Room rates range from $100 to $170, exclusive of VAT and a 5% service charge. A fabulous breakfast is included in the room rate.

 how's that for a welcome?

 Facilities include a banquet, conference room, bar, and fitness center. On the ground floor, you will find the executive business center and a concierge (they call it public relations). The hotel has its own website , and I encourage you to check it out. The folks at the reception area are very polite and accommodating. There are historical pictures on the walls of the hotel from as far back as the 1880s.




The morning breakfast spread is an eye opener...exotic fruits rule one long buffet style table; pho is de rigueur and then there will be cheese, yoghurts, tea and coffee...just lovely.

Venice in Saigon....really!

A couple of days following the food poisoning episode, which you will learn about later, I felt well enough to go exploring again. I was annoyed that two entire days of my vacation had been ruined by having to rest in bed and drink salty water. But, here was a new day, and a chance to get to know Saigon. So, with my trusted yellow cap securely on my head, off we went.


The Venezia Restaurant, which is located on the street level of the Continental Hotel, saw us more than once during this trip. This was the first time, as we made our way from the Indochine Hotel and stopped in for lunch. What an ideal way to escape the midday heat! The atmosphere is more Italian than anything else, as you catch a glimpse of the white-and-red-checkered cotton tablecloths (by day only; at night, the linens change to pure white). Dark wood doors and wood trim frame the room. Huge windows give the diner an eagle’s eye view of one of the busiest intersections in Saigon. Luckily, both times, we had window tables.

Italian all the way....

I couldn’t help but notice a huge, well stocked bar near the rest rooms, which were impeccably clean. And then, there are several bottles on a tabletop in the middle of the restaurant just waiting to be "plucked". Each table had two menus: the regular lunch menu and the pizza (8 varieties) menu. Chef Leonardo Lanfranconi and his staff bring Venice to your door; no kidding. Small touches, like two sets of glasses, way too many forks and spoons, and a small vial with a fresh flower on each table adds to the mood. 


Since they serve Vietnamese food as well, they required chopsticks and Oriental soup spoons--spoon rests are all there. It is obvious that someone knows how to turn linen napkins into birds or some such thing. We digressed from Vietnamese food that day and indulged with pasta, Bolognese for me, with clams and white sauce for Chuck. White wine and water drowned some of the garlic, but rest assured, the plates hardly needed to be washed after we were done. It is positively amazing how well spaghetti is prepared in Vietnam. We had it at the City View Cafe in Hanoi, and it was superb! Again when we went to Sapa a year later, and it was heavenly. 

Service is extremely courteous, and dangerously slow, but it’s a great reminder that hurry is not the order of the day. When the bill comes, be prepared to see a letter-size invoice with your damages in dong and U.S. dollars. Still, I can't help but giggle to see 80,000 anything for two dishes of pasta. 

There was a wedding party going on that evening at the Continental Hotel

Our second visit to the Venetian was our last night in Saigon as we regaled ourselves with a yummy Italian dinner just before we went for cocktails at the Saigon Bar across the street at the Caravelle Hotel. Now that we were hotel guests, we were quickly recognized and given a wonderful table. Live music filled the air, now that the piano had a human sitting in front of it, and three ladies accompanied him, one with a guitar, a cellist, and a violinist. Unfortunately, the pictures of the musicians, and of the restaurant were dreadful, as they were blurred, and off-color. The only ones I could save are what you see right here. This probably means another visit is required...

A large group from France was gregariously enjoying their dinner, and I never heard English until an American couple sat next to us.


The wine came to our table chilled, and I suggested we do the pizza del padrone, which had cheese, tomato sauce, and spinach with the tomato and mozzarella salad. Bread and butter are always present, and I do try so hard to ignore that. In summation, it seemed that no matter what we ordered, it was always excellent. Compliments to the Chef. 

la pizza del padrone

Vietnam: Honoring a man and the trail named after him

crossposted on examiner.com

by Aimee Kligman

A woman holds a fan with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum's painting on, while she and others wait in line to get in the mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the occasion of Ho Chi Minh's 119th anniversary of his birthday, Tuesday, May 19, 2009. Ho Chi Minh was born May 19, 1890 and died in 1969. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

