Day 3: Cu Chi Tunnels

Mark and I awoke to a call from our front desk.. Get up, your bus is coming! We had enough time to pack and grab a bottle of water, but decided to wait on breakfast. Mistake #1.

The 20 person bus took us on a different route NW towards the Cu Chi tunnels. We made a stop at a factory where disabled veterans help make crafts. It is called Handicapped Handicrafts. The place borders on exploitation and the prices are exorbitant, but I suppose it passes for good employment. No purchases, but there were some beautiful pieces of art.

Another 20 miles of winding rural roads got us to the tunnels. The Cu Chi area consists of 50 square km of a highly contested area during the Vietnam War. It was a Viet Cong (Communist North Vietnam) stronghold very close to Saigon (the capital of South Vietnam on the American side). The U.S. bombed it ferociously, stripping it of all living matter for 10 years, well into the 1980s. However, the crafty VC constructed 200 km of tunnels (8000 miles, I think) of tunnels underneath the ground. They had kitchens, hospitals, schools, weapons shops, literally everything for war life...underground. The tunnels are small. After entering, one woman backed out because they are so tight. And these have been widened and lit for tourists! It was quite small, so 200 m was more than enough. It is wild to imagine what this was like in wartime, when the tunnels were specifically designed to be small so that American soldiers could not fit. The VC were crafty, and some of the weapons used are truly frightening. (Granted, the American use of Agent Orange and Napalm on the beautiful landscape now seems atrocious. Sadly, such is war.)

At one point, there is a trap door entrance into the tunnel system. Tourists are allowed to remove the lid to the door and duck down into the hole. A Canadian woman went in before me, then I went in, came out and said "whew, did you fart in there?". Crickets, except for Mark. Mistake #2.

There is a video of strong Vietnam propaganda that portrays the U.S. as "white devils". It is raw, but understandable from their perspective. There were also robots to exhibit how the VC made bombs, etc. We have videos and really it looks like they are making hilarious dance moves. Stay tuned for those!

Finally, lunch! Advertised as a tapioica party, which sounds like an awesome twist on a childhood favorite, this was a bit of a let down. Sticks of a tasteless root, "a hard, tasteless banana" according to Mark. Trusting a crafty Vietnamese guide about a good lunch on a cheap tour. Mistake #3.

Finally, we shot some really sweet guns. M-60 for both, AK-47 as well for Mark. At a buck a round, it was tough to pass up. The noise was startling, but well worth the machismo. Some argued that our biceps were enough, but we couldn't resist!

We made it back to HCMC in one piece and met with Kevin and Joe to prepare for our 9 hour overnight bus trip to Nha Trang, a beach town. To prepare, we drank. We also dined on a delicious seafood soup meal with the help of our friend Lin. She really helped show us around and even set us up at a hotel run by her sister Be in Nha Trang. A sweet family! The bus was...cramped. Chaotic. Stuffy at times. Joe was wise to drink at a much faster clip than us. We will be taking the train back to Saigon next time...

On to Nha Trang...