It's amazing to see how countries so close together can be so different. The Vietnamese practice a different type of Buddhism than the one they practice in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia--Mahayana as opposed to the reformed Hinayana. Therefore, they have more in common with the Chinese. The pagodas aren't to my taste; I find them kitschy. Also, 10% of people are Christians and many are Caodaists--more on that religion later.

We felt compelled to visit the War Crimes museum. The 'American war' was a brutal racist war that allowed the American military to test its toys, like detonators that could destroy everything within a 3-kilometer radius, and Agent Orange which decimated jungles, crops and countryside.

The food in VietNam is excellent and cheap. Nightlife is boring--too many pickup joints and karoake bars. The cafes are charmless but the coffee is excellent.

We rented a motorbike to check out the Cao Dai temple. Cao Dai was a cult that started in VietNam and worked its way up to being a religion. It combines elements of Christianity, Buddhism, and animism, and is dedicated to the principle that all religions are one. The founder (I think it was around the 1950s) supposedly received dream messages that instructed him to found this cult. I found it curious that the main symbol of the Cao Dai religion is the eye in the triangle that's found on dollar bills and associated with the Masons and other things.