Had the usual buffet breakfast then off to the museum. Not going to walk, not in this heat, took a Grab car (Uber). $2 and we’re at the museum, can’t beat it.

Not sure what I expected but visiting a museum that focuses on US military atrocities wasn’t it. As in all wars, both sides commit acts they are not proud of. Vietnam was no exception. It was a war that most on the front lines didn’t want to be there; those back home didn’t support it; and a government that couldn’t help but screw things up. No, I didn’t go to Vietnam during my time in the Army. I was stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, Corps of Engineers, permanent party. It was the beginning of the troop drawdown and no one in the field needed a generator operator / mechanic. Thank God!

I’ll not post most of the pictures I took at this museum, serves no purpose. If you’re in Saigon and want to visit this museum, be advised, it’s brutal and graphic.

UH-1 Huey

C-47 Chinook

D-7 Dozer

M-41 Tank

M-48 A3 Tank w/muzzle brake

M-107 175mm Self-Propelled Artillery

M-132 Amphibious Carrier w/Flame Thrower

This was our last tour in Ho Chi Minh city. So, what’s the take away? Ho Chi Minh city is a large, very busy city. Millions of people call it home, ~14 million or so. It is busy all day and night, never sleeps. It was renamed from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh city in 1976 at the end of the Vietnam War in recognition of the Communist leader by the same name. People here are either wealthy or subsistence living, not much of a middle class from what I could tell. The economy is described as a socialist-oriented market economy but after talking with many people living in the city, it sounds more like a hybrid communist economy. All decisions are made in the North; all major political representatives come from the North; most all of the money goes to the North.

Food and drink is mainly purchased on the street for daily consumption, instead of weekly and stored in a refrigerator. Air conditioning is everywhere, amen! Moped is the transportation of choice. There’s even a Grab (Uber) moped service!