He is fondly referred to in Vietnam as 'Uncle Ho'. He is, without a doubt, a national hero, and his photo appears on billboards, in offices and travel agencies. Though he wished to be cremated, his embalmed body lies in a mausoleum in Hanoi modeled after Lenin's Tomb in Moscow.
Former President Ho Chi Minh's real name is Nguyen Tat Thanh (1890-1969), and was the main catalyst against French colonial rule. By the time the American War broke out in Vietnam, Uncle Ho was in poor health and incapable of enacting policy; however, despite his largely ceremonial role in that war, he is considered the 'soul' of the revolution, and a hero of the Vietnamese fight for independence. When the North finally regained the South from US forces, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor.

This week, on May 19th, Vietnam celebrated the birthday of their hero as well as the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Ho Chi Minh trail, a vital supply route which ran from the North to supply the Viet Cong. The Trail represents a subject of immense pride for the Vietnamese people and constitutes a milestone in the history of the country.

Vietnambridge, one of the most comprehensive Vietnamese English websites ran the story, and underscored the importance of the event by the number of dignitaries in attendance. Vietnam's President of the National Assembly, Nguyen Phu Trong, honored the man, the trail and those who died during the monumental task of building this vital artery that enabled the North to win the war. Casualties are estimated at 20,000, many of whom were women.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a network of over 13,000 miles of roads and paths of which about 3,000 miles were used for deceiving the enemy. During the war years, 1.5 million tons of goods, 45 million tons of arms, 5.5 million cubic meters of fuel (a 900 mile pipeline had also been built) and 2 million soldiers passed through this trail, - some sections of which went through Cambodia and Laos.

In trying to sever this vital link, the United States sprayed 5 million tons of bombs and chemical agents over the trail.

click here for original article and links

Crossing the Streets in Saigon

Here is a little video to teach you how to cross those streets in Saigon...you'll catch the Tran Hung Dao Statue if you watch carefully as she tries to make her second crossing with someone's help. It's a wonderful feeling to get to the other side.

Watch more Ho Chi Minh City videos at tripfilms.com

A cyclo ride, pets and the Saigon River

There's a first time for everything, as the old cliché goes. But much truth lies in those trite adages, especially when you embark on a cyclo in Saigon, which is a far, far cry of an experience from boarding a cyclo in Hue for instance. My suggestion, after having taken this ride in different cities, is to do Saigon first. The reason for this is that if you can survive Saigon, all cyclo rides will be cake walks thereafter. So, today, is a bright sunny day, perfect for sightseeing, and I've already learned to cross the street without fainting. 

 expert cyclo drivers will follow you till you relent

 
During my two days in the hotel room, Chuck had been wandering the streets of Saigon, was all over District 1, photographing every last molecule of the place and talking to strangers, which is perfectly normal. During his jaunts, he told me of a particularly insistent cyclo driver who wanted to take him everywhere. You never have to look for a cyclo, as they are there and always looking for you. They are much more aggressive than the tuk-tuk drivers of Bangkok, in that they will follow you, hound you, grab your arm, and if you don’t want them now, how about later? Don’t ever think that the word later gets you off the hook, because they will pin you down to a time. And as luck would have it, they also know from which hotel you hail. Or at least, they knew where we were staying, and I have to blame Chuck entirely for that. Chuck Not only did he become best buddies with the baker, but also the drivers got to know him, the restaurant owners, and the cabbies. It also doesn’t help that his camera has a lens that looks like a weapon.

This hotel has been around since 1925, and is on the corner of Dong Khoi Street and the Saigon River hugging Ton Duc Thang Street

One of those afternoons, Chuck returned from what he called the 'Pet Market'. With photos naturally. The dogs and cats were simply adorable; when it came to the snakes, I wasn't particularly taken with the idea of a pet snake, and then I saw the turtles. I began to wonder if the 'pet market' was a food market in disguise. Let me show you pages from a menu, one of the many, that I insisted we photograph, because of the unusual offerings.

