Other symbols included Cat for good future, Khau for education and freedom, Trung for center, Vuong for king, Chu for sovereignty, and Hung for prosperity.
When they started to re-build the palace in 1962 after a coup d'etat bombing from the Saigon army, the symbols were for South Vietnam, in hopes for peaceful and successful future. However, the fight was only just beginning and by 1975, tanks were racing through the gates-ending the 30 year war for Vietnamese people, reuniting the North again with the South and ultimately changing Saigon into Ho Chi Minh City forever.
For Vietnam, this palace is not the only reminder of a war fought not long ago. Evidence is in the people, still discovering diseases related to the disastrous chemical warfare, unexploded ordinance still sadly being found in the country side, and an 86 million person economy trying to mix communism and capitalism in the 21st century.
Visiting the War Remnants Museum was a necessary stop, and reminded me how much involvement we had in the war, and I took all the evidence of war in with curiosity and respect.
It was one of the most difficult yet rewarding museums I have been too in all my traveling. Though there was a very propaganda tone to most of the information, it was the first museum I had ever been to that was aimed directly at me, an American. I did not live through the war, and will never know exactly what happened in the countryside of this beautiful country. But I couldn't help feeling remorse and helplessness for the people still effected by the damage we caused. It made me respect their determination and will to re-construct and piece together a damaged society from the North to the South.
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is a beautiful mess of people, motorcycles, and a fantastic reflection of a booming born-again city.
We thought Hanoi was a challenge to make it across the street with all limbs in tact, but in fact, HCMC has bigger, wider roads, more motorbikes and four lane crossroads with no visible traffic signs. Glancing back over your shoulder one wonders how you're alive, but you did it, and made it. After exhausting our emotions on war material, and our physical strength from darting across inner city highways, it's nice to settle in to a plastic chair built for a toddler, and enjoy a cold beer
Luckily, HCMC had some good eats too from the ever present noodle stalls
To some unusual fare for us westerners like frog
You were expecting a whole frog there weren't ya? This dish was just a delightful dish of frog with chili sauce. Tasted just like chicken, and you wouldn't really know it was frog until the occasional frog leg with foot attached would pop up.
With time running to a quick end on the trip, I had to dash out of HCMC and Vietnam, after spending only two weeks in this diverse country. But mark my word, I'll be back to spend more time here, at some point in my future. It just deserves far more attention then I was able to give.
Location:Saigon
No comments:
Post a Comment