We started today with a trip to the History Museum. This was built in 1929 by the Société des
Études Indochinoises, this notable Sino-French museum houses a rewarding
collection of artefacts illustrating the evolution of the cultures of Vietnam,
from the Bronze Age Dong Son civilisation (which emerged in 2000 BC) and the
Funan civilisation (1st to 6th centuries AD), to the Cham, Khmer and
Vietnamese.
On our way out we saw a statue of Ho Chi Minh. Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung,, was a
Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was Chairman and First Secretary
of the Workers' Party of Vietnam. He was
also Prime Minister and President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He was
a key figure in the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 as
well as the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
Ruth and I went back to the hotel for a coffee. Vietnamese coffee is very good. I also ordered a bottle of water which came
in the poshest bag any bottle of water I’ve ever bought has come in.
In the afternoon Ruth and I went on a minibus tour of the
city. Our first stop was the War
Remnants Museum, formerly the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes. The museum is powerful in conveying the brutal
effects of war on its Vietnamese civilian victims
It was upsetting to
read the stories of the victims of US military action as told by these victims.
While some displays are one-sided, many
of the most disturbing photographs illustrating US atrocities are from US
sources, including those of the infamous My Lai Massacre.
We were then taken to a handicrafts factory and shop
specialising in lacquerware. Credit
cards were given some exercise.
Our next stop was the Jade Emperor pagoda built in 1909 in
honour of the supreme Taoist god (the King of Heaven, Ngoc Hoang). The pagoda was crammed with statues depicting
characters from both Buddhist and Taoist lore of various divinities and
grotesques. Unfortunately the pungent
smoke of incense was overpowering and I couldn’t stay in the pagoda for
long.
HCMC's central French post office is very striking. We bought our first postcards and stamps.
Right across the road from the post office is the Catholic
Notre Dame Cathedral. We were unable to
go in because it was being renovated.
Similarly we were unable to enter the Reunification Palace
due to a visit by Teresa May.
We were both relieved to collapse in our room after a very
exhausting day. HCMC is so
hectic it is very wearing. On the other
hand it is good to appreciate different culture.
We were both relieved to collapse in our room after a very
exhausting day. HCMC
No comments:
Post a Comment