We were up early, breakfasted, and on the bus to the airport shortly after seven. The rain fell steadily through the night, and was still coming down in sheets as our bus pulled away from the hotel. I hope the rains will ease in Hoi An, and that they avoid the flooding they saw last year, where the waters in the Old Town were nearly two metres deep. I really like Hoi An, and I would have liked to stay longer. Maybe we’ll be back some day.

We got to the airport in plenty of time, even without the flight being delayed by half an hour. The Danang airport, though, is not a bad place to have to wait around. There are so many food options, from Burger King to banh mi, French pastries, Vietnamese coffee, and more. Add to that souvenir shops, jewellers, a bank — and all this in the domestic terminal, after security. Vancouver could learn a thing or two about airports from Vietnam.

Boarding was smooth, once it started, and the flight was uneventful, other than some turbulence. The airport in Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City, as it’s officially known) is not nearly as impressive as Danang’s. At least, the arrivals area isn’t. But our bags were delivered much more promptly than in Hanoi, and we arrived at our hotel in the city about a half hour later than initially planned. Too early to check in, so we stowed our bags and went for lunch.

Walking through the streets near our hotel, you’d never know that just yesterday the city was flooded after a heavy rain. Thigh-high water rushed through the streets, although it apparently didn’t deter the scooter riders. I guess there’s not much you can do when the rains and flood waters come so suddenly. But today, the streets were dry, and the air was warm and heavy with humidity, although still not as uncomfortable as it had been a week ago in the north of the country.

We went to Pho 2000, apparently one of the better noodle houses in the city. It was perfect for me, as I hadn’t had pho at breakfast, and have started to feel like I’m fighting something off. The broth was just what I needed.

After we checked in at the hotel, we set out on a group tour of the city that Yang arranged for us. We started at the War Remnants Museum, which was emotionally devastating. The absolute horror that this country was subjected to is beyond anything the most anti-war film could hope to convey. Walking out of the exhibit about the victims of Agent Orange poisonings, I was literally in tears. No oppression, real or imagined, on the part of the communists can possibly justify what was done to innocent people, ostensibly to save them from said oppression.

I’m glad Canada didn’t participate in the American-Vietnam war, but I wish we’d been more active in trying to stop it. I feel the same way about the American wars in Iraq and Iran, and the Israeli war against the Palestinian people. I’m glad we’re doing something, at least, to support Ukraine in their resistance against Russian aggression. We arguably should do more.

Our next stop was the intersection where the Buddhist monk, Thich Quàng Ðúc immolated himself in 1963. The government has erected a monument to him, and the inspiration of that was a good antidote to the horrors documented at the War Remnants Museum.

From there we visited the site of an underground bunker used to hide weapons and soldiers for the North Vietnamese army. The bunker went undiscovered through to the end of the war, even though many of the agents who ran it were arrested on multiple occasions.

We moved on to other sites, including the Independence Convention Centre, formerly the Presidential Palace in the days of the days of the Republic of Vietnam; Notre Dame Cathedral — in the process of being restored, just like its namesake in Paris; the Central Post Office, with its prominent portrait of Ho Chi Minh and columns named after scientists; and the “city hall” for Saigon: the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City building, with a gleaming, golden statue of Uncle Ho that instagrammers pose in front of. It is surrounded by high-end retail shops: Fendi, Rolex,Chanel. I wonder if this is what the revolutionaries had in mind when they were hiding in that bunker?

By the end of the tour, we were feeling pretty done. We popped into the 7-11 across from the hotel to get some water, some junk food, and a Japanese-style egg salad sandwich. (It really is pretty damned good!)

The rains have since returned, hopefully not for long. There was a loud bang of thunder a short while ago. Let’s hope there’s no more flooding in store for Saigon this week.