Temples, Pagodas, and Propaganda

The picture above is the entrance to Hoa Lo Prison (now a museum), a.k.a. "Hanoi Hilton." Today we spent the day touring many historical sites within Ha Noi. We started with the Temple of Literature, this is the first University in Ha Noi. It was only for students from the royal family. It is a very beautiful place.... although not all that peaceful with the large crowds and constant horn honking that can be heard outside the temple walls. Since it was the weekend of Ho Chi Minh's birthday, there were many people from the country that had traveled to see the historical sites themselves. Many of these people have never seen a foreigner and were asking to take photos with various people in our group. I personally had two young school girls want to take there picture with me. As you will see in the photos, Garrett had a very nice old lady want her picture with him. After the Temple of Literature we headed to the Ho Chi Minh complex with included the mausoleum, his home, and the one pillar pagoda.

After lunch we head to Hoa Lo Prison. Most of the prison is dedicated to the persecution of the vietnamese people by the french during their rule. There are two rooms dedicated to the Viet Nam War and the capture and imprisonment of US pilots. Our guide told the 'history' of the war and the prison. He was very clear about how the US pilots were treated very well and how they nicknamed the prison 'Hanoi Hilton' because their conditions were so nice.... ok, I forgot to brief the students on this part of the trip before we went, however we had a debriefing after we returned to discuss the propaganda items that were not correct. While this country has really opened up to the idea of capitalism as it pursues the tourist dollar, in the end it is still a communist country and is state run. Last night on TV, (on Cinemax) there was a movie scheduled called "Intrusion Cambodia". When it was suppose to start all of a sudden the Cinemax logo was displayed on the screen for the next 2 hours. Hmmmm.....

To end the day we took a cycle ride around Ha Noi and enjoyed the sites.

Tomorrow we begin the long journey home. It has been a great trip and I know the students have learned a lot and have most definitely increased their world view. This trip will have an impact on them for the rest of their lives. Thank you for the opportunity to share these amazing countries with your children.

Photos from today: http://bwilson.cs.georgefox.edu/GEED365/May-20/album/

Good night everyone...