With this brief history in mind, we began studying the Vietnam War by visiting the Cu Chi tunnels in southern Vietnam. The Cu Chi tunnels are underground war tunnels that the northern Vietnamese military dug throughout Vietnam. They used these tunnels to hide out in their fight against southern Vietnam and U.S. soldiers. We had the opportunity to go through the underground Cu Chi tunnels, which were very dark. We also saw old traps that were used to kill the southern Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers, along with craters that were caused by bombs. While it was hard to witness these sights, it was eye-opening to be where portions of the Vietnam War took place.
In addition to the Cu Chi tunnels, we went to historical sights that shared Vietnam War history. First, the War Remnants Museum displayed war prisons and weapons used during the Vietnam War. This museum also showcased the personal stories of soldiers and many pictures of the war's devastating aftermath. The exhibits were difficult to walk through as I reflected on the millions of lives that were impacted, usually for the worse. In light of the darkness of the Vietnam War, the War Remnants Museum concluded with detailing the positive relations between the U.S. and Vietnam today. We also visited the Reunification Palace, which highlights the outcome of the Vietnam War. Ultimately, southern and northern Vietnam were reunified under a socialist republic that is ruled by the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Since Vietnam retains communist leadership, we compared the influence of communism in Vietnam versus China. Right away, we noticed that Vietnam is more capitalistic than China.
