Well it's actually called both. On May 1, 1975, after the fall of South Vietnam, the now ruling communist government renamed the city after their leader, Ho Chi Minh. Most people still refer to the city as Saigon to avoid any confusion between the place and the man. Why there would be confusion if some said they were going to Ho Chi Minh as to whether they were talking about a person or a city I don't know (especially as Ho Chi Minh is dead) but that's what the locals say!
In heat and humidity we finally reached the hotel, we dropped off our luggage and explored the streets for a bite to eat. Ho Chi Minh City definitely had the most cosmopolitan feel to it, as far as shops and restaurants were concerned, of all the cities we'd visited in Vietnam.
Our first tour took us to The Presidential Palace now called Reunification Palace. The Presidential Palace as it names states used to house the presidents but was renamed Reunification Palace In November 1975, after the negotiation convention between the communist North Vietnam and communist South Vietnam was successful. At 10:45 am 30 April 1975, a tank of the North Vietnamese Army hit the main gate, ending the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon.
What struck Bev and I most about the place was the Austin Powers décor that was the theme here. 1960's orange and brown pattered furniture and carpets with fluffy cushions and kitsch
coffee tables! Different rooms were styled with totally different themes, one including two giant phallic shaped tusks, which framed any person sitting on the sofa.
Down in the basement of this humongous building was also like something from a Bond movie- with a network of tunnels, a telecommunication centre and a war room that was exactly like the secret room that 'M' would use for spy emergencies. It had maps all over the walls and a desk with a huge grey phone on, which I'm sure, was only used for the most important of situations. However, our next stop, The War Crimes Museum, saw us awokend from our little fantasy world of Bond escapades (with the ferocity of a slap around the face with a cold fish) into the unbelievable reality that was the Vietnam War.
As you walk into the Museum you are first faced with an impressive display of photo journalism from the US side of things. Men in trenches, men in cross fire, injured and maimed bodies and of course the dead soldiers. Most of the photos included sad testimonies plus the
name age and rank of the solider(s) they depicted. In the same hall was a video loop that was showing a film about the poison known as Agent Orange that the US troops released on the Vietnamese people. Here we not only saw the horrific damage this did to men and women contaminated by the agent at the time- including dreadful burns, cancers and skin diseases- but we also witnessed the children being born even today with horrific deformities. This is because the chemical effects foetal development and ultimately means pregnant women, if they do not suffer miscarriage which they are very likely to do so, then their babies will be affected by long-term reproduction problems and deformities for years to come.
After leaving this room we then went into a room that I can only describe as horrific and I'm afraid the behaviour of the U.S army was the central theme here. The emotions and sadness you feel as you witness pictures of the Vietnamese women and children being tortured by US troops are unexplainable. There were pictures of American soldiers triumphantly holding the severed heads of Viet Cong troops and testimonies of now prosecuted soldiers who raped and tortured women and children. Probably the most horrifying testimony I read involved a pregnant Vietnamese woman who was killed and then gutted.
I realise that the soldiers in question were in the minority and atrocities like this are unfortunately a part of every war whether we accept it or not but we will certainly never forget what we have seen here.
Having left the museum we headed for a near by bar for a few stiff drinks to sober our thoughts by getting drunk!
The following day we headed for the famous Chu Chi tunnels. Briefly; the Cu Chi Tunnels have carved themselves a celebrated niche in the history of guerrilla warfare. The tunnels are a series of hidden and connected routes that follow a system of narrow, often unlit and poorly vented tunnels underground. They were secretly dug out prior to the Vietnam War and provided the resistance base and headquarters of the southern Vietnam Liberation Forces. The Viet Cong would lure the enemy into the jungle and then, literally, vanish.
When we arrived we had a talk from a soldier about the history of the tunnels and then watched a short video. After this we walked a short distance into the jungle. Along the way we were shown many hidden boobytraps that would not have looked out of place in Indiana Jones but did look extremely painful for the unfortunate solider discovering it!
Our guide continued through the jungle and next showed us how the Viet Cong soldiers would have descended into the tunnels. She located an impossibly small secret hatch and carefully lowered herself into it- replacing the lid. As we all looked around for where she might exit she appeared from another tiny whole behind us. She then came back to the group and suggested that only smaller people should attempt this. Obviously Bev and my slender self got in and out with ease!
We then all made our way to one of the tunnels. From the beginning we crawled and slid on our hands and knees descending lower and lower, at one point sliding on our butts and backs down to the lowest point. This tunnel was a true test and I kept imagining what it would be like to panic down there in the sweltering heat and darkness. The air we were breathing was thick and warm and didn't feel like it contained any Oxygen, I had to stop myself thinking these things if I wanted to remain calm and collected!! I kept reassuring Bev that everything was ok and we would be out soon enough, im not sure who the reassuring was for though!
We continued through the tunnel before emerging, proud and self satisfied at the other end - holding a whole new found respect for the men that pretty much lived down there during the war.
After we emerged from the tunnels we were offered the choice of going to the firing range which we gladly accepted. During our whole trip through the jungle we could hear the constant fire coming from the range which added a certain amount of realism to the journey. Once at the range we were offered several different riffles and hand guns with a selection of live rounds. Bev and I both selected the AK47 and fired off a few deafening rounds at a stationery target that we missed by a mile!
The following and penultimate day we spent going on a cruise up the Mekong Delta and visiting various islands. On the first island we saw the locals making sweets from the coconuts that grew there (very nasty). They also had a giant Python that both Bev and I had a cuddle with. We then boarded a small paddle boat that took us through a very thin, heavily overgrown section of the river. I felt like Rambo creeping through the forest looking for bad guys.
The next Island we tried honey wine that was made by the bees there. I respectfully declined to hold part of the bee hive they had pulled out for people to hold as it was covered in thousands of bees all looking a bit pissed off! We also tried Cobra wine which was pretty grim! Cobra wine is rice wine that has a cobra coiled inside the bottle, some also have scorpions inside, either way it tasted dreadful no doubt because it had a dead snake in it!
We cruised up the river a little more and visited a few floating villages and markets before heading back to Ho Chi Minh.
Today we head off to Cambodia having thoroughly enjoyed our time in Vietnam. The country is clearing emerging from a very dark and painful past at a rapid rate and is embracing the tourism trade that is starting to build. The country has many sides to it from lush green fields, to beautiful highlands, to quiet white sandy beaches. The towns and cities are all vastly different from the dirty crazy old fashioned Hanoi to the cosmopolitan city of Ho Chi Minh. Hopefully Cambodia will be as interesting, varied and exciting as our time here!
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