Saturday 28th September
Another hot day in Ho Chi Minh City! Started with a visit to the War Remnants Museum which gave the history of the “American War’ (as opposed to the “Vietnam War”). There were a range of weapons and war vehicles on display but the most compelling part was the photographic display and the story of the photo journalists who had died in the pursuit of recording what actually happened. Some of the photos I had seen before but many I hadn’t. There was also a display of photos of the effects of the war on the innocent victims from the likes of Agent Orange and Napalm which was quite disturbing. It was good to read that some Americans had returned to Vietnam after the war in an effort to make amends for things they had been party to and to try and regain some of their own peace of mind.
After that we did a bit of a City tour visiting the Saigon Post Office, the “mini Notre Dame Cathedral” before having lunch. The photo with the grey building in front of the blue building is actually where the famous photo of the helicopter on a rooftop evacuating people during the Fall of Saigon was taken (but from the other side). Evidently it was the CIA building not the US Embassy where it occurred.
We then visited the Reunification Palace (aka Independence Palace) which is now open to the public unless a special event is planned. We got to go from the bunker in the basement (which had a maze of rooms) to the helicopter pad (next to the President’s personal cinema/theatre/games area) on the top.
“War Room”
We did well in temperatures reaching mid 30’s!! Off to the airport for our flight to Nha Trang.
Another hot day in Ho Chi Minh City! Started with a visit to the War Remnants Museum which gave the history of the “American War’ (as opposed to the “Vietnam War”). There were a range of weapons and war vehicles on display but the most compelling part was the photographic display and the story of the photo journalists who had died in the pursuit of recording what actually happened. Some of the photos I had seen before but many I hadn’t. There was also a display of photos of the effects of the war on the innocent victims from the likes of Agent Orange and Napalm which was quite disturbing. It was good to read that some Americans had returned to Vietnam after the war in an effort to make amends for things they had been party to and to try and regain some of their own peace of mind.
After that we did a bit of a City tour visiting the Saigon Post Office, the “mini Notre Dame Cathedral” before having lunch. The photo with the grey building in front of the blue building is actually where the famous photo of the helicopter on a rooftop evacuating people during the Fall of Saigon was taken (but from the other side). Evidently it was the CIA building not the US Embassy where it occurred.
We then visited the Reunification Palace (aka Independence Palace) which is now open to the public unless a special event is planned. We got to go from the bunker in the basement (which had a maze of rooms) to the helicopter pad (next to the President’s personal cinema/theatre/games area) on the top.
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| President’s Copter and 2 spots where palace was bombed by an infiltrator to the SthVietnam Airforce |
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| Bank of telecommunication Machines in bunker |
“War Room”We did well in temperatures reaching mid 30’s!! Off to the airport for our flight to Nha Trang.
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