The Vietnamese Perspective of the American War

Day 4 done. First interesting thing to happen today… Vietnamese fashion show. For our culture class, several Vietnamese came in dressed in traditional clothing worn throughout areas of the country at different time periods. Why would they ever drift away from the style? They were absolutely beautiful with SO many colors and we the definition of comfortable, with one literally looking like pajamas but still socially acceptable to wear every day. Whoever invented jeans and tight clothing, I’m not a huge fan of you right now. After, we had our daily language class, but I ACTUALLY knew what was going on!!! We learned about numbers and am now a pro at counting up 20 in Vietnamese thanks to my wonderful Vietnamese friend Sam. After UEF, we went to lunch, and to everyone’s surprise, we pulled up in front of none other than Mickey D’s. We had the classic Big Mac and fries and I realized how un-American I am. That’s my first time having a Big Mac and haven’t been to McDonald’s in over four years… I guess if I’m gonna eat it, do it in Vietnam!

Unfortunately, our site visit to VinaCapital was canceled today. So, last minute we ended up going to the War Remnants Museum. It was based entirely around the Vietnam War and how the Vietnamese viewed America in it. It was hard, not even gonna lie. The museum put a lot of shame on Americans in the war, relating some of actions to the extremity of those of the Nazis. The impact was hard and really deep because of me being American and raised hearing the other side of the story. It just made me realize how important playing Devil’s Advocate is because there is always another side.

Vietnam is amazing me more and more each day. The Vietnamese are some of the most endearing and wonderful people I’ve ever met. Listening to them (who are all our age) talk and hearing about their culture is such an incredible opportunity that not a lot of people get. Each has their own unique stories and lives, making what used to just be a CultureSmart book a real and living thing that has already become so close to my heart. Vietnam, thank you for these past four days. Looking forward to spending more with you!