Most guidebooks suggest about 10 sights to see or things to do while here, and Donna and I had agreed to try to see as many off them as possible before we are to meet up with our cycling group and leave the city on Tuesday. Cutting through a local park enroute to a famed pagoda across town we were surprised by many groups of children in matching uniforms undertaking various activities, with many parents and younger siblings watching from park benches. It was explained to us that these “clubs”, which are separated by age, meet weekly to teach various cultural lessons, such as dance moves, calligraphy, songs and even camping. While a bit like scouting in the US, it seemed different — families nearby, and the youth very well behaved. It was the sense of community that really set it apart.
The Jade Emperor Pagoda was built in 1909 by the Chinese community in Saigon in honor of the supreme Taoist god, the King of Heaven, and is hidden on a side street with a lovely courtyard and several incense filled rooms. The pond of turtles is meant to bring good luck, and the many there praying also brought offerings.
The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens appealed to us as we hoped for a bit of peace after a long stressful walk among the cars and scooters and noise. But it was Sunday, and there was a carnival of sorts on the grounds, so while no traffic, peace wouldn’t describe it. I found the zoo a bit distressing, as the quarters for the many animals were very cramped. But for the young children there, seeing elephants and giraffes and hippos up close was a treat. The History Museum is at the entrance to the park, so we visited and were treated to a collection of artifacts chronicling the history of the country from the Bronze Age. Many of the descriptions included the many times over the centuries that Vietnam was invaded and how the country strove to overcome and have some independence.
We walked many miles and the street life itself is part of the culture and vibe of this city. It was hard not to want to take photos of the most mundane things — people having coffee on the street, next to the motorcycles which are valet’d, as they sit on what we might call children-sized chairs and tables. And after our dinner at The Temple Club, in an old Victorian building near the People’s Committee building, there was a festival of sorts on a nearby promenade, with singers and dancers and street vendors and families.
Today we visited the War Remnants Museum, which we had been warned might be disturbing with it’s focus on the aggression of the Americans in the 60’s and the aftermath. I lived through that era and protested the war, but the anti-war sentiment seemed to be generally on the fate of the many US soldiers being sent there — a war we didn’t have any reason to fight. The displays at this museum, mostly in photographs, focussed on the many decisions that the US gov’t made which went directly against the Geneva Accord and the Paris Peace Treaty, and the atrocities perpetrated on the Vietnamese people. A history lesson from the other perspective. And of course a picture is worth a thousand words. Very disturbing.
No words.