We started day nine with a quick lesson on Buddhism at the UEF. Tuan surprised us as our teacher for the day, and I got to sit with my pal Roy. After learning about the Buddhist culture, we argued whether it is a religion or a philosophy. I could use the entire blog post to explain the difference between the two, but I ultimately think it is a philosophy. I found it incredibly interesting to learn about a new way of thinking about life. At my table, Chris and Danny (from the UEF) were discussing the main differences between belief systems in America and in Vietnam. Although the two countries believe in different things religiously, both incorporate good living and kind deeds into their systems.

We then went to Ngoc Hoang Pagoda. The architecture was nothing like anything I have ever seen before. There was incense and candles burning throughout the building, and the statues staring at us made sure we were not alone. Everything was decked out in gold, red, and black. Some statues even had flashing lights which I thought took away from the seriousness of the building. Unfortunately, we were unable to take photos inside the pagoda, I assume to not upset the spirits. We were taught the different kinds of bows, and where to put your hands for each one. I even got to see people praying and demonstrating how to act in a building such as this one. It was super cool to see how important religious buildings and norms differ from country to country. We also took a short trip to the Reunification Palace to learn about the history of the wars in Vietnam. It is a huge mansion that has many different rooms and had to be rebuilt many times through multiple bombings. I got to grab many cool pictures and it got me excited to go to the War Remnants Museum to learn more about the war.

Our afternoon trip to the War Remnants Museum was incredibly memorable. After going through the vehicles, armaments, war crimes, torture methods, and the results of each, I understand why veterans did, and still do not talk about their war memories. It is unimaginable to think about everything both sides went through. It’s unjustifiable. Through each exhibit my feelings wandered from sad, to angry, to depressed, to furious with everything about the war. I was most frustrated with the fact that Americans are so uneducated about it. I cannot comprehend how a war of this magnitude is avoided or merely touched upon in high school and middle school. After this visit, I can confidently say that I learned so many new things this afternoon that will stick with me for a long time.

One takeaway from the history of this country that I would like to remember is the Vietnamese’s acceptance and “forgive but never forget” mindset. Vietnam has been fighting for as long as they have been a country. Through each and every war, they gave forgiveness and eventually accepted rival countries into society. Even though their American War was only 50 years ago and resulted in a lot of their land being destroyed, they have already accepted Americans back into their country. Although forgiving is much easier said than done, I believe Vietnam has done a better job than most countries would do. If Americans went to war with other countries, it would take a long time before they accepted that country back into society. One memorable experience from this afternoon was hearing the many different languages sightseers spoke. It seemed in every room, someone was speaking a different language. I know that I heard English, Vietnamese, Spanish, what I believe to be Hindi, and even some sort of European language as well. I was surprised to see that everyone was interested in learning the history, and not just the Americans and Vietnamese. The war had a bigger impact than I could have ever realized and I am thankful and grateful to have gone.