Firstly a quick lunch of Pho before we head to the Vietnam war museum. This place is extremely confronting. There are so many of the atrocities that have not been well publicised outside of this country. The impact of the U.S. Army's spraying of Agent Orange still shows its affect even today. Birth defects are still common. We had learned that the veterans of the North Vietnam army (communist Vietcong) are still supported by the government but those who fought for the South are neglected and have to be supported by family. The injuries and deaths were horrific with women and children slaughtered.
Tracey had never really understood what her father may have witnessed when he was sent to war as a young man. This museum may give a small amount of insight but we're sure only those who experienced this first hand will ever fully grasp how horrendous it would have been.
We had some indication of the tactics of the Vietcong during our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels. There are over 200km of tunnels. The network provided access and strategic control over the large rural areas surrounding Saigon. They commenced building these in around 1950 during the French invasion and over the following two decades the tunnels became a complex underground city including medical facilities, military, kitchens and living quarters. This meant despite all the bombings in the area many of the local people continued to live underground. The Cu Chi Tunnels stretched from Saigon all the way to the Cambodian border to the west, and in places was dug to 3 stories deep. They developed ways to disappear quickly through small trapdoor entrances well hidden from their enemy. They had brutal traps laid out through the the jungle and quickly learned to outsmart American troups and their allies (including Australians).
Much of the original tunnel system was destroyed in bombing raids during the 1970s but existing parts have been restored and opened as a poignant reminder. They have resized the tunnels for western tourists and even these can only be manoeuvred through crouching uncomfortably. Suited to 5 foot Vietnamese rather than 5'10 Australians. Even traversing the short 20 metres was a challenge, the underground heat is surprising. There is a shooting range for those wanting to try some of the weapons used at the time, for us that just meant the constant reminder of where we were and what had occurred here, as you listened to the shots echoing through the jungle.
We also had very uninteresting visits to:
-Reconciliation Palace, nowhere near as grand as the other palaces we'd already seen...think retro 70s, though it did have an awesome man cave, perfect for the despot with cronies dropping by.
-Notre Dame, supposed to replicate the Paris version but not quite as grand and no stained glass.
-Post Ofiice, built by the French but really just a post office.
There was, however, a food highlight: we headed off a few klicks away from our hotel to try bun rieu, a local speciality of crab/tomato stock, with noodles, crab balls, pork and "congealed pigs blood" (if you think of something halfway between liver wurst and black pudding you'll get the idea). It was delicious, laced with extra shrimp paste, chilli, and the typical Vietnamese lashings of fresh green leaves, Yum! The place was a long way from glamorous, no one spoke English and only locals ate there but that just added to the experience. Our hosts were extremely helpful, down to indicating the appropriate amounts of additional ingredients (shrimp paste, chilli, hoisin sauce, etc) and made what might have been a bewildering stranger-in-a-strange-land experience a Saigon standout.
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