After learning and reading about the Vietnam War the day prior, we had the opportunity to go about 90 minutes outside of Saigon to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. Our tour guide introduced himself as Tiger (a nickname his father bestowed upon him). On the bus ride out to the location, he shared some more history on the war. He also shared that many families in Vietnam had connections, friends, and even family members that were from North Vietnam and/or supported the Viet Cong or were members themselves. It made for interesting and challenging family dynamics, but the majority of people didn’t want to be involved in the war. He shared that the root of “Viet Cong” is essentially “Viet”nam and the word for communism, (representing the ideals of North Vietnam). The Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting tunnels, all underground, dug by the North, and took 2-3 decades to build (they started building them during the First Indochina War). There are 3 levels, almost like an underground city. The first level is 3 meters down (~10 feet), the 2nd is 6 meters (20 feet) below the surface, and the 3rd is 9 meters (~30 feet) below. They dug all the tunnels by hand, without machinery or engineers, often in the dead of night. It’s an incredibly vast system that stretches out 250 kilometers (~155 miles) if placed end-to-end! The tunnels provided refuge, storage for weapons, meeting places, kitchens and dining rooms, barracks, and more; they were essentially the headquarters for the Viet Cong in the south, all underground, hidden away from plain (or…plane…aerial) sight. The tunnels often had very narrow passages, would step up and down, and zig-zagged. This aided the Viet Cong since they were smaller than U.S. soldiers, and if an enemy soldier got inside, a bullet couldn’t go far or be shot down a long corridor to hit a Viet Cong. And because of the type of soil/clay, they were incredibly hardened and impervious to bombings. Some members would spend up to 2 weeks straight in the tunnels! I got the sense that there was some level of pride in what they accomplished and the ingenuity that it took.

We toured around in the jungle surrounding the tunnels and got to see many of the original components of the area. There were both above ground booby traps to stop or slow down soldiers, as well as, below ground booby traps within the tunnel system. We also saw examples of how they vented the tunnels for air, often using termite mounds and placing hallowed bamboo sticks that blended into the environment. They would usually cook at 4:00 a.m. (while still dark) and had a system to move the smoke from the underground kitchen through a series of tunnel vents to other locations further away and then had very small holes that the smoke would escape through, which were camouflaged amongst ground layers, leaves, moss, and other materials. We saw several locations where B-52 bomb had created massive craters in the earth. There were areas where Viet Cong and volunteers would repurpose bomb or ammunition material that didn’t explode. They also used tires from military vehicles to make sandals. They designed the sandals in a way whereby the shoe could be facing forward or backward, so they could leave tracking marks facing the wrong direction, if they were concerned about being tracked. There was also a shooting range on site (in several of the videos, you can hear gunshots – an eerie sound when you’re out in the jungle with little around).

After we toured everything above ground, we had the option to go through a tunnel. Some in our group said no up front, and others went down to try it, but turned back due to the incredibly enclosed area and darkness. We had the option to go 20 meters, at first. Others who wanted to could go 40, 60, 100 or even 200 meters through the tunnels, all while following a guide. Most of us opted for just 20 meters, and that was plenty! It was very hot inside, cramped, you couldn’t turn around or easily see behind you, and dark (fortunately I brought a small camping light puck with me and used that to see what it was like with light, and without light). It was a very interesting experience seeing what life was like from another perspective.

After the Cu Chi Tunnels tour, we had the rest of the afternoon free. We decided to take in some sights and visited the beautiful post office building (built in French colonial style), the Notre Dame cathedral (although it was under construction), and The Cafe Apartments (an old apartment building turned into a commercial space, whereby each apartment is a different coffee shop, cafe, restaurant, and the like).

Andrew and I were very excited for dinner at Anan, which means “eat, eat!” Anan Saigon was the first restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City to get a Michelin Star, has appeared on Asia’s Top 50 restaurants list year after year, and has won numerous other accolades. Our first Vietnam Michelin Star restaurant (Tam Vi) was okay, so we had high hopes for this dinner – and it did not disappoint! A few days earlier we had lunch at Oodles of Noodles, the nonprofit that helps disadvantaged youth learn about careers in hospitality and the restaurant industry, teaches English, and much more. Chef Peter of Anan Saigon is actually on the board for parent company! Andrew did the Chef’s Tasting menu (a few additional dishes more than the regular tasting menu), and I opted for the Vegetarian Tasting menu. By U.S. standards, it was incredibly reasonably priced, and we enjoyed a cocktail and several glasses of wine with dinner. Wine isn’t very popular in Vietnam and everything is imported in, so tends to be pricier than other drinks. It was nice to have some great wine with dinner! After dinner, we went upstairs to the rooftop bar to enjoy a cocktail while looking at the night sky and Saigon’s skyline. Anan is a 7-story building and they have a different venue on every floor of the building, including a new noodle shop.

After dinner, we met much of our tour group at the Bui Vien Walking Street, famous for its bars, entertainment, live music, and sorts of other sights! We enjoyed a drink while listening to a duo play and sing cover songs. Then we decided to brave it and walk down the length of the street. You can’t go more than a few steps before being bombarded by the next business trying to sell you something (usually cocktails or food, but also a lap dance or other experiences). It’s a very crowded street with a lot to take in. We even got to see a young woman blow fire from her mouth. After walking back down the street the opposite way, we all decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel.

The following morning, we left for the Mekong River delta for a tour of the area with our guide Giang. We took our bus to a boat, then toured around the islands in the delta area of My Tho. We got off the boat and onto smaller paddle boats (3-4 people per boat) operated by some very strong women. They took us down a canal where we go to see water coconuts, then to another island where we all met. We toured several different areas, including a fruit farm where we got to listen to some Vietnamese folk music, a bee farm that makes honey products, a coconut farm that makes candy (so good!) and had the opportunity to sample snake/cobra whiskey or banana whiskey (I opted for the banana, and Andrew opted out). We finished with a delicious lunch on the bay, but by this point, Andrew’s stomach wasn’t cooperating so mostly opted out of eating activities.

We were bused back to Saigon and Andrew rested while I took a break from the day. Later, I went to dinner with Joanne, Daniel, Gavin, & Louise to a local food market that had so many delicious options! I stopped at a pharmacy on the way home to get more stomach meds for Andrew and we called it a night, after another long day. Tomorrow we head to Cambodia! We take a tour bus to the border, process through Vietnam immigration, then walk about 400 meters to the Cambodia side, where we’re processed again by their immigration. We end tomorrow night in Phnom Penh for the last country and leg of this part of our trip!

Best wishes to you all.

Jeff

PS – In my continuing series of motorbikes carrying ________, here are some new additions to the list! (Thanks Lyn for the captured media!)

PSS – One of our Irish friends, Louise, earlier in the trip was explaining to me that where she’s from “ya fucking cunt” is a frequently used expression and often used as a term of endearment to a close friend (in a joking way). Since then, I’ve been practicing it, but with an Irish accent, “yah faouwking khaunt” (although have also been told it sounds considerably like Dreamwork’s Shrek!). It’s been a fun banter back and forth. Well, today, Louise got me a little gift. As in many cities, they take a well recognized company logo or symbol and twist it a little to match something locally. There is a Burger King shirt we’ve seen all over Vietnam that has the logo and says “Pho King,” for their famous soup. Well, Louise had a little fun with it, as you can see in the photo below!