Saigon Continued...

Trip Start May 03, 2008
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Trip End May 02, 2009


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Where I stayed
Thien Hong Hotel
(Ho Chi Minh City hotels)

Flag of Vietnam  ,
Friday, June 6, 2008

Ok, so the last entry was a bit sad and a bit one-sided so the next day we were off to the Cu Chi tunnels 40km outside Saigon to see the other side of the story. The Cu Chi tunnels are where the Viet Cong waged guerrilla warfare on the opposing side. We were showed around the area and went into one of the tunnels for a crawl about. It's really dark there and even a shortie like me had to keep bent over at all times. Basically, the tunnels were dug at different times by the locals in the area underneath their houses and neighbours joined them up bit by bit. They were then used in the war as a hiding place that the Vietnamese could use before and after attacks. Many stayed down there for days on end, appearing to attack and disappearing just as quickly. The entrances are small and well hidden in the undergrowth. Part of the tour was to see the traps they used to set out for their enemies. They were pretty crude but effective. Mostly made out of nails, there were foot traps in the ground that were activated when a soldier stepped in one and a suit of nails that would swing onto a soldier when a door was opened Cu Chi Tunnels
Cu Chi Tunnels
 . It all looked pretty painful to me. After that there was some light entertainment in the form  of shooting an AK47! It was fun but I got nowhere near my target!! Won't be joining the sniper team just yet!
There was also a video at the start of the tour which for all intents and purposes was pure propaganda. It was black and white and a bit grainy so I hope it's really old. It basically gave the history of the Cu Chi tunnels and the role it played in the war. It showed young men and women from the area who had joined the Viet Cong to fight. What disturbed me about the video was the fact that the people being revered in this video were called "American Killer Heroes". Now maybe there's something lost in translation from war hero but it sounds a bit sinister to me.

Anyway, that was Saigon. A city with a very sad history but the people were very nice and I must say that it was my favourite place in Vietnam. It's got a good combination of culture, social and chill-out to satisfy everyone.

Next stop is Cambodia....
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