When we got back to Hanoi, we visited the Vietnam Military History Museum. It was interesting to see the war presented from the opposing perspective. In the museum they referred to it by different names, including the Vietnam War, The Anti-American War, and the Resistance War Against America. Inside the building they showed tools made from the metal of fallen planes, like combs and other everyday items. They also displayed old portraits and Vietnamese money that was kept for years by U.S. veterans. The U.S. veterans finally shipped back these keepsakes to the owners’ families decades later. I think they held on to these items for so long out of anger and vengeance, but now that so much time has passed I guess they were finally willing to return them.

Outside the museum were dozens of planes, helicopters, and tanks used in the war. Many were printed with the Vietnamese flag on the tail. It was fascinating to see them and imagine the metal contraption in front of you actually being used in the heat of war. Real soldiers, many of whom fought and died, operated these vehicles. Many of these planes had dropped deadly bombs. Not to mention, think of all of the foot soldiers who had to carry heavy equipment for miles in the heat of Vietnam… It really put into perspective how lucky I am to live in a (generally) peaceful time and place where people I love aren’t forced to risk their lives protecting the country. War is a terrible thing. I read that between 1965 and 1972, the U.S. dropped 5,382,000 tons of different types of bombs on northern and southern Vietnam, killing 80,000 people and injuring 200,000 more.

I went into another building of the museum and looked at portraits from the war. They had photos of American pilots getting taken into captivity, and a photo of the first American pilot downed and captured in Northern Vietnam. There was a magnetic mine shell on display used to sink four enemy battleships. (We were “the enemy.”)

There was also a replica of the Cu Chi tunnels, a network of underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong for hiding, communication, transferring weapons, supplies, and food, and even living quarters for many soldiers. These tunnels proved tough for their enemy (us) because they were laced with traps. Even gassing the tunnels or using a hand grenade was ineffective because they had trap doors and air filtration set up inside. Eventually, carpet bombers were able to destroy or expose many of tunnels.

A room upstairs showed propaganda posters and pins made by Japanese and Americans to express their support of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973. The agreement established peace and ended America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. It was also supposed to end the war itself, but the ceasefire failed. The war officially ended when the Viet Cong captured the Southern Vietnamese capital of Saigon (known as the Fall of Saigon) in April 1975.

After the museum, we were all pretty hungry, so we went to a popular banh mi stand called Banh Mi 25. I got the banh mi pâté, which was the first thing on the menu and what the owner recommended. We all ordered fresh fruit juice from the partnering shop next door, got a table there, and ate our first true Vietnamese banh mi. I’ve had banh mi before, but never in Vietnam. It definitely added some authenticity.

When we got back to the hotel, Dan and I ran around to laundry shops near our place trying to find a place that could have the clothes done by that night. We were off to the airport early the next day, and were both dangerously low on clean laundry. A couple of shops weren’t able to do that quick of a turnaround, but finally we found one that would. We just needed to pay a little extra for rushed service. We went back to the hotel, got our clothes, and hoped that we’d see them back again before needing to be in a cab to the airport in less than 24 hours. If not, we’d be all out of clothes. At least it was at the end of the trip, but still. It’s nice to have your clothes.

That night, we weren’t super hungry because we had the banh mi later in the day. So instead of dinner, we looked up the best-rated dessert place in Hanoi and ordered six desserts between the four of us. When Zack sent a picture to our aunt she responded in a way that assumed we had other people with us (based on the number of desserts). But no, it was six desserts for four people. We also all ordered warm drinks to go with the sweets. Six desserts and four drinks at the highest ranked place in the capital of Vietnam came to less than $20. I already missed Vietnam’s prices and we hadn’t even left yet. Needless to say, everything was delicious.

We decided to walk around the area, since we hadn’t been to this part of the city yet. I needed to walk off some of that dessert, anyway; I was stuffed. We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, which was in the center of the historical district and a popular hangout spot at night. Turtle Tower, a monument in the lake that looks like a small temple, was lit up, and it was very pretty. Apparently the name of the lake means “Lake of the Returned Sword,” which refers to a legend where a Dragon King returned Emperor Le Loi’s magic sword to the Golden Turtle God (hence Turtle Tower). There are still three species of turtles in the lake, meant to honor Emperor Le Loi. Along our walk we observed and admired the many (literal) squatters, looking perfectly comfortable in their squatting position. We even saw a guy come out of a squat and straight into a full-fledged leap off of a short wall. It was impressive.

We people watched as we waited for an Uber back to the hotel. It would be a very early morning to get to the airport and catch our regional flight to Phu Quoc, an island off of southern Vietnam.

