Vietnam journey

Beauty almost fails to describe the country of Vietnam. Arriving in Hanoi, we started the student-led portion of our journey. For 8 days, we work as a team to make all travel plans from transportation to lodging to sites to days spent where and when. Those who've not traveled much or done travel planning feel stress and don't know where to start. Thankfully, I've been blessed with a family who plans trips down to what sites will visit, all in proximity to one another, researches amazing things to see, do and where to stay. For me, this isn't hard, and I'm fine taking the lead on making the plan so others can have minimal stress. Some of my travel companions excel at outdoors things, like trekking in Laos. That is not my strength. Seeing museums, art, history, soaking up the vibe of a city and its people are areas that I shine. This journey takes us to the famous Halong Bay to the imperial city of Hue and all the way to Saigon, with chill beach days, seeing the Citadel in Hue, the remnants of U.S. military aircraft from the Vietnam War. When we arrive in Saigon, we'll be faced with the war museums, and I don't imagine that will be pleasant for an American. The museum was designed by the North, and I suspect degrees of propaganda will be apparent. This war era has inspired my desire to learn more history and understand the mindsets, lives and beliefs of the people here, both North and South. I don't think they are truly united in the depths of their souls. They are united as a nation, but individually, like most countries, even in the U.S., the citizens have different viewpoints. The difference, is in a communist country, they are not supposed to think differently. As a human, however, we are all independent minded, and it just happens.