The Fall of Saigon. Since Ho Chi Minh City was Saigon, and since we’re leaving Vietnam the day after “Reunification Day,” I feel it necessary to make a couple comments. Rarely is this event described as an American loss, but it was. The United States spent millions of dollars, killed millions of people, lost almost 59,000 of its own, and lost the war. (How would it feel to be Charles McMahon and Darwin Judge, the last American soldiers to be killed in Vietnam? Is the latter’s name not ironic?) But the Vietnamese don’t refer to victory, they call it Liberation Day or Reunification Day. Rather than proud, they seem humble. You can read more at the links above, about Operation Frequent Wind, watch The Fall of Saigon, read the plight of the Vietnamese Boat People, or research any of the many related topics. This Time article points out that we have not learned the lessons from the fall of Saigon as evidenced in Iraq & Afghanistan. Perhaps if we could see the loss, admit the failure, acknowledge the mistakes, and apologize for the horrors of war, then we might stop the madness, put the Military Industrial Complex out of business, and have peace – with honor or otherwise. (Bonus link.)

Wars after the American War. Perhaps the Vietnamese are humble about their victory against the United States because war contined. Immediately after the Americans left, they had to fight the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodia-Vietnam War until the late ’80’s. In 1979, there were battles on the border with China in the Sino-Vietnam War. It wasn’t until 1990 that Vietnam started to have peace and did not have to defend itself against aggressors. Since then they seem to have made great strides in developing their country. The rest of this post is about the rise of Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City…

In between trips to the Mekong, Cu Chi, Mui Né, etc., we stayed in HCMC/Saigon. We were in the Signature & Silverland Hotels. Here’s a view of the city from the former…

At a nearby restaurant the kids found their favorite toilet. (Note the control panel with buttons control a variety of posterior cleansing features.) And a shot of the Signature Hotel, phone/power wires, a hammer/sickle logo, and a road off of the road to HCMC…

On the road…

 

We had dinner with a friend, Swati, we met in Kochi. She’s from India, but lives in Saigon. Street food pic and a couple restaurants…

One of the sites in HCMC is the Saigon Post Office. Designed by Gustav Eiffel (of the tower) it is a beautiful old colonial building well cared for. Across the street is a cathedral.

Saturday night on Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ben Trang market…

The Silverland Hotel, one of our many tourist vans (which we love), a BBQ snack at a very cool restaurant (where you cook your own meal with a little personal BBQ), the view from the Silverland (since I showed the view from the Signature), a shot straight down at another building, etc…

 

We’re going back to Ho Chi Minh City two more times: tomorrow and when we get back from Cambodia before leaving for Sydney. I may add more pix here…

 

Study Questions:

1. Read at least two links above and comment on the Fall of Saigon.
2. Read two other links above and comment on the Fall of Saigon or the wars against Cambodia & China.
3. Research Ho Chi Minh City. What is it like now?