We woke up early and took and Uber to the airport. It was a fairly short flight to Phu Quoc, and a staff member from our resort picked us up at the airport. Dan had found an amazing deal on a 5-star resort called Salinda (with it being the rainy season, it’s also the low-tourist season), so we thought, “Why not? It would be a great way to cap off the trip.” Not to mention, we’d probably never get this price at a 5-star resort ever again. When we got there, they took our bags and we took a curved set of stairs down to the lounge. There was a bar at the center, and fancy light fixtures hung from tall ceilings. We each got a flight of juice concoctions made at the bar as they prepared our rooms. Soon, they were ready. Inside, little snacks sat in a canoe shaped bowl. Inside the closet were robes, sandals, and beach totes for each of us.

We immediately got ready for the beach. We got four consecutive chairs underneath palm trees on Salinda’s private beachfront. We practically had the whole beach to ourselves, and it was a beautiful, sunny day outside. I went straight into the water, but Zack and Josh had a whole cyclical procedure they had to follow before joining. Step One: lounge in the shade, Step Two: lay in the sun, Step Three: get in the water, Step Four: lay in the sun, Step Five, lounge in the shade… you get the idea. Essentially, gradually move closer to the water, then gradually move back to the shade. Dan had some work things to take care of in the room, so we didn’t see him for a little while. I think Zack and Josh quickly realized they needed to abort their process when they began to feel the onset of sunburn sooner than expected. Dan finally showed up, and we all ordered food on the beach. They brought everything right to our beach chairs, and life was perfect.

Everyone else had fallen asleep in a post-lunch stupor, but I was awake when the masseuse came by offering a free massage. So far, my entire experience here had been the quintessential beach get-away. After a nap and a few more trips into the water, we headed inside to shower and figure out a dinner plan. That night, we ate at the Indian restaurant inside the resort. We played pool before hanging out in our rooms prior to bed. It was at this point everyone started to realize the severity of their sunburns. I was red and I had gone out of my way to protect myself with sunscreen, a long sleeved swimsuit, and staying in the shade. We would have to be more cautious tomorrow.

The next morning at breakfast, we indulged in the buffet. A staff member came over to our table as we were playing cards and asked us how our stay was going. She gave us a map and information about things to do outside of the resort. Later she told us she’d be singing that night with the band in the lounge and invited us to come watch the show. She was incredibly nice. Everyone at this resort was ultra friendly.

I was a little leery of the sun with my tender skin, so I opted to stay in the room for the hottest part of the day and finally find out who won the Bachelorette. The finale dragged out so much, so I skipped a lot of it. Bryan won. I liked Peter better. He was realistic about the insane process that is the Bachelorette. (Not sure why he signed up knowing how rushed the process would be from meeting to marriage.) I never really trusted Bryan; he seemed way too idealistic. But then again, so is the show, so I guess it made sense she picked him. That’s always how it goes, though. They never pick the person you’re hoping for. I digress.

I went outside to find Zack and Josh poolside. The pool was an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. I swam a couple of laps to feel active after lounging inside that afternoon. Of course, then Dan came down and wanted to time my fastest lap. So then we did, and then, in classic brother fashion, he was sure he could do it “so much faster.” So I told him to go get his swimsuit on and prove it. Spoiler alert, he did beat me. But I would just like to tell everyone that his return leg was way slower than his first leg. I knew he couldn’t keep the pace. He got so sloppy in the end that I actually thought he may lose, but he did win in the end. I admit it.

We went in and got ready for the evening. There was music and free cocktails at the happy hour. I rushed to get there after getting ready and I made it in time for a couple free drinks with Dan. We ordered some food and ate outside by the pool. Then we migrated to the lounge for our new friend’s concert. We were playing cards again as we waited for the show to start. She came by and asked us if we had any song requests. I casually recommended “any Taylor Swift song” and they started their set with one! I was very pleased. They even played a few more Taylor songs throughout the night. It was the perfect way to end our trip, which went smoother than we could have expected.

The next morning we had an early flight to Ho Chi Minh City, where we’d split ways. I’d go to Malaysia to meet Jack, and they’d go to Hong Kong on their way home. We had to leave before the buffet opened, so Salinda gave us all breakfast to-go boxes before taking us to the airport. Everyone there was so kind and thoughtful. We all said goodbye before getting on the plane since I had a quick turnaround. I’m so glad they were able to meet me for this trip. At risk of sounding cliché, it was truly something I’ll always remember. After not seeing family for a year, it was a much-needed visit. I was so happy to be with them, in a new place, doing new things together. Especially after a year away from home doing a job I didn’t love. It meant a lot to me. Dan, Zack, and Josh went to the lounge, and I rushed to make my flight to Kuala Lumpur, which ended up being delayed.