War Museum

Friday, March 21, 2014
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Today we had a bit of a sleep in and then finally made it to the War Remnants Museum. It is a moving and confronting collection of photos and facts documenting the Vietnam War (or the American War as the Vietnamese call it).
We started on the 2nd floor with the photographers exhibition. There were some heart wrenching stories and photos. There are also rooms showing the timeline, the Agent Orange damage and ongoing problems and a look to the future of this country.
We spent a couple of hours in the museum. It is a sombre experience which can be seen on the faces of all the other visitors. Definitely need your tissues here.
We stopped off at the Coffee Bean for an iced mocha and a breather before we went to pick up the glasses we had ordered. We got a little distracted in a few shops on the way. The owner of the shop was delightful and we were soon on our way again. We have planned a night out so headed home early to get ready.
We caught a taxi to the Chill Sky Bar in the AB Tower. The views were amazing, although it was a little smoggy, We had been told we must dress up, you had to wear heels and that it was hard to get in, make sure you are there early. I didn't have any heels, we didn't dress up too much and we got a great table at the glass edge. They have a cocktail hour from about 5pm until 8pm. We got there at about 6pm. We had cocktails and a few nibblies and enjoyed the great ambiance of the bar. We had also read that the staff can be a bit unpleasant. All of the staff we saw were lovely. Our waiter was fun, taking photos for everyone.
After we left the bar we wandered through the streets, enjoying the sights and sounds of the little laneways. We ended up on Bui Vien Street amongst the chaos and fun of the street bar. People were sitting on the footpath drinking. We were met by the "concierge" and showed to a little patch of pavement covered with a tarp. We sat on the ground and someone took our drinks order. It was soon delivered. Clare ordered a Bacardi and coke. It arrived in an open plastic cup with ice. She deliberated for a short time as to whether it was safe to drink and then braved it. It was a lot of fun sitting with the locals and tourists. Apparently this area has had a recent change in operation. The footpath business were operating on little stools until a shutdown on March 15 in a move to beautify of Bui Bien Street as it was getting too chaotic. 24 hours later the newspapers were laid down and the drinks continued. It was a lot of fun.
We got a taxi home and then walked around the corner to Tokyo Town for a quick dinner. It was 11.30 but they welcomed us in. Back to the hotel and our last night in Ho Chi Minh City.

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