September 23, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
For our first tour day, we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum. We also drove around the city a little bit, then some of us found a place for dinner.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Our tour group has use of a small bus while we are in the southern part of Vietnam. We used that for the two-hour drive to the Cu Chi tunnels. The bus has enough seats that we’re able to spread out and stretch out legs, nice since we have don’t have too many people in the group.
On the way, our tour leader Bao talked about the country’s history. He stressed that war in Vietnam wasn’t just the one with U.S. involvement, but also when the French first came in during the 1850s. Other tidbits that came out were that many prices are set nationally, such as gasoline.
Later on, we passed an orchard of rubber trees. They were on both sides of the road, and the orchards were very large.
We arrived at the Cu Chi Tunnels, and after Bao got tickets, we went in.
The Cu Chi tunnels were originally dug to help against French rule. They were used for hiding spots, communication, supply routes, and living quarters. There was even a hospital.
For being dug by hand with primitive tools, they seemed to be well-engineered. For example, even though the Saigon river seems like it would offer a good source of water, because the river could be polluted, there were wells built in the tunnel system. However, the river did come in handy by offering a way to escape if the tunnels were breached. They were also designed to prevent flooding either by rain or enemies.
There were several exhibits that Bao was able to demonstrate, including a very small entrance that was well-camouflaged. There were also several exhibits dedicated to traps.
One of the demonstration exhibits was a woman who was making rice crackers which were large discs. After each one was cooked, she would roll it onto a long woven tray to dry in the sun. Another exhibit was a man taking scrap rubber from tires and making sandals from them.
The main attraction was a demonstration tunnel which gives you an idea of how cramped and long they could be. Bao mentioned that it has actually been made larger so it’s not as tight as the actual tunnels. Once you entered, you could choose to go out every 20 meters, but those of us who went in went the full 100 meters. It was definitely tight, and you needed to either crawl or walk hunched over. It was definitely a workout.
After going through the tunnel, we sat down to watch the documentary film. It was easy to tell what point of view was used when the film spent several minutes about one woman who killed many Americans and blew up more than one tank.
We boarded the bus again and drove the two hours back to the city center. We had lunch at a pho shop, then drove to the War Remnants Museum.
War Remnants Museum
While the Cu Chi tunnels seemed to present itself with an editorial slant, the War Remnants Museum appeared to try to be more neutral. Even so, it did not shy away from any topics. There were depictions of various methods of torture and photos of the effects of Agent Orange.
On the top floor was a large collection of photos from photojournalists from all over the world. It also had a section dedicated to Japanese photojournalist Bunyo Ishikawa. One of his cameras was on display, and it was the same camera my Uncle used.
Once we were done with the museum, we drove by the Reformation Palace, made a quick stop at the Post Office, then went back to the hotel.
Dinner
As we were getting off the bus, several of us arranged to meet up to go out to dinner. The original plans were to go to a beer hall then find a place for banh mi, but once we were seated, we all ended up ordering food anyway. The menu seemed very oriented to American tastes, and we had no problem finding something to order. Conversation covered a variety of topics including what we had seen earlier in the day to learning that one of the group used to do synchronized swimming.
Melody and I left a bit earlier than the others, and on the way back, went into an ice cream store we saw on the way to have a bit of dessert. After that, it was time to do some preliminary packing, since we wouldn’t be taking all of our luggage the next day for an overnight trip to the Mekong Delta.
