Day 8

June 25th, our third day in Saigon, began with a slightly different start to the morning than our usual routine by immediately embarking on a long 2-hour drive to a city by the countryside outside of Ho Chi Minh City at 8 AM. The uniqueness of the start of today's morning thus brought about a new sense of unfamiliarity, which allowed for greater anticipation for the following events that unfolded throughout the rest of the day. After rounding up some usual stranglers in the hotel and a sleepy ride, we arrived at Trang Bang to meet with Kim Phuc's family, the 9-year old child who was hit by napalm, whose image called "The Girl in The Picture" was famously depicted in the 1972 issue of Life Magazine. Excited to meet and interview the family of Kim Phuc, we woke up and quickly seated ourselves within her sister-in-law's family restaurant to learn more about her. We began by watching a documentary on her life and forgiveness as well as later asking her sister-in-law numerous questions regarding Phuc in a full-fledged interview conducted by us.

She gave us an inside look into Phuc through utilizing personal experience with first-hand accounts of the Vietnam War and her relationship with Phuc. After the sister-in-law expressed her gratitude to be able to spread her family's perspective of the harsh realities of the war and said our goodbyes, we left to visit Cao Dai Temple.

It was only down the street. When we arrived at the threshold of the entrance, we were required to remove our shoes in order to enter.

After entering, the temple opened up to an intricately designed interior and as we entered a colorful hall of the temple, we were encountered by a view that is only fully understood by a picture.

Once we were done taking pictures and appreciating the architecture, we were ushered upstairs to see a live ceremony performed by various Caodaists.

Afterwards, we got back onto our bus and headed close by to where the Kim Phuc's image was taken on the highway to take pictures.

Our next destination was the museum of the Cu Chi tunnels, an underground labyrinth that housed over 10,000 Vietnamese soldiers at the height of the war. The drive there was another hour, but an hour that can never be forgotten. The trip took us through Vietnamese countryside where we had the opportunity to see vast rice paddies, expanses of forested areas, a plethora of wild animals, and sceneries of an endless horizon. This allowed us to experience Vietnam by seeing it through one of its purest forms as a country. We marveled at the beauty of the natural landscape and the embodiment of simplified living that were the towns dispersed throughout the countryside.

Once we reached the Cu Chi tunnels, we had a quick lunch at a restaurant nearby that had a gorgeous view of the Saigon River.

We then entered the site of the tunnels and started off our interactive tour with a video detailing the battlegrounds of the war from the perspective of the Vietnamese. For the next hour, we walked through the forest of the Cu Chi tunnels that still have physical remnants of the warfare that took place there decades ago. From bombing craters to actual underground tunnel systems to traps set by the Vietnamese and a destroyed American tank, we saw everything there was to the historic site. To wrap the day up, some of us took the opportunity to shoot a real AK-47 at the shooting range, apart of the tour.

Tired and enlightened by these interactive experiences of a significant site of Vietnamese history, we went back on our bus once again to return to our hotel with another very sleepy 2-hour trip back.

After some of us grabbed boba near our hotel and rested up, we to a local restaurant close by for dinner.

Our day was concluded by having a filling dinner that had some amazing chicken and then heading back to the hotel for some well-needed rest.