Saigon – Recent History
There were a couple of things that all three of us (Richard, Dean and I) wanted to see for definite in Saigon (officially it’s Ho Chi Minh City, but everyone still calls it Saigon). There was a walking tour recommended in the Lonely Planet, but my swollen and painful toe put the kybosh on this for me, so I took a moto to the first stop, the Reunification Palace, sat on a bench, took out my new book (White Teeth by Zadie Smith – review coming soon), and waited for Dean and Richard to get there. I actually spent a lot of time just people watching – the Palace is opposite a park where tons of Vietnamese people were just mooching around. It was good to see.
The Reunificaton Palace, built in 1966, is both a prime example of 1960s architecture (other examples include the high school I went to. Ish.), and a living memorial to the South Vietnamese government. It’s preserved almost exactly as it was in 1975 when, watched by the eyes of the world, the first communist tanks to arrive in Saigon crashed through the wrought iron gates and the VC flag was unfurled from the top balcony. In the grounds you can still see the tanks that took part in the raid, although we weren’t allowed to climb on them, more’s the pity.
It was fun being inside – almost like an upmarket version of the ‘Abigail’s Party’ set, all G-Plan furniture (well, that’s what it looked like, although I imagine it might have been a tad pricier, what with it being the President’s Palace and all). My favourite room was pure 1960s with low circular chairs, shag pile carpets, and a circular bar in the corner. Made me want to swish about with big hair and a long evening frock on, offering people another cube of beetroot and maybe a silverskin onion on a stick.
We spent longer than we intended to at the Palace, and had to walk (or, in my case, hobble) quickly round to the War Remnants Museum in order to give ourselves a decent amount of time there before it closed, for it was that which we had heard most about in Saigon.
The War Remnants Museum used to be known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. The name has changed – presumably because of the amount of Westerners who visit these days – but the tone of the museum is clear from the start. It was so very fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time – war atrocities, and the sheer folly of the Vietnam War, have been pretty widely publicised back home, but seeing the story come directly from the mouths of the Vietnamese victims put a whole new slant on it – the message that I took away was, from the Vietnamese point of view, the USA became involved in an internal struggle that should never have concerned them, and came down crushingly on the side of the South Vietnamese. Even people who, for whatever reason, supported the war, could not fail to be moved by the pictures and stories of civilian victims – especially children, of whom many were distressingly hurt by Agent Orange and napalm.
Some of the exhibits were stomach-churningly graphic – but I wholeheartedly support the decision not to shy away from displaying them. I understand that not everyone would want to hear in detail about the particular methods of torture and particular disfigurations that are shown here, so I won’t describe them in detail.
One of the most poignant displays in the whole museum is the room dedicated to photographers, from many countries – not just the USA and Vietnam – who lost their lives while recording the scenes. Such a vital job, a real vocation, and yet how often do we recognise and commend the people behind the camera who bring us the pictures while we sit safe in our homes? Not nearly often enough.
The museum ended in honour of all those who supported the peace effort throughout the world, and who continue to do so.
I’ve said before that this isn’t going to be a political blog – those of you who know me will know whereabouts I stand politically, and I’m guessing that no-one really cares apart from the people who get my ‘X’ come polling day! If I can be allowed the liberty, though, I’ll leave you with the following quote from Lonely Planet that made me smile (though not in a happy way):
“Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand also sent military personnel to South Vietnam as part of what the Americans called the ‘Free World Military Forces’, whose purpose was to help internationalise the American War effort and thus confer upon it some legitimacy. Sound familiar?”
Tags: Travel, Vietnam
Suzanne