Religion and history took center stage today, and it was a lot to process. We started at the Ngoc Hoang pagoda, which was an interesting look into the spiritual side of the country. Even the UEF students we were with described Buddhism primarily as a philosophy rather than just a religion, though we definitely saw the religious side in practice. Inside the temple, people were praying at specific areas for fertility, prosperity, and good luck. The architecture was full of very intricate carvings everywhere, but the one that stuck with me was a sculpture showing heaven and hell. It was a visual reminder of the stakes involved in the philosophy they follow.
The afternoon was a much heavier experience as we transitioned into the history and the unfortunate aftermath of the war. Walking through the Requiem section of the War Remnants Museum is a sobering experience. One photograph that caught my eye showed a US army Colonel commending a North Vietnamese soldier who had single-handedly held up an advance for an hour. Seeing the respect given to a dead enemy highlights the tragedy of the war for the Vietnamese people. It was a massive loss of life that still feels present when you are standing in those rooms.
However, the experience outside the museum was just as telling as the exhibits inside. It felt odd to walk out of a place dedicated to war victims and immediately be targeted by a veteran with obvious injuries and Agent Orange complications who tried to guilt trip scam me for a $20 book. It didn’t help that a UEF student was essentially blocking me from leaving until I went through the entire museum, following me around the whole time. That kind of killed my personal connection to the moment, but I still left with the general sentiment I was supposed to have.
Looking at the social context 51 years later, my biggest takeaway is how quickly the younger generation has moved on. Everyone except the veteran at the gate seems focused on the future. The UEF students are excited to interact with Americans and are looking toward global opportunities rather than dwelling on the past. If I had to remember one thing about the history of this country, it is the resilience and the speed of their recovery. They have shifted from a decade of war to being a society that is incredibly open to the world in a very short amount of time. It is a strange survival at play where the past is preserved in a museum, but the people on the street are already miles ahead of it.
