MissTtravels

Day 2

A day of history

We were up early for breakfast. The bus left at 7.15 to take us to Cu Chi to see the Vietcong tunnels. About an hour from the city, through the horrendous but endlessly amusing traffic.

Our tour leader Tuyet gave us some history about the lead-up to the “American” War, as they call it here. Really interesting. Quite a different spin on how we see it in the West, and she clearly supports the Party line.

Arriving at the tunnels we were taken to see the various entrances and exits to the tunnel complex, and shown all the techniques the fighters had to use to avoid detection and capture. We walked around among bomb craters in the jungle, and because there is a shooting range there for tourists, you also have the appropriate sound effects.

I did not go into the tunnels or bunkers, because I do not do confined spaces, but some people did.

It must have been a horrible life, and I think the Vietnamese people can truly pride themselves on their resilience and commitment.

A very interesting morning.

Back on the bus, we stopped to try banh mi. Really good pork rolls.

Back in the city, we went to Pho 2000 and enjoyed great food.

The afternoon saw us at the oddly-named War Remnants Museum. It is an indoor and outdoor collection of armaments, weaponry, photographs and memorabilia from the 1954 to 1975 period. Quite, quite disturbing. Very anti-American, but you can definitely see why.

It makes the whole US involvement seen pointless, self-serving and excessive.

We walked back to our hotel, the M Village.

The usual nana nap.

In the evening we walked to some of the local sports stores, which we had seen yesterday. Picked some branded sports socks and shirts at very good prices.

Dinner was at a local beer-hall type place. The food was good and cheap.

Walked home again. Our street-crossing technique is improving.

A note on footpaths…

Saigon footpaths are not really designed for walking. They are treacherously uneven, and also used as motorcycle parking, storage facilities, sleeping areas, smoking rooms, kitchens and dining rooms. Sometimes it is safer to just walk on the road.