In Ho Chi Minh City, I visited a number of sobering tourist sites related to the Vietnam War. Pictures from the War Museum showed a city utterly destructed; the caption often revealed it was near the peaceful, friendly Central Highland route I bicycled through.  One special exhibition on war photographers killed during the Vietnam War, titled “Requiem”, was simply amazing. It showcased the pictures taken by photographers on both sides - often just before they were killed. Some of these pictures are incredible, and the exhibition really brings to life all the youth and dreams lost in this war - represented by talented photographer after photographer.  Furthermore, the exhibition (supported by the University of Kentucky) was balanced; the pictures supported neither one side nor the other.  Indeed, whether North Vietnamese, American, UK, or Russian, they showed how “War is Hell” time and time again.

I don’t mean to make my time in Vietnam sound depressing.  This is not a nation that looks backward; the Vietnamese look forward with hope.  To most, the war is an afterthought.  They no longer define themselves by it - this is not a nation that holds a grudge. I met an old man obviously still troubled by the war.  He was drinking, mumbling, yelling at me in Vietnamese.  His teenage grandchildren were obviously mortified, pulling me away, taking me to show me their karaoke machine and laptop computer while apologizing.  “I love you!” was a refrain little kids would yell, flashing peace signs and cheering, as I biked by. The resilience of the Vietnamese hopefully speaks to the resilience of the human race as a whole, especially (I hoped, often, I biked through the thriving cities and friendly towns) those countries the US is bombing today.