Day 68: War Museum and City Tour of Ho Chi Minh City

Today we dedicated an entire day to exploring the highlights of the city. The first stop was the War Museum about the Vietnam War. As aviation enthusiasts, we were initially amazed by the display of old American planes. However, once we entered the museum, we were confronted with the cruelty and reality of the war. The museum was filled with numerous photographs, including many images of the front lines and the aftermath of the defoliant Agent Orange. One aspect that we did not appreciate was that the museum focused solely on the war crimes committed by the Americans and did not critically examine their own history.

Afterwards, we visited Notre Dame Cathedral, which dates back to the French colonial period in Ho Chi Minh City. The surrounding area was filled with French-style buildings, giving us a brief impression of being in France. Unfortunately, due to renovations, we were unable to enter the interior of the church.

To conclude our tour, we visited a marketplace where you could buy anything, as is the case with most markets. We were looking for a scarf/dust mask for Markus to use while riding the motorcycle. We asked at one stand, and the vendor clearly tried to overcharge us. When we decided to leave, she started grabbing Markus and hitting me on the shoulder. We quickly fled the market and made our way back to the hostel. With the three highlights of the day, we had seen everything important in the city and decided to leave tomorrow.

For dinner, we joined a street food tour where we were offered various local dishes at two different stalls.