Our Vietnam Adventure - day two

Easter Sunday, 5th April, and we went from Ho Chi Minh City to visit the Cu Chi tunnels - approximately 2 hours drive by minibus.  Ho Chi Minh City in April is the dry season, hot and dry.  Hot.  Vietnam travel guide weather  It made for an interesting experience leaving the hotel, walking through 33degrees, into the air-conditioned minibus, and then out into the sweltering heat again to see whatever it was we'd gone to see.  Sensibly water bottles were carried on the minibus to aid in coping with the heat.

Hmm.  Where to start?  Driving in Vietnam is a crash course - in not crashing.  It would be alarming were it not so funny.  The Health and Safety inspectorate were obviously on holiday at the same time as we were - in so much as there was no evidence that they exist in Vietnam.  Hold on to your hats, here's an idea of what it's like, taken on the way....  (and this will be good if it works, first time uploading video to the blog!)....

Anyhoo, we'll see how that looks later.

In the meantime, on the way to the tunnels we stopped for a quick history lesson from our guide, Hoi, about the rubber plantations which were established by the French (Indo-Chine) colony.

Back on the bus and we arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels mid morning.  Hoi took us around the site, following a well worn route, along with about 10 other tours being guided along the same route at the same time.  This was interesting in itself as there were other groups from France, America, and Vietnam - evidenced by the sometimes clashing narration from the other guides.  You had to be on your toes not to lose your guide.

The Vietnam War is an obvious point to bring tourists to, and still feels fresh in the consciousness of the country.  Our guide was matter of fact in her explanations of the site, and did not express an opinion either way.  She didn't have to, it was incredibly powerful to witness.

Will he fit?

Apparently yes he does!

Can you see him now?

Ta-dah!

Whilst this was a fun participation experience, the reality of the reasons for the tunnels being there was demonstrated further into the forest...

 Escape, evade and capture....

... in 1970 I was 5 years old...

The Viet fighters used every trick they could devise to target their enemy - this door trap would ensure that if the victim survived he would never be a father.  'Stand back!' this guide said, whilst he demonstrated it.  Again, the H&S police were nowhere to be seen...

Unexploded enemy bombs were retrieved, taken to makeshift workshops, and recycled (not without danger) into weapons to use against the enemy.

The Americans bombed to try to disrupt the tunnels - which were 3 tiered and could be up to 6 meters deep in places, dug into hard clay and unmapped - so the enemy couldn't get very far without becoming lost.

as buildings appeared from outside - often with secret entrance to tunnel in corner of 'room'

hospital - dug into the ground, and roofed with simple structure of frame and leaves

kitchen - VERY hot in here!

staple diet of fighters - Manioc (tapioca root - tasted like potato), peanut dip, and jasmine tea

fighters often supplemented their equipment with plunder from American soldiers...

And then we were on our way back to Ho Chi Minh for a late lunch.  The journey gave us more opportunity to see the traffic, and the insane wires...

We stopped for lunch and then went to see the Palace of Reunification.... more of that tomorrow, and this was all on 'Day One' (well, day two if you must, and for us day three since leaving home).  It was all on Easter Sunday.

Phew!