We finished off our time in Vietnam with a few days in Ho Chi Minh City. This place is massive. The population is ten million!
The real attraction is the War Remnants Museum, featuring planes, machinery, and thousands of pictures and artifacts from the Vietnam War. It was a very educational visit, but also very intense and sad. The photos were so graphic, and there were many stories on individual families and how they were affected by the war. The aftermath of the chemicals used over Vietnam, specifically Agent Orange, was strongly highlighted and was something we didn't know. The chemicals are still causing a wide range of genetic defects in children born today. It was also very cool to see the before and after photos of several cities and significant monuments.
We went up to the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower. This floor is called the Saigon Skydeck and offers a 360 degree view of the city. The building itself was also very neat, and was ranked fifth in CNN's Top 20 Iconic Buildings in the world.
We had one of our most cultural experiences in a local park here. We were approached by a man who said he is from the United States but moved back to Vietnam after retiring to teach English to university students. He brings his class to the park on weekends to practice speaking English with foreigners. He asked if we could spare five minutes, and so we agreed. We went over to the group and we were told to sit on a bench and all forty university students came and sat on the ground right in front of us. We were bombarded with questions of all sorts, including our life dreams, our relationship status, what we look for in men, what our dogs like to eat, what we think about Vietnam, Vietnamese people, food, and weather. These students were so sincere in all their questions, and really just want to improve their English. It is nearly impossible to get a job right after university, and speaking English greatly improves your options in Vietnam. It was also a great learning opportunity for us, as we were able to ask them questions about their language, food, and their country. We had been warned about theft in Ho Chi Minh City and to keep your purse really close. Many of the male students told us we had nothing to worry about because no Vietnamese man would target girls who look as strong as us! Anyways, three hours, multiple high fives, a few hugs, lots of photos together, and too many Facebook, Twitter, and email requests later, and we were on our way!
Vietnam was such a treat to visit, and hopefully we will be back someday. Now we are on to Cambodia, our last country of the trip!