The Cu Chi Tunnels & the Vietnam War from a different perspective

This morning's optional tour was a trip to Cu Chi, 40 miles southwest of Ho Chi Minh city, and famous for its underground tunnel system - which is over 160 miles long. The tunnels were built by hand trowel & basket over a period of 25 years, beginning in the 1940s. The Cu Chi section was critical during the Vietnam War and enabled the Viet Cong to control large areas near Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).
 
Due to the scorched earth policy employed by the Americans in an attempt to carpet bomb the Viet Cong, the residents of Cu Chi were forced into an intricate, multi-level series of tunnels that stretched as far as Cambodia and included a hospital, kitchens and meeting rooms. These tunnels provided an effective network for waging guerrilla warfare on nearby US troops. In fact some of these tunnels were right underneath several of the US installations in Vietnam.

The thinking behind the entire plan of the tunnels was incredible - almost every possibility of detection and protection seemed to be anticipated and dealt with in their construction. Because the Vietnamese are so much smaller than the Americans, the Americans could not enter the tunnels. So they would try to flood or smoke out the Vietnamese. But the multi levels assured that attempts to flood them would only result in the people evacuating to a different level. Entries to the tunnel were camouflaged to blend into the jungle floor, and man-made termite mounds were used to camouflage air vents. An escape & entry from the sea enabled the Vietnamese to come & go undetected by the Americans.

 

 Basket & hand trowel

used to dig the tunnels.

 

 

 Leaf-covered jungle floor

 concealed tunnel entry.

 

 

Vietnamese slid door to side,

 entered tunnel & slid cover

back into place.

 

 

Air vent at base of termite mound.

 

Reconstruction of hospital area

in tunnels.

 

 

One of the many reasons why I wanted to visit Vietnam was to get a better understanding of a war I will always remember as if it was yesterday. I did not support the war - I had an older brother who went to college to avoid the draft and narrowly escaped being drafted when a college deferment disappeared with the draft lottery being instituted. I remember my parents preparing to send my brother to Canada - if that's what it took.

 

I was embarrassed and ashamed to be an American in the Vietnam War Museum in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) - being sickened by the multitude of photographs documenting the atrocities of war on both sides. While standing in the Cu Chi Tunnel area I kept thinking about the Vietnamese people who had to live in the tunnels to escape annihilation at the hands of both the Viet Cong and the Americans.  I thought of the young American soldiers who were involved in unknown guerrilla warfare - not knowing whether the next step they took would be their last - would it end with a land mine? Would they step into a booby trap & be impaled by spikes?

 

Later in our trip, during the extension to Cambodia, we would learn from our tour guide, Thai, that as a young boy, he was sent into the Cambodian jungle to find the land mines. He admitted that he could remember peeing his pants 3 times because he was so scared of what he might find and of the bullets whizzing so close he could feel them disturb the air. I cannot begin to imagine the fear on either side, and I hope I never experience that fear. But I hope that some day we will finally learn from our past experiences and be able to live in peace.

 



 

 

Rice a million ways & death by scooter

Most of today was spent on the Mekong River Delta, sampling rice, rice and more rice. The first stop of our journey began with Mekong River coffee (iced coffee sipped while lounging in a hammock) - quite comfortable and very delicious.

The 2nd stop was a rice paper factory where about 6 ladies worked tediously heating up a rice flour/water mixture very quickly in a frying pan (think crepes), and seconds later sliding the circular rice paper onto the others that were already resting in the basket alongside her. Apparently they are supposed to produce about 3,000 papers a day. Two other ladies gathered the finished rice papers, then counted them out into cellophane packages of about 20 for selling and distribution.

Next we boarded our boat for a short cruise along the Mekong River for a view of the floating markets. Lots of interesting photos of families living and doing commerce on their boats.

More rice as we head to the crispy rice cake factory. We were treated to rice cakes that were cooked on an iron similar to a pizzelle maker and tasted like a fortune cookie.

 
Next up was the Vietnamese version of popcorn - referred to as puffed rice.
 

Rice is poured into a giant wok

 where it starts to pop.

 Puffed rice is stirred through a grate

so unpopped kernels can be sorted out.

Durian is added to rice, making it a caramel color,

 but still pretty stinky.

Rice is stirred to mix it with it with more rice...

...then poured onto a table...

...shaped to fit the table

(looking like rice krispie treats)

 ...rolled with 2 giant rolling pins,

then cut into squares.

Time for lunch at Mr. Kiet's Historic House. We thoroughly enjoyed the elephant fish & another new beer, BGI, but the durian fruit was another story. Not only did it stink like a pair of dirty socks, but as Iris noted, it resembled baby poo.

