Today, we embarked on a history tour through the city, visiting many cultural spots and museums. We began the day by touring a pagoda where we learned about Buddhism and explored their place of worship. We were taught many Buddhist customs such as bowing and removing footwear inside the pagoda. While the pagoda was fascinating, the best part came after lunch when we toured the Independence Palace and the War Museum.

The palace was a true step back in time, with all the furniture untouched and the retro architecture preserved. Along the tour, our guide filled us in on the details of the palace and what took place within its walls. Despite the previous attractions being very cool and informative, the highlight of the day was the War Museum. The museum displayed many interesting relics of history along with informative captions, but there was one room that really stood out. The museum had a War Crimes room that showed in brutal detail photos of the US war crimes that took place. The images on the walls made me and my peers uneasy to even look at. I can’t even imagine the horror experienced by the individuals who went through such brutality.

Due to this gut-wrenching feeling, I felt it necessary to speak to some of my Vietnamese friends from UEF and ask their opinions. The response my friend gave me is the reason I believe Vietnamese people are some of the best people on this earth. My friend told me that while what happened was terrible, Vietnamese people are taught to forgive and not forget to make sure history never repeats itself. He spoke about how no one in that war wanted to fight and that in war, no one wins.