My Lai

We cycle from Tam Ky to Quang Ngai today, with an hour in the van first to get onto less busy roads. On the bikes we pass through some of the most beautiful countryside so far, on the way to My Lai.

The Vietnamese call the Vietnam War the American War which is food for thought in itself. They call My Lai, Son My, the two sides differ on exactly how many people died here, but there's no doubt that American troops massacred hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese people here.

There's a museum on the site and some of the foundations of the houses still remain. It's a sobering experience to see the photos documenting what happened which were taken mostly by the American military and then walk around the remains of the village.

At the monument our guide, who's a Buddhist, suggests we light some incense and think a good thought for the dead, which we do.

Later on we cycle to a Buddhist temple, one of the monks invites us in to say hello and later outside by a huge pagoda a Vietnamese woman grabs hold of Angela and asks for a photo with her, we're surprised but we all smile for the camera.