Recovery
After our night out on the city, we rose quite late. Soon after, we headed out to grab some breakfast/lunch. We wondered the streets aimlessly, looking for some sort of food, whatever it may be. After 10 minutes or so, we happened upon a small stall on the corner of a street. It resembled a very basic Subway store. Both of us were hungry, so we weren’t going to be picky here. We said yes to whatever the woman offered, and she crafted a meal from a small baguette filled with shredded meat, vegetables, and sauces. I must admit, it was a very enjoyable meal. This turned out to be somewhat of a Vietnamese speciality called Bánh mì. I can’t put my finger on it, but something inside was very spicy.
Just a little further down the road, we decided to try some Milk Tea. Having seen it a lot in China, but never trying it, we decided to give it a shot. We pretty much just went for the simplest choice. I have to say it was very nice, although I believe it’s incredibly bad for you, sugar-wise that is. The weather took a turn for the worst, and it was absolutely chucking it down with rain. We were originally thinking of visiting the Củ Chi tunnels, which were used in the Vietnam war. These were quite far out from the city and it was midday already.
Instead, I found the War Remnants Museum nearby. It’s a museum with lots of information about the Vietnam war, and, as a guy with an interest in history, I suggested we go. Mat was in agreement, so we used the ‘Grab’ app, and ordered a taxi.
Tip!
If you travel to South East Asia, Grab is an extremely useful app. We mostly used it for taxis where other transport wasn’t possible. You just search for your destination, and a driver will come to your location. This way, you don’t have to explain and give an address to them. You also have the choice of paying with cash or digitally through the app, best of both worlds. I’d recommend it in the cities, but don’t use it too much as you’ll miss out on the fun that happens on public transport!
Today's main event
After ordering the taxi, we could track it on the app. It was still raining cats and dogs outside, so we wanted to wait until the last possible moment, then make a mad dash. We still ended up getting pretty wet, but we were thankful when we got in the taxi. The taxi ride was about 20 minutes or so, giving us a chance for a rest and to dry off. Thankfully, by the time we got to the War Remnants Museum, the rain had stopped. We bought our tickets for the museum, which were 40’000VND (around £1.30), and began our exploration. For more info on the War Remnants Museum, check out the website here.
In the yard outside the museum, there are several army vehicles, including tanks, helicopters, and jets. There are also other memorabilia from the war, such as bomb shells, which were absolutely huge! After having a look at each vehicle, and the obligatory photo, we moved on into the museum itself. The majority of the ground floor was about the support Vietnam had from both internal and external parties/countries. A large part was about the how the Americans began resisting and fighting against the government, both in Vietnam and in America. They had a lot of paper clippings of stories that had made the press.
A lot of these stories really hit me hard, I at a few points I did have tears in my eyes. Tears of both sorrow, when hearing of the terrible things that happened, but also of hope, when hearing of the resistance and protection of Vietnam.
Despair
I must say, I’ve never been captivated by a museum as much as this one. I wanted to read every single newspaper article, and every chunk of text on the wall. It really was riveting. After reading pretty much everything on the ground floor, which took over an hour, we ascended to the floor above. The first exhibition was themed around the events in the war and what was involved, such as key dates and equipment used. The second exhibition was focused on the effects and aftermath of ‘Agent Orange’. This was a chemical which had been dumped via airplanes over parts of Vietnam, and caused many disabilities, especially in new-borns.
These 2 exhibitions really hit home hard. The things that had happened to the people of this country, and the lasting effect is has had, are staggering. To say how horrific and harrowing the war was, I’m surprised we never learned about it in school. I know it didn’t directly affect us in the UK, as opposed to World War 2, but I think it’s definitely something kids should learn about in school. After having spent another hour or two on these exhibitions, time had escaped us, and they were locking up. There was another floor above, but we didn’t have time to see it. So, after having been mentally shook by what I’d just seen, we exited the War Remnants Museum.
Heading for new heights
After exiting the War Remnants Museum, we decided on our next location and headed that way. Our next destination was Landmark 81, the tallest building in Vietnam. En route, we stopped at a convenience store for a bottle of water, it was so damned hot still. It’s been non-stop humid since we got here, made worse by the rain earlier. On our way to Landmark 81, we both got in deep conversation about what we’d seen at the War Remnants Museum. That topic soon expanded to the world today, and human nature. I think it’s important to have these discussions as they give you new ideas, and get your own feelings and thoughts out of your head.
We walked through a few different types of neighbourhoods, ranging from standard apartments, to small stalls and one room houses, to some luxury hotels. Due to the design of the building, it didn’t require a map, as it was lit up like Blackpool Tower (a saying in the UK when something is very lit up). We were able to just see it and walk towards it. Eventually we got to it, and were able to go inside. The bottom couple of floors were retail, most were quite upmarket stores. Mat and I were just in our shorts, t-shirts, and hiking boots. I can only imagine that people were repulsed by us, in their fashion branded outfits. That doesn’t faze me though, makes me chuckle at the thought of it. To check out the highest point we’ve been to in Asia, check out this mountain post here!
Going up...I don't think so
This building has an observation deck where you’re able to travel to the top of the building and look around. At first we were pretty interested in going up, but when we saw the price was around £30 each, we though different. There was actually a large ice rink in the retail section too which I found pretty cool (pun not intended). As it was getting late, we decided it was time to head back to the hostel to get some sleep. We were moving on tomorrow to a nearby coastal town for some relaxation time.
Grab seems to be very useful, and cheap too. After getting another water bottle from a shop, we ordered another taxi. It took 15 minutes or so to come, but for the price you pay, these taxis are luxurious! Leather seats, air con, loads of room, it’s awesome. He took us right nearby to our place, and we walked down the alleyway to get back to the hostel. The dogs kept barking for ages again at night.
