Today we made our way to Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City to all but those who live here. This is a huge place--with a decidedly international feel. If they weren't selling Pho on every corner, I'd swear I was in New York...Frankly, I'd pick Hanoi any day--still my favorite city in Vietnam.
I was once again thrown into history mode. Standing in front of "Reunification Palace" all I could picture were tanks breaking through these gates; helicopters lifting the last Americans to safety; the panic of thousands of citizens trying to leave, and of course babylifts. Perhaps one day people who visit this city won't see the old rather than the new.
We also visited the "War Remnants Museum"--formerly known as the American War Crimes Museum. The is the most popular museum in Saigon and it was packed. And if you ever need proof that war is an awful, ugly thing that should not happen, this place will convince you. Filled with photos taken primarily from U.S. sources, this place is a testament to the brutality men can inflict upon their fellow man. Very poignantly, at the end of the exhibit there are quotes from a couple people like Robert McNamara on what a mistake the war was. Well that is just great--a bit late.
In one case, there was a box of military medals and a note from a former U.S. soldier, who had traveled back to Vietnam and left his medals with the museum. The note said, "To the people of Vietnam: I am sorry, I was wrong."
And I wept, not only for the damage done to this country, but for the price paid and the burdens that weigh upon the Americans who served their country with dedication and pride, only to be haunted for the rest of their lives by the choices others made for them.
