War History in Saigon

Cu Chi Tunnels

It started out like any tour-bus nightmare. We didn't leave the city until an hour after departure time. The tour guide made terrible jokes into the silence of our sleepiness. She repeatedly elicited audience participation despite little-to-no cooperation. We stopped at the "happy house" - aka, the bathroom- after only an hour on the road. She informed us that we would have 30 minutes. The extra time turned out to be for purchasing overpriced souvenirs made by handicapped individuals.

Then it all changed as we boarded back on the bus in the company of an extra tour guide who addressed us collectively as "hey buddy." He had a weathered face, long hair and sideburns and fought during the American war. He gave us a brief history and informed us that the Viet Cong were friendly and beautiful people, despite the fact that they imprisoned him after the war for fighting on the losing side. At the Cu Chi tunnels, we saw bunkers, well-concealed tunnel exit-points, and all kinds of deadly booby traps, mostly made of natural materials such as bamboo spears. We squat-walked through some of the tunnels. Although they were widened for tourists, there was barely enough room to maneuver and some patches were completely dark. When we emerged, panting and relieved by the first possible exit, we learned we had only managed to cover 15 meters of the tunnel. It felt like at least 50. The option remained to continue on for 100 meters, but I didn't have it in me. We saw some tunnels that remained their original size, and I'm almost certain my hips and shoulders wouldn't fit through. The entire visit was made a little more realistic by the sound of shots being fired at the tacky (yet popular) shooting range, where for the price of bullets, tourists can fire a number of different war guns.

During the war, the network of Cu Chi tunnels spread over 250 kilometers, linking up to Siagon. Some sections had three levels. Kitchens, meeting rooms and sleeping quarters were all underground, housing 18,000 VC troops. They had elaborate ventilation systems, including a way to release the kitchen smoke almost invisibly. We saw a few craters made by the American B-52 bombs that caused many of the tunnels to collapse, leaving only 6,000 of the troops to survive. The tunnels had no support beams- the clay soil was so strong that the carved tunnels held secure (until the bombings, of course). At the end of the tour, we ate tapioca root steamed in the original kitchen with tea.

Back on the bus, the tour guide liked to see us cringe when he pointed out the cages of dogs riding to the market on the back of motorbikes. "One-way ticket!" he would say with pleasure. As cute as can be, the dogs were about to become someone's dinner.

War-Remnants Museum
War tanks and aircraft sit parked outside the War Remnants Museum, which details the atrocities of the American war. Most of the museum consists of photos telling the story of devastation. I saw dozens of photos of deformed babies, burned skin and bodies reduced to ashes- all victims of Agent Orange. My guts twisted as I looked at photos of women and children taken moments before they were shot to death. I cringed at civilians being interrogated (aka- tortured) by groups of US soldiers, some wearing a slight grin as they watched. My eyes teared up as I read the account of a family torn to shreds by a squad of men led by Bob Kerrey- a man later to become a US Senator. The grandparents' throats were slit and children as young as 6 were killed and disemboweled. Soldiers glared proudly at the camera while holding up the detached head of a VC soldier. Dead bodies were dragged behind tanks. Of the 3 million Vietnamese killed during the war, 2 million were civilians (many women and children). Villages were burned and destroyed. Crops were sprayed with napalm.

The history was briefly outlined and my last stop was the section on torture. No details were spared here either and by the time I walked away, I was heartbroken and exhausted. The visitors were foreigners and Vietnamese alike, and I was grateful for a truthful exhibit, not watered-down or littered with propaganda. Of course a place like this only provides more questions than answers and I'm eager to learn more.

Saigon

Saigon itself is a huge city, with a population of 9 million. According to the tour guides, there are an estimated 4.5 million motorbikes within the city. After crossing the streets here, I believe it. It's hot and humid, the people are pretty friendly and there are always loud noises, people to watch and markets to explore.

From Saigon, I flew to Bangkok where I spent two days saying goodbye to SE Asia (I miss you already!).

To read up on the Mekong Delta, click HERE.

Water time! - Nha Trang and the Mekong Delta

Nha Trang sits on the south central coast, right on the South China Sea. I didn't plan to spend much time there, but ended up staying a few days. It's a lazy place with a moderate traveler scene.

