'nam

            Reflecting on my experience in Vietnam over the past 5 days, a particular phrase, which I saw on a t-shirt, is the one thing that comes to mind: “Vietnam: A Country, Not a War.” Not that I personally see Vietnam in this way, and not assuming that the average American sees Vietnam in this way. But, I think there is some value to it. 

            I will be completely honest in saying that I did and, still, do not know that much about Vietnam. Yet, for as little as I know about Vietnam, I know less about the Vietnam War. So, it is kind of bizarre to visit this country whose history and, consequentially, present have had so much to do with your nation’s action/inaction in a time not too long ago and know nothing about how or why or to what capacity your country acted.

            Don’t get me wrong; my experience was full of powerful moments that had nothing to do with the war (i.e. eating my body weight in Pho, huge bowls of Vietnamese soup, every time I ate). But, after visiting the war museum (which they call the American War) in Ho Chi Minh City on my last day in Vietnam, it is difficult not to look back on my time there through the lens of the war.