How the Vietnam War drowns out their otherwise rich history

Image above: A wet and deserted Hoi An early in the morning.


Some thoughts from 2017 Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize student Josh Loxton on his learning from the tour.


I never really understood how they lived or their religious ideas until this trip

I learnt so much about the Vietnamese culture or South-East Asian culture in general. I never really understood how they lived or their religious ideas until this trip and now I look at this part of the world a lot differently. I learnt about the Viet Cong and their tactics and how they dominated the war with the understanding of the environment and their knowledge of jungle warfare. As well as learning their point of view, I also learnt more about the United States goal and their motives behind the war. I found out how much history Vietnam has beyond its colonialism period, and how the Vietnam War drowns out their otherwise rich history. Obviously there were many other things that I learnt but this was just to name a few.

I saw so many things on this trip that I've never seen before so it was difficult finding just one photo that captures everything. The picture above that I chose only captures a tiny part of what Vietnam is like but it was probably one of the best pictures I've taken on the trip. I think it captures the scenery of Hoi An nicely and the empty streets early in the morning. Other than that it's just another picture.