Vietnam Part I

        So my time in Vietnam… as of a few weeks ago I knew nothing about Vietnam! When I found out that many of my friends had already had long trips planned to Cambodia I decided I better start looking in some things to do during my 5 day stay in Vietnam. After some research I found some fun things to do to fill up my time in this foreign land. We decided to plan a big trip to Nha Trang, which is known for its beautiful beaches and fabulous nightlife.
        I spend my first day in Ho Chi Mihn getting a taste for the city.  It was more developed than I had originally thought. Each block seemed to have a gorgeous hotel and some big designer store like Marc Jacobs and Burberry. It also had its share of the crowded markets with an array of handcrafted souvenirs. Similar to India, the traffic was really something else. More than half the street was congested with motorbikes swerving back and forth. It was crazy! During the day we shopped around in the markets and had a delicious traditional Vietnamese lunch. For dinner my friends’ mom who was visiting, took us all out to a French restaurant. I had a salad with goat cheese and it was so amazing that I am still thinking about it!
        The next day we went on a tour to the Mekong Delta. It is a water village about an hour from the city. We were in a rowboat and made stops to try fruit, fresh honey, and coconut candy! For lunch we took a small carriage thing that was pulled by a horse. We ate a fried elephant fish, which was served whole on a stand that was placed in the middle of the table. By the time we were done it was just the bones. Many of us were disappointed about missing the sushi in Japan, so that night we all went to sushi to celebrate my friend’s 21st birthday!!
        I also go the chance to visit the Cu Chi tunnels, which were used during the Vietnam War. It was very interesting and astonishing to hear that some people lived in these underground tunnels for up to 25 years! We learned about all the horrible torture devices and traps that were camouflaged into the ground. It was unbelievable. We got the chance to go in one of the tunnels we had to crouch the whole time to fit and it was super dark and hot- definitely not a place that I would want to spend a lot of time in. I took a visit to the War Museum as well which was directly in the city.  The museum was very interesting - It showed a lot of disturbing photos and had some information about the war that I had never known. However, it bothered me that the museum was so anti- American. They depicted us as the aggressors when I know that the brutality was very two-sided.  The view of the government is taken very seriously in Vietnam. There is no opposition allowed and it seems like everyone is very obedient to that fact.