Elephant fish

Making fresh spring rolls with fish,

cucumber, pineapple & herbs.

Scooping out the flesh of the durian fruit.

 Iris really didn't eat her durian - just posed for this photo.

I only tried a tiny amount

& that was more than enough.

After lunch we boarded a sampan to cruise back to our boat for our return trip.

At about 5 PM, 7 of us took advantage of a 30 minute scooter ride through Saigon at the height of rush hour. What a thrill!  Several near misses, especially on the roundabouts - seems to be no rules with regard to right of way.

Cecilia

Iris

Barbara

 Karen

Linda

 me

Our view

 Front & back airbags.

 And they're off...

Dinner was on our own so Iris & I invited Barbara & Gloria to join us at Ngon Restaurant, after we went to the night market. Gloria & I played slots at the casino for about 30 minutes while Barbara & Iris waited for us in the lobby.  I won $70 and treated everyone to drinks before we headed back for the night.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) lacquerware, pho & the War Museum

Two OAT identical buses leaving the hotel within minutes of one another - ours to the airport for our flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), and the other to northern village for an optional trip. Unfortunately Rodney & Amy's small bag with their passports & flight itinerary and Sunny's backpack were put on the wrong bus by the porter. So about 30 minutes into our ride we detoured away from the airport to a spot where the other bus dropped off their bags. We were already cutting it close with regard to our flight, and there was a major traffic jam on the highway to the airport, but thank God it was very small airport and we made it with about 1/2 hour to spare.

After our short flight landed and we were aboard our next bus, we meandered back to our hotel with stops at the lacquerware workshop, cathedral, post office before heading to lunch at the "Vietnamese McDonald's" for pho - in this particular case, Pho Hung Pho (Pho 24). These people have mastered the art of restaurants with one dish only & it is amazing how quickly they get people in and out the door. Most of the time you just hold up you finger(s) to indicate how many bowls you want, pick your beer, and prepare for an amazing, inexpensive meal.

 

Egg shell is added to the lacquerware.

 

 

 Our workshop guide demonstrates

 how 17 layers of wood

come together in the making

of lacquerware.

 

 

 Saigon Cathedral.

 

French architecture style is illustrated

in the absolutely gorgeous post office

of all places.

 

Vietnamese McDonald's - pho at its best

(only $3 for this very large bowl).

Now that we are in the cosmopolitan city of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), we have an interesting opportunity (some would call it a misfortune) to tour the War Museum, which pretty much centers around the Vietnam War (or American War, as the Vietnamese refer to it. Very weird to be an American walking though the exhibits of photographs depicting the horrors of war from the enemy viewpoint. Some of the Time and Life magazine covers were enlarged and framed, with huge headlines about the war. I could remember those covers, as well as the photos of the My Lai massacre and the naked young girl & other children walking down the street in sheer agony - the first victims of Agent Orage - as if it were yesterday. One section of the museum contained photo after photo of the children & adults mutilated and scarred with tumors, missing limbs & other birth defects resulting from Agent Orange & napalm. The chemicals even remain in the soil today, almost 40 years later. Not our proudest moment. We only stayed in the museum for 1/2 hour, but that was more than enough time for me.

Our last activity was a 1 hour cyclo-rickshaw ride at the height of afternoon rush hour - so we could experience the craziness up close and personal.  The ride was definitely up close - I could almost reach out and touch a motor scooter constantly.  The ride was fantastic! There seemed to be younger adults everywhere, from many nationalities, especially in the youth hostel area.  People waved to us, took photos & laughed when they saw the look of horror on our faces.

 

 Where's my driver?

 

 

 Ho hum, another batch of silly tourists...

 

 

And we're off......

 

 

 

During a short walk around our hotel neighborhood, while Iris, Gloria & I were waiting for the rest of the group to finish buying some things in a shop, we were approached by a 10-yr. old little girl who asked us if we'd like to buy a fan. Since we were quickly getting tired of being bombarded by these people at every turn, we just automatically said, "no thank you." The little girl did not miss a beat when she quickly replied, "why not?" (in perfect English, by the way). She quickly gave us her spiel, which was highly entertaining - complete with bulk purchase discounts, how certain colors & designs matched our eyes or brought us good luck. She was so entertaining I asked her if she worked on commission and she said yes. Then I asked her if she even knew what commission was. Again, not missing a beat, she quickly said "yes, it means tips!" I told her I wanted to take her back to the US with me so she could work for Herff Jones as a yearbook sales rep, but the concept of printing yearbooks is lost on anyone who is not an American. I couldn't resist giving her $4 for a fan I really didn't want or need (plus a $1 tip or commission) - well worth the price for having such fun.