What better way to cure a hellish sickness than to move into the Park Hyatt Saigon? The answer is that there is no better way. Even though Lisa, Steve, and Luke were the most gracious hosts imaginable and took such good care of us while we were sick yesterday, it was nice to move into the Park Hyatt where we’ll be meeting my (our) parents when they arrive tonight. After all of the 2 and 1 star hotels we’ve been staying in over the last few months, this place is heaven.
Tony and Anna Marie got into Saigon late on Thursday night, so we had a simple hello and hug before getting them to sleep. We had an early start the next morning to start the true site seeing of Saigon.
Friday was our first day together, and we drove with our guide Mr. Un to the Cu Chi tunnel system about 45 minutes outside of Saigon. Here we saw how the Liberation Army of Southern Vietnam was able to hide and withstand attacks from the US and ally forces, even though they were just miles from the American base in Saigon. Their ingenious ways of concealing their underground cities and ways of using the lush terrain to hide explosives that could take out tanks are impossible to ignore, but the communist government’s propogandish ways of telling the story was tough to stomach, especially sitting next to my father who had to live through the entire situation and watch friends being lost in the whole melee for 16 months. Yet, as my dad said today, to the victor go the spoils, part of which includes getting to tell the story as seen through the their eyes.
After a lunch filled with 12 entrees (I kid you not, but thank God the tab was covered by our tour group), we hopped over to the war museum and continued to hear the story of the war through the communist government’s eyes. After looking at gruesome images and reading one-sided accounts of the conflict, there was only one thing we could all agree on…war is tragic, and those who make the decisions to go to war, whether just or not, are ruining lives on both sides of the tape. At that time it was either a battle over communism vs. democracy or over the rights to a massive supply of tin and tungsten, and now it’s us vs. Al Qaida or it’s over oil. No matter what it’s all over, it’s men making decisions who don’t have to act on them, and it’s crap. Period.
Mr. Un describing the tun
Mr. Un describing a trap door...
...and the subsequent trap hole.
Crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels
Tony exploring the war museum, and recounting history through the opposition's eyes.
Any way, it was fascinating to visit these places and hear stories from my dad about how it was 40 years ago when he bravely served here. I’ve always respected the selfless ways of his daily life, and his service during the war is one of the finest examples of who he is. Being here has brought that even more into light, and made me even more proud. Thanks Pop for your service, no matter who’s fight you were executing.
Mr. Un and the driver then brought us over to the Ben Thanh Market where my parents took one look over the compressed rows of trinket stalls and opted to head back to the hotel. Having already been here, we can’t say we had an issue with doing so.
Saturday morning we stopped by the Presidential Palace where the South Vietnamese government had been stationed before the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. It was here where the Communist tanks bowled over the gate, stormed the building, and hoisted the VC flag on the 4th floor. The architecture was totally 60’s, and our friend Troy would undoubtedly love the furniture sprawling throughout the conference rooms, gambling/drinking room, and bedrooms. It even had a movie theatre, but the room-size projector was no longer functioning. The grounds were gorgeous, but standing on the site of such a pivotal moment in our country’s history was the most fascinating part of visiting the palace.
Outside the Presidential Palace
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