We arrived in Ho Chi Min City formally known as "Saigon" on an overcast Sunday afternoon. Again we were taken back by the crazy traffic on the roads on our way to the hotel from the airport. We should be used to it by now, but it never ceases to amaze us as to the way that they drive on the roads, and the risks that they are prepared to take. But still we have not seen an accident, so there system of watching and dodging one another must work.
I must say that my initial impression of Ho Chi Min is feeling a little underwhelmed. I am not sure why that is just yet! When I work it out I will let you know.
After the one hour flight and briefly settling into our room we wandered around the city centre and went out for dinner to a lovely restaurant called Temple Club. It was a little upmarket for the mood that we were in and a little expensive. So we headed back to the hotel after grabbing an ice cream and worked on our blogs.
We woke early Monday morning and headed to the Cu Chi tunnels with our tour guide. The Vietnamese guerillas used these during the war when fighting the Americans. They stretched 200km in a cob web formation underground. The first level was 3 meters down and then another level a further 6 meters down and the last that was 8-10 meters underground. We crawled through a small section of the tunnels that was 3 meters down and it was hard work and only on the first level. Lachie braved the tunnel for another level and went a further 50 metres with a guide. We were all very dirty and sweaty due to the stifling conditions underground. It is difficult to imagine anyone living here through their summer.
The Vietnamese people are much smaller than us and are able to use the tunnels much easier than foreigners. We have enclosed some pictures of the tunnel entries that they slipped through before hiding underground. Most of the tunnels have been enlarged to allow access for tourists. It was very interesting to find out how they established the tunnel network and what they did to camouflage and set traps to kill their enemy. It is also interesting to note that their lives continued during their war effort with kids being schooled, crops being tended to as well as fighting for survival.
We headed back to the city to do the city sights afternoon tour.
Our first stop was at a Chinese temple where we learnt about the many reasons the Chinese go there to pray. Ho Chi Minh City has a large Chinese population and designated area called Chinatown. We have added a selection of photo's as the building is quite unique.
Our next stop was at the War Remnants Museum. This was a very moving experience. At times I thought I could almost have cried when reading of the impact the war had on their country. We left feeling flat and overwhelmed. The damage caused to the Vietnamese people, their land, their ecological systems, and their ongoing genetic mutations by chemicals used by the American Armed Forces, is incalcuable. Even unexploded ordinance continues to be a problem. We were approached by a man without any hands who was selling booklets about the tunnel rats. His injuries were caused by a landmine some years after the war had ended. He had amazing dexterity and was able to pocket the 200,000 VND pretty quickly when offered.
Some of the images we have attached were taken during the war. We chose not to take photo's of the more graphic images although the War Remnant Museum has a heavy focus on the casualties of the war including the civilians and the ongoing families affected by exposure to chemicals such as Agent Orange.
Lastly we visited the Reunification Palace. The palace was built by the French in the late 1800 after they invaded and conquered Southern Vietnam. It was initially called Norodom Palace by the French and then re-named Independance Palace after the Vietnamese independance was gained from the French. It was used during the American Vietnam war and housed the President and the installed government. After the war ended it was renamed the Reunification Palace in 1975 when the Nth and the Sth Vietnam were reunified. The architecture and grounds were beautiful. We have enclosed a few photos of the building and surrounding grounds.
After all of this we were pretty tired and feeling overwhelmed by the day's war focus, so we headed back to the hotel early for some rest and relaxation.
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