The last 48 hours in Hanoi and Hue have been an exercise in self-restraint. Starting with yesterday's visit to the Hanoi Hilton - the infamous American POW prison - and ending with today's trip to the Hue Military History museum, Carlyn and I both struggled to suppress our emotions when reading the misleading and propoganda-laden "history" of the Vietnam War. Rather than referencing America's intentions to check the spread of communism, museum plaques refer to the American occupation as "imperialism" and "invasion". Rather than portraying the horrors of POW imprisonment (for an accurate account, read John McCain's autobiography), prison displays emphasize the "exceptional" medical treatment, plentiful rations and humane conditions of prison life.
It has been tough to stomach a lot of this rhetoric but we've tried to take it in stride and glean - where we can - what the true Vietnamese sentiment was during and after the war. It has been informative none-the-less.
There have undoubtedly been some high points as well in both Hanoi and Hue. We had a great dinner at Tamarind in Hanoi Friday night (with our recently-departed Kellogg friends, Becca and Jen! we miss you guys already!). The food was so good we actually went back on Saturday afternoon for a second helping of the clay pot rice with chicken, dried chiles and spring onions...mmmm!
On Sunday morning, we caught an early morning flight (6:40am) from Hanoi to Hue (way to go Vietnam Airlines...on time, great service, very nice/new planes!). Thankfully, we were able to check into our hotel early and take nice morning nap to compensate for our 4:30am reveille. This afternoon, we walked around the old Vietnamese Imperial City (or what is left of it after frequent bombing during the war). Within the walls of the old city, you can see the remnants of the Nguyen Dynasty's imperial residences and the imperial palace - very cool. For dinner, we found a great hole in the wall called Nina's Cafe and enjoyed some fresh spring rolls, grilled veggies and curry. Loved it so much we might hit it up again for lunch tomorrow! ... TBD.
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