Vietnam Part I

Vietnam far exceeded my expectations. The people were nice, I felt safe on the streets, the culture is charming, and the food is delicious!

This image is shocking. I definitely learned a lot about the Vietnam War and its lasting consequences. We went to the War Remnants Museum and there was an area dedicated to the harmful effects of Agent Orange that can still be seen 3 generations later. Note: though the museum rightfully depicted the horrors of the war on the Vietnamese people, there were also obvious signs of propaganda by this Socialist Nation. After all, Vietnam "won the war and the communists were victorious".

Myself and my Swiss travel partner, Daniel Dudler, in front of one of the American fighter jets lefts behind in Saigon.

We visited the Cu Chi tunnels which were used extensively during the war. These tunnels are located in the jungle (though the jungle had been severely bombed during the war) and extend some 200 km. Whole villages lived in the tunnels and guerillas fought the Americans by placing traps with bamboo arrows throughout the region and popping up out of unexpected hatches. "The Americans never saw the Viet Cong while fighting", because they strategically remained underground. After this visit, it was obvious as to why the Americans would never have won. Those of the Viet Cong who killed an American (for instance, by piercing his body with bamboo sticks as those in the picture) were proclaimed "American Killer Hero".

In the jungle. It was VERY hot!

Guess what this is? Poison? Nope. It is snake-scorpion wine. Perfectly safe to drink. Illegal to export to Singapore. I wonder why.