Aside from sunbathing and braving the choppy waves, I explored the surrounding area on foot and bicycle, taking in the Giant Seated Buddha,

the Giant Reclining Buddha, the Cham Hindu temple, the rocky beach north of the city,...and the aquarium where I saw a fully assembled whale skeleton, small sharks and rows upon rows of preserved sea creatures unceremoniously stuffed into jars. I met up with James-from-Texas, who I travelled with in Laos. We set off to the Mekong Delta. Ben Tre is known for it's thriving coconut candy business and we stopped in a factory before hopping on a boat to tour the delta. We floated through tiny waterways and stopped on a marshy island that felt like a true jungle. We admired the beautiful flowers, durian fruit trees and water coconuts- a brown, spiky coconut that grows at the base of palm fronds. Apparently, it's only worth eating with ice and sugar.We didn't see any tourists in Ben Tre and rarely came across English-speakers. I bid goodbye to James and headed deeper into the detla, staying in Can Tho for 2 nights. I took in the bustling riverside night life (complete with a giant statue of Ho Chi Minh) and woke at 5am to hop on a boat headed for the floating markets. The markets were a bit anti-climactic, but full of busy commerce and beautiful wooden boats. We stopped on a small island for breakfast, and walked around looking at the passionfruit, papaya and lemon trees.

My final stop in Vietnam was Saigon... coming up next!

If you missed my adventures in central Vietnam, click HERE.

And if you like pretty things, click below.

Flowers of Vietnam

Hue and Hoi An: getting central

Hue
Hue is much smaller than Hanoi, yet tourism seems to make up a larger percentage of the local economy. After ordering food in a restaurant, the server would often sit down at my table and try to sell me motorbike tours, silk paintings or bus tickets. Walking down the sidewalks was an open invitation for harassment ("excuse me! buy something!"). Each region has it's own special cuisine, and in Hue, my favorite was roll-your-own spring rolls with veggies, shrimp, salad and green figs dipped in homemade peanut sauce.

I also had a light, nutty local beer called Huda. On New Year's Eve, dragon dancers performed in the streets.

Within city limits, the ancient citadel is quite the place to explore, with emperor quarters and remains of buildings that survived American bombing.

Over a crispy baguette breakfast, I met Thoan, a motorbike tour guide. He promised to take me to four sites outside the city for an unbeatable price of $5. We started at the Thien Mu Pagoda, a beautiful temple with a tower overlooking the Perfume River. It's also the home to the car Thich Quang Duc drove to Siagon in 1963 to burn himself to death in protest of religious restrictions imposed by the government.

Next was Tuc Duc tomb, a sprawling set of monuments and tombs dedicated to the emperor Tuc Duc and his family. The most impressive part was the landscape.

We stopped in a village known for making cinnamon and sandalwood incense, and watched it made by hand.

We arrived at Tu Hieu Pagoda in time to watch the monks sing, strike singing bowls and pray.

The final stop was an American bunker used during the Vietnam war with spectacular views of the river.

Here's me in front of the citadel:

Hoi An

Hoi An sits 4km from the beach and is well-known for it's French colonial architechture and superb tailor shops. The old quarter is charming, albeit touristy, with red and white silk lanterns lining the streets and hanging from the trees. The river lights up at night, a truly magical sight of colorful lights reflected in the glassy water, floating lotus lanterns and, in my case, a full moon.

I stopped in an art gallery housed in traditional 2oo year-old home and met a wonderful tourguide. He gave me lots of information about the art, the home and Hoi An... without trying to sell me a thing! And he smiled! I also toured a gallery of Agar wood sculptures and products. Agar wood comes from the resin of certain trees after the sap hardens over several decades. It's believed to have healing and aphrodisiac properties. Wearing the wood is said to draw toxins out of the body.

I rode a bicycle to the beach, taking in beautiful views of fresh, green rice fields. At the beach, I sunbathed, braved rough waves and walked along the shore watching local fisherman.

Hoi An boasts amazing food and a plentiful market. Two local specialities include "white rose" and Cau Lau. White rose are tiny shrimp dumplings dipped in sauce.

Cau Lau is fresh chewy noodles, sprouts, pork (or tofu) and salad greens served in a thick savory broth made with water from the local Ba Le well. Other treats include lemongrass pho (see below) and plenty of stir-fries. All over Vietnam, you can get strong coffee, usually served with sweetened milk on the bottom of your glass.

After Hoi An, I made my way south (if you look on a map, you can see how long Vietnam is!) to Nha Trang- more beaches!

If you missed my account of Hanoi, click HERE.

