Woah. I have to take a few breaths after a day like today. Today felt emotionally heavy in a completely different way than the previous days of the trip. The morning visit to the Ngoc Hoang Pagoda was calming and very peaceful, while the afternoon felt completely different. The War Remnants Museum forced me to truly take in the painful realities of human suffering during the Vietnam war. Experiencing both of these along with the reunification palace created a contrast of a day that was definitely one to remember.

Walking through the pagoda was one of the most unique cultural experiences I have had in Vietnam so far. Beginning with the artwork outside of the temple. It was beautiful with bright colors and so well thought through. Even though I am not a Buddhist, I really appreciated the difference between whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion. I believed (and wrote on the white board in class) that Buddhism is a philosophy because it focuses on mindfulness and peace along with the idea of how to live life rather than worshiping a god. There is no single creator God that is at the center of Buddhism. It teaches inner peace and the idea of reducing suffering. The Buddha is thought to be a teacher, not a god. When I think of religion, I think of god and worshipping a singular god, rather than Buddhism where they follow a leader that is supposed to guide them to peace. I thought the class taught me the basics of Buddhism that was necessary to understand the significance of the temple. I also love the professor/tour guide that has been with us now for multiple days. He is insanely knowledgeable and not only keeps the class engaged, but also entertained. 

Taking our shoes off before entering, made this experience begin with an unfamiliar way of entering a temple. The temple was fascinating. There was a quiet atmosphere and a calm feel as people were constantly coming in and out praying to the different gods. Receiving an explanation of each of the gods allowed me to realize how many different gods there were. What stood out to me most was the main focus on inner peace and balance. In the world today, there is constant stress and competition, and the Buddhist mindset feels like the opposite. I learned today that it encourages people to slow down and reflect on how they treat themselves along with others. Every detail inside the pagoda seemed symbolic and each had a purpose.

The mood slowly shifted, beginning with our quick visit to the reunification palace. Visiting the Independence Palace felt fascinating to walk through the actual rooms where South Vietnamese leaders met and made important decisions during the Vietnam War. Seeing the preserved war rooms along with the maps and the meeting spaces made everything we have learned about feel much more real and accurate. At the same time, the palace was also incredibly beautiful. I loved the large scaled water fountain outside to add a touch along with the architecture, large open rooms. It was remarkable to see a place that holds so much historical significance, also be such a visually appealing attraction.

And then the mood really shifted. The War Museum. Reading about the Vietnam war in school or even getting to visit the Cu Chi tunnels earlier this week along with the Mekong Delta, there was nothing like visiting this museum in person. Let’s start with the photographs. I mean, these were unlike anything I have ever laid my eyes on. They were disturbing, but also moving. They were scary, but also impactful. The museum is set up with 5 different rooms and 3 floors. I began on the first floor where there were general pictures of American soldiers. I made my way up to the second floor, which in my opinion, was the most impactful. I stepped into the War Crimes room and began reading. As I looked at the first couple of pictures, I kept trying to understand the true feeling that I had. Seeing these soldiers (18, 19 years old), literally YOUNGER than me, knee deep in the Mekong Delta, frightened me. 50 years ago, that could be me in that photo. These were normal kids who just wanted to go to college or go home to their families. But instead they were slaughtering bodies and burning villages in a country 9,000 miles away. 

In my opinion, the biggest issue with this war was the idea that so many scared 18 year olds stuck in the jungle had no idea what they were even there for. Yeah, I guess it was to stop the spread of communism. Sure, that’s important. But we were literally fighting in a country on the other side of the world to stop something that in reality doesn’t even affect our soldiers back home. On the other hand, the Vietnamese were fighting for their country on their own countries land. As I learned about today reading the captions and articles from the museum, the Americans measured the war’s success based on the number of deaths. Yes, the number of humans murdered. They didn’t care if it was farmers, peasants, or the Viet Cong (the real enemy). The part that strikes me is that one of the captions on the photo today read, “If they’re dead, they’re Viet Cong.” I mean, really? This was the thought process? This is essentially saying, let’s kill these people just in case they’re Viet Cong. Once they’re dead, we will just consider them the enemy, even though they could’ve been an innocent farmer.

Another detail that hit me was how much time we wasted there. How draining was this truly on American soldiers? One photo I saw featured American soldiers walking through the delta in the river waste high in a pouring monsoon. Hmm, I wonder if this led to success? Well, the caption read, “Their twelve-day patrol in the jungles near Ben Cat failed to raise any contact with the Viet Cong.” So, they wasted 12 days of American soldiers dragging themselves through the jungles without EVER successfully finding any Viet Cong. What a mess! The scariest part is when I picture myself being there. How exceptionally frustrated and angry I would feel that I was in the jungles of a random country fighting for Communism, but failing to even find the enemy. These soldiers were just kids.   

After spending about an hour in the War Crimes room, I moved on to the Agent Orange room. I needed a trigger warning before this one. Wow. This was hard to witness. There were intensely graphic photos that captured the American impact of the Agent Orange gas on the Vietnamese people. The worst part about this, which I learned for the first time today, was that not only did this evil poisonous gas affect the generations during the war, it impacted future generations that were yet to come. One caption today read something like, “4 year old born without arms due to her mother’s exposure to Agent Orange when she was 13 years old. These birth defects within families lasted decades. It was awful to see the impact the US had and how it is still lasting into the future. Yes, the war is over. But the impacts it left are still noticeable within some Vietnamese families. 

One important thing I learned today is how understanding history and culture outside of a classroom can completely change your perspective on the world. Visiting the pagoda along with the reunification palace and the War Remnants Museum gave me a much deeper understanding of Vietnam than I could ever get from simply reading a textbook. Experiences like these are important to me because I think that they help me develop a better understand how historical, events continue to shape our society today today. In my opinion, most of the time, the most meaningful lessons come from seeing and experiencing things first hand.