Today we had a lecture about Buddhism and its role in Vietnamese culture and then visited a pagoda in the city. I found the Buddhist philosophy very interesting, especially the idea of having part of the pagoda dedicated to the village leader or hero. I don’t know of many other religions that also pray to the village leader, but I like how this philosophy emphasizes supporting and connecting with communities. I also found the architecture very beautiful. They have dozens of statues and art all around the pagoda and all of it has special meaning. For example, they have horse statues with bells in front of the statue dedicated to the village leader, and buddhists can ring the bells to wake the god up so they can pray to him. Because the religion is common throughout Asia and Vietnam was ruled by China for a thousand years, there is also different languages written on the walls. I found it really interesting to see how and why the pagoda was built and decorated, and the influences Buddhism had on Vietnam.
After the pagoda visit, we also visited the War Remnants Museum. This was a very moving experience for me because I’ve heard about the Vietnam War and learned a little bit about it in school, but diving in deeper about the events and to see more of the Vietnamese side of it was very eye-opening for me. One exhibit that I found very impactful was dedicated to showing the photos taken throughout the war. They portrayed children in hospitals, wounded soldiers, and veterans adapting to life after the war. I think seeing these graphic pictures helped the history feel more real to me and more than just stories and school lessons. It also gave me more respect for the Vietnamese people because not only did they survive the very brutal war, but they developed a stable country even with the effects of the war. It also made me respect their generosity and kindness towards us more because it has only been a few decades since the war, and yet they have no resentment or anger at all towards us. I really appreciated this experience and will remember it for a long time.