Hanoi

Yeah, I saw Ho Chi Minh's body

At the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, even the most normal behaviors are against the rules. Take walking on the sidewalk, for example. Or carrying a bottle of water. Or crossing your arms in the chill of an air-conditioned building. Don't walk too fast or too slow or a guard will appear beside you to model the appropriate pace. Sunglasses must be removed before entering the building.

Infractions are met by the sternest of expressions of a guard and usually some theatrics similar to reprimanding a dog or telling it to sit. When I walked on the sidewalk, the guard made dramatic motions with his arms and asked me to stand still on the corner. I had to wait there while dozens of tourists filed past me. Then, with a solemn nod of his head, he let me keep going. When I reached the mausoleum, a crowd of us waited until the guards emerged and lined the red path, one of which jumped out and escorted the line when the first person walked too fast. Once inside the room with Ho Chi Minh's eerily preserved body, I was reprimanded for having my arms crossed and another person was ushered along when they stopped walking to look. We were all treated like bad children reluctantly allowed the privledge to be there.

I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. But first, I had to pick up my camera from the mandatory camera-check office.

"Hanoi Hilton"- Hoa Lo Prison

I walked through the Hoa Lo prison, learning of the poor conditions, torture techniques and political resistence born there during French rule. Although not extremely detailed, it was clear the Vietnamese political prisoners endured horrible conditions. Prisoners' legs were shackled to the floor and during isolation they had to eat, sleep and shit shackled to the same spot. Here is some artwork from the prison, outlining their struggle.

The prison has received a lot of attention in recent years because John McCain was held there as an American POW during the American War (or Vietnam War depending on where you are). Many war pilots were kept and tortured there. The exhibit dedicated to the American captives makes no mention of the hardship they experienced. Rather, it makes their time out to seem like summer camp- showing pictures of American pilots laughing in the classroom, playing soccer, celebrating Christmas and receiving souvenirs as they were released from imprisonment. There are pictures of John McCain being retrieved from the water after his plane crashed, in a hospital bed receiving medical care and visiting the prison a few years ago. A sign explains that they made every effort to make the prisoners' stay comfortable, despite limited funds. A quick read on Wikipedia gives a different perspective. It states the prisoners were tortured into making false statements regarding the quality of conditions in the prison and their dissent for American involvement in the war. As you can imagine, POWs in Hoa Lo suffered extreme torture techniques and were often refused medical care.

Pedestrians never have the right of way

Many things are located within manageable walking distance to the Old Quarter where I stayed. But I can't say it's easy to walk anywhere in Hanoi. Even if you have a green pedestrian light, you have to navigate an onslaught of motorbikes coming from every direction. The only way to cross is to wait for a slight break in traffic and step out slowly. Motorbikes might honk at you to let you know where they are. Or it might appear they don't notice you at all. I don't know exactly how it works, but even if it looks like they're going to run right into you, they manage to swerve around, sometimes only missing by a few inches.

Motorbikes are the most common form of transport (Vespas are really popular). Entire families will crowd on to one, with children in the very front or back. Children never seem to wear helmets, even if their parents do. People carry stacks of boxes, unprotected panes of glass and huge sacks of vegetables. They drive on sidewalks, through crowded street markets and on the wrong side of the road. They run red lights and swerve around each other to get where they need to go. Often the sidewalks are blocked by parked motorbikes, making it necessary to walk in the street. And most annoyingly, every 100 meters or so, a motorbike taxi driver calls out "Hey, motorbike?" Sometimes they get aggressive ("Hey! Madam! HEY!"), grabbing your arm or riding beside you down the street.

mmmm, food

Popular breakfasts include pho (noodle soup), baguette sandwiches with omlets, and fried tofu with vermicelli cakes dipped in sauce. There are plenty of good restaurants here, most of them out of my budget. I enjoyed lovely meals at the vegetarian restaurant, that made things like ginger "chicken" and pepper "beef" and standards like tofu with tomato sauce and sauteed mustard greens. I've had yummy fresh spring rolls, snapper in white wine sauce and plenty of perfect pineapple and steamed sweet potatoes from the streets. A lady down the street from my guesthouse serves a delicious street buffet lunch and dinner for 50 cents.

Hoan Kiem Lake

In the heart of the Old Quarter...

Temple of Literature

At the Temple of Literature, I was treated to a free performance of traditional instruments, including a bamboo xylophone that's played by clapping the hands at the mouth of each tube. Below, the woman strikes a bamboo instrument with mallets.

Next stop is Hue. If you missed the first days in Vietnam, click HERE.