On the 8th of May we boarded the Mekong Express bus in Phnom Penh and took the 6-hour journey to Ho Chi Minh City. Fortunately, this land border crossing was smooth and easy due to the assistance of the Mekong Express staff; a much better experience than the last time we crossed a land border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which took over 3 hours due to the chaotic "systems." This also marked our final long bus ride of the journey and great joy in that :)
Our first night in Ho Chi Minh, still called Saigon by many locals, involved a brief walk around the Pham Ngu Lau area of District 1 where we would stay for the next three nights and enjoying the systematic chaos of the motorbikes whizzing by. We also read quite a few menus and settled on a nice little vegetarian place where we had some delicious tofu and eggplant dishes. We settled in for the night and prepared for a pretty busy schedule for our two days in the city. ginnie came down with a cold when we reached Phnom Penh, so we were also trying to rest a bit.
an election poster on the street; we get a mixed message about the vote since everyone has to and it is for one party
One of our requisite stops was a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This was another area ginnie learned more about in her seminar on the World's Hot Spots and was eager to see in person. We are not huge fans of tour group activities and prefer to just explore areas on our own, but with our budget it was much more affordable to do an $8 tour that included a visit to a unique religious site as well. So, on the morning of the 9th, we joined the herd and hopped on a bus to the Cao Dai Temple and Holy See and then onward to the Cu Chi Tunnels.
When reading about the area, we (maybe ginnie moreso than Ant...) became curious about the religion and the way it was created from several different philosophies and practices; combining Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Roman Catholicism. We figured it would be a nice cultural experience to see their Holy See and Temple and get a glimpse of the way they worship. The temple is very bright and colorful filled with dragons and symbols related to ideals they pursue (there are homages to the arts and bright colorful stars painted on the sky-blue ceiling). They also have an interesting group of saints whom they revere, which include Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and Victor Hugo. We had time to explore the temple prior to their noon service then were invited to watch from the balcony as they service began. We saw the influence of Islamic, Buddhist, and Christian practices in their ritualistic entrance and prayers. It was definitely a unique experience and interesting to observe.
Following the temple visit, our bus stopped at a small cafe for lunch. We sat with a nice pair from Holland and exchanged travel stories and suggested itineraries. Finally, it was time to visit the long-awaited site where the villagers of Cu Chi who fought for the Viet Cong managed to live and fight against the coalition of the South Vietnamese and US Armies.
Anthony was one of only two people who got to see what a hiding space was like for a Cu Chi soldier; this shows the before and after (he's inside in the right-hand photo)
a tiger trap converted to use as a weapon against the enemy; if one stepped on this s/he'd find bamboo spikes
The tunnels are a true testament to survival as they were used not only in the war to unite Vietnam as a communist country, but in the fight against French rule. These fighters were southern Vietnamese who supported Ho Chi Minh and helped in the fight to take Saigon. The tunnels span over 200km and served as hiding space, protection from bombs, and infiltration of enemy camps. The Viet Cong Guerrillas (as called by the Southern Vietnamese Army, for whom our tour guide fought, and the US) worked the rice fields of Cu Chi Village by day to ensure they were fed and fought in the war by night. We were able to explore a portion of the tunnels that has been expanded by 3 times its original size to enable travelers to fit. The people of Cu Chi crawled on elbows and stomachs when inside. While exploring the site, the sound of gunfire could be heard as visitors so inclined practiced their rifle skills; that was not an add-on either of us was interested in.
VC homemade weapons - all involve traps and nails
US weapons
In parts of the system, there are spaces with kitchens, sleeping quarters, and meeting areas. The kitchen is set up so the smoke from the fires comes out through openings 3m away to confuse the enemy. We were fascinated and impressed by the ability of these villagers. In addition to their tunnel system, they used homemade weapons based on ways they would typically trap animals. The weapons were well hidden in the jungle and used basic items like nails and bamboo spikes, but they caused great pain and death. They also used what they found of American weapons to make other items that would blow up tanks. They were a resourceful group. We ended the tour with a propaganda video on Cu Chi that really made us feel guilty to be the evil Americans who came to Vietnam to destroy their people and beautiful land. We understand the film is one-sided, it was just interesting to see propaganda in action.
a tunnel entrance, kitchen space, and sleeping quarters
tunnels enlarged by 3 times their original size for travelers - this was shot just before ginnie bailed out at the 2/3rds mark; Ant stuck it out and traversed the entire 100m
On Day Two in Saigon, we spent over eight hours walking the city and visiting various sites. We peaked at offerings in the Ben Thanh Market (where we quickly learned that Vietnamese sellers are the most aggressive we've ever encountered; women where physically pulling and pushing us to their stalls!), checked out various pieces at the Museum of Fine Arts, saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, popped into the train-station-look-a-like that is the Central Post Office, stopped into the Jade Emperor Pagoda (on what happened to be Buddha's birthday), toured the Reunification Palace, and visited the exhibits of the War Remnants Museum (once known as Saigon's Exhibition House of American War Crimes). We also managed to fit in a stop at a pastry place (how could ginnie pass up a fresh doughnut?) and strategically crossed streets amid the motos.
The Reunification Palace was formerly the Presidential Palace for the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) when Vietnam was split into two separate countries by the 1954 Geneva Treaty. It is the infamous sight of the conclusion of the Vietnam War as it was taken by Liberation forces on the morning of the 30th of April 1975 when Saigon fell to the North and the country of Vietnam was reunited as a single entity. We visited the various rooms left as they were in the 70's and explored the basement where the president could hide and escape through a tunnel network.
The War Remnants Museum was top on our list and after three passes, was finally open. They happened to be having "technical issues" in the morning and said they would open at 1:30, but they were still not open at 1:39, so we returned after exploring the Palace. It was a good way to end the day, but another opportunity to feel guilt about our nationality. Actually, considering our connection to a Peace organization and beliefs on staying out of wars, we know where we'd stand on the issue had we been around at the time, but despite that it is still evident that the message of the museum is one-sided and leaves out the war crimes committed by others involved in the Vietnamese civil war between the north and the south. Still, it is difficult to deny the truth of the acts displayed by the images of those who suffer to this day from Agent Orange exposure and the horrendous murder of innocent people in the My Lai massacre and others. Propaganda was again strong, but it was a good way to see the war from another side. We were both impressed by the soldier who sent his war medals to the museum with a plaque that read "I was wrong. I am sorry."
We really loved Ho Chi Minh City and had a great two days. We met some wonderful young university students who worked at the vegetarian restaurant we found on night two and returned to for our third night who were so excited to chat with us and check in on how our day was spent in the city. It was nice to have a couple days where people recognized us and shared their stories so we got to know some locals a bit more than if we just quickly passed through. We learned quickly that some southerners have a great distrust for the north and are not fully pleased with the politics of the country, but cannot openly admit such views. It is an interesting dynamic and we are curious to see if we find the differences in northerners as described.
Hòa bình và Tình yêu!
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