The turtle is considered a lucky animal in Vietnam. This doesn't prevent people from eating it. The word for turtle is 'quy', and during our travels, we would find this name attached to restaurants and shops quite often. On the menu, it shows up as 'ba ba'. This appetite for turtles has nothing to do with the giant turtle that was recently spotted by scientists in Northern Vietnam, where in fact, scientists have been very concerned about conservation efforts. Have a look at the turtle sale going on here, right by the Saigon River. The women are crouching or sitting on small plastic stools and covered almost completely, as they do not want to tan. The turtles are at the bottom on the cage rack, with snakes in between. Speaking of snakes, this animal is considered to bring virility to those who eat it. There are specific restaurants in Saigon who serve only snake, and various ways of eating it. Some also partake of the snake's blood, squeezed directly from its neck, for its aphrodisiac qualities. No thanks, I'd rather be frigid. However, if this sort of thing excites you, please visit this web page where you'll also see a photo of the blood squeezing exercise, tips on how to get to Snake Alley, the cost of a typical snake meal, and other juicy tidbits. Actually, the snakes for sale by the Saigon River look like worms compared to the King cobras which you can eat for only $600/each.

This brings to mind the Snake Village we had visited in Northern Chiang Mai when we were in Thailand. It wasn't about eating actually, but rather watching the skill of the Thai in not getting mortally bitten by poisonous snakes. Quite a show!

Now you want to see the kind of pets I'd like to hold?

way too cute to eat

and I don't recall seeing anyone ever walking a dog!

Well so much for the pet market. Back to our two friends and their cyclo adventure. Or was it our adventure? Not an English word was exchanged, but we were getting a tour and being dropped back at the hotel. You will agree to a price, the length of the ride and ascertain they know where they are going. And of course, it means nothing. OK, OK, OK . These are the most famous Vietnamese words in the vocabulary.Each one of us had a camera, but in truth, I was too frozen in fright to take pictures, so there may be one or two that were mine, but most were Chuck who I caught laughing, along with my driver about my expressions. The ride started rather calmly on Hai Ba Trung Street, and got progressively more daring as we made our way round the circle and toward the Saigon River.

Ton Duc Thang Street is more like one of those beautiful wide boulevards that are the legacy of the French colonial days, and runs all alongside the river, and if you take the time not to panic, you'll see many renown spots, like the Majestic Hotel, pictured above. There is a great aerial view of the street here, but believe me, the traffic is never so sparse.

This monument is the center point of a circle around the large statue of Tran Ngyuen Han in District 1. It is at the end of Le Loi Boulevard, another major artery, which is reputed for the Ben Thanh Market, which I promised we would visit.


Ton Duc Thang Street is also replete with high rise buildings, cafes and restaurants, banks and other businesses.

If you are on foot here, you'll be able to watch the freighters and passenger ferries all busy at work. Here you can book a dinner cruise for later in the evening or perhaps plan an interesting one-day tour upriver by speedboat with several stops, including the Binh Quoi Tourist Village .

You will now witness the sequence of photographs capturing my introduction to oncoming traffic on Ton Duc Thang Street. This is not meant to discourage you in any way whatsoever. Rather, by doing this, it really enabled me to become fearless not only riding cyclos but crossing just about any street in Saigon or Hanoi.

 you can see the beginning of alarm on my face here

 my toothless driver signals peace, but I'm not sure he should

 this is the point at which he lost his mind....

 and I thought I was losing my mind as well

 we are finally on the right side of the street going in the right direction

 what kind of hand signal is this?

 

I am beginning to regain my composure as we have made it safely from oncoming traffic to the right lane, which runs along the sidewalk closest to the river. I believe it was at that point that I felt safe enough to take my camera out of my purse. I caught a couple of pictures of Chuck, but altogether, nothing else. He looks like Mr. Cool here with a thumb up, as if nothing major is happening. He actually also had the courage to get on a motorbike with one of his photography friends. So this must be child's play for him.

This looks like we are back on Leloi. Actually, these guys are sometimes a bit tricky. They wanted to drop us off in the middle of nowhere, claiming that on certain streets cyclos are not allowed. We refused to pay them, and with hand signals and a map, insisted they take us back to our hotel. However, have fun with your ride, and remember that whatever you end up paying them is pennies compared to relative costs of transport anywhere else.

This is coming around that circle again. I'm always full of admiration when I see a woman driving one of those bikes. They are positively fearless.