Saigon-Hochiminh SAME SAME
Trip Start
Jun 18, 2008
1
41
46
Trip End
Sep 04, 2008
Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam
Friday, September 12, 2008
The first morning we went to Cu Chi Tunnels, which is about an hour and a half outside the city's center. Cu Chi is known for its underground tunnels used by the Vietcong to fight the Americans in the war. The current set-up for tourists includes a propaganda video, mannequins positioned in different functions of the local people, and an opportunity to crawl through the tunnels. The video was black & white praise of the local young farming girls, who were referred to as American Killer Heroes. We walked down different jungle-like paths to see models of boobie traps and the weapons makers. As we were wandering around, there were gunshots going off, which was pretty spooky. There's a shooting range on site where, for a fee of course, you can shoot AK47s. My personal opinion is that it's a bit strange to shoot guns on a site that has seen enough violence. But, I suppose, it's a matter of perspective. The Vietnamese are proud of their triumph through their use of the Cu Chi tunnels.
Now, the tunnels themselves were the real tangible experience. Though we had planned in advance and brought flashlights, I got separated from Adam on our way down the stairs and couldn't use one. I tried not to think about how claustrophobic I was as I crawled through in a squatting position. We couldn't have been down there longer than three minutes, but at one point it got completely dark, and I had a split second freak out. I finally made it through only to realize that the tunnel crawling was optional, but I'm glad I didn't have time to second guess myself and that I just did it.
In the afternoon, we tried pho, the nation's famous noodle soup, for lunch before heading to the Reunification Palace. The significance of the palace would be difficult to explain considering my entire visit was a history lesson, but it's important for symbolizing the North and South Vietnam, well, reunifying. The best part was the basement bunker that had windowless room after room with only a desk, chair and telephone.
Day 2 we took an all-day boat tour to the Mekong Delta, which is 3 hours southwest of Hochiminh. We played musical chairs on the bus while all the different tour agencies sorted out who would fit onto which buses. When we got to the Mekong Delta, it was pouring rain. Yes, we had knowingly come to Vietnam during the wet season, so we were getting an authentic portrait of life in the delta. But, still, we were soaking. First we took a boat tour past the Floating Market where local people buy farmers' produce wholesale in order to re-sell it in the city markets. Then we watched local people making all types of products from coconuts because they are very resourceful and use all parts of the plant. Afterward, we donned the conical rice patty hats as we were rowed through the delta on a smaller boat. Still raining, no cover, but the hats work surprisingly well. After eating lunch and relaxing in hammocks, we began the long return trip home. Again, it probably would have been better if not for the rain but now I understand what it's like for the locals 5 months out of the year.
Our last day in Hochiminh we went to the War Remnants Museum, which was very powerful emotionally. Admittedly, I still need a great deal of historical background to help put everything into context for me, but luckily I have Adam and Jason who are pretty knowledgeable. Much like reading Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, the museum gave me images, mainly through photography, to render an experiential, often micro, understanding of the war. There were no timelines or charts, but I saw how the war affected people on a basic, human level. The monstrosities of violence. And, heavy-handeldy, the inhumanity of Agent Orange.
After our sobering visit to the museum, we explored different markets including one which is known for its war memorabilia. Adam was looking for dogtags because he knows of a group in DC that requests dogtags from Vietnam travelers in order to try to return them to the families. Adam bought one, which, to our untrained eyes, looks real, and we could even personally bring it to the DC memorial to look for the name on the wall. Also, we found an awesome assortment of photographs and postcards from the war era that would make an interesting collage or collection.
In general, after immersing ourselves in war-related activities, it all of a sudden felt a bit strange to be in Vietnam. Why do they like us? Why does no one snarl when we say we're from America? It's also interesting to see men who look like they could be my dad's age and not your typical international traveler... are they veterans returning to make peace with what happened? Maybe it's my curious imagination getting the best of me, but it's hard for me to believe my children could visit Afghanistan and not encounter any hostilities.
Later that night we said Goodbye, Saigon and boarded an overnight sleeper bus to the beach town of Nha Trang...
