Monday, April 6
We arrived at Phu My about 5am, and our tour was departing at 6:45am, so it was an early start for us and we actually saw the sun rise! As we walked to our coach it was already very warm, but it was an air conditioned coach so we settled back for the 3 hour trip to the Cu Chi tunnels, about an hour north of Saigon. The network of tunnels was built by the Viet Cong in 1948 when the French ruled Vietnam, and as the French were not popular with the locals they used them to harass the French and then just disappear into the jungle. After the French left and the war started between the Communists in the north and the US backed government in the south, the tunnels were extended further and became the key difference in the outcome of the war as the US and it's allies couldn't cope with the guerrilla tactics of the VC in the jungle.
Today the tunnels are a tourist attraction run by the government, but it is very well done and gives you an appreciation of what our troops had to face, and why so many came home with mental problems. It must have been horrific, given the hot and humid conditions in the dry season, the torrential rain and mud in the wet season, and just not knowing who your enemy was or where he was. It also highlighted the ingenuity of the locals which more than countered the technological advantage the US had.
Our tour guide Ho was a scream, he had a great sense of humour and his English was very good, but he kept missing the "c" at the start of a word so you had to listen hard to work out what he was saying about rice rops, rocodiles, bomb raters and so on. He talked about life in Saigon both during and after the war, family traditions, culture, and just about everything else. He informed us that the population of Saigon is about 9 million people, and apparently there are 4 million motorbikes and scooters! Consequently it was raffertys rules on the roads but it flowed smoothly and we didn't see any accidents. Fortunately we had a very skilful driver who weaved his way through all the bikes to get us to and from our destination safely.
At Cu Chi where there used to be bunkers a couple of metres underground they have exposed these and put thatched roofs over them, so you walk down a few steps and you can see what the kitchen, medical, eating and workshop bunkers were like. There were smaller tunnels leading from these, but you had to know where they went, and this knowledge was a closely guarded secret during the war so the US were never sure how extensive they were. The network of tunnels extended about 250km, and even went beneath the big US airbase nearby - the VC used to go and hide under the airbase while the nearby countryside was bombed, knowing they were safe under the air base!
We were guided along different paths through natural jungle, and saw the hidden entrances and exits, air vents, assorted spike traps, and given insights into how the VC won the hearts and minds of the local farmers who lived in the villages around the tunnel area. It must have been horrific for all concerned, but our guide Ho explained that the new VC stands for Viet Capitalists, so he's not sure who really won or lost!!
I managed to fit into one of the original hidden holes, while the 100 metre tunnel we crawled through had been widened for westerners - still it made you appreciate how bad it would have been spending days in these tunnels. As we were walking around the complex you could hear guns being fired, and this added to the scary atmosphere, but only a fraction of what it would have been really like. Before we left we were given a cup of tea and some cooked tapioca root to try - both were enjoyable, and apparently this was the staple diet of the VC during the war.
The reason for the gunfire was that there was a shooting range in the complex, and for extra $s you could fire a weapon of your choice. I couldn't resist, and coughed up my $15 to fire 10 bullets using an M30 machine gun. An instructor showed me what to do and I fired off a couple of rounds, then another couple and then a few more, and my 10 rounds were gone. I'm not into guns but it was a buzz, and I don't think I'll get another chance to have a go on a gun like this.
Included in our tour was a lunch, so we were driven to a local restaurant overlooking the Saigon River where we enjoyed a westernised Vietnamese meal - the restaurants in Box Hill and other parts of Melbourne serve better food but it was good to wash it down with a Saigon beer. It was then another 3 hours drive back to the ship and we arrived at 4pm, just 30 minutes before the ship was due to sail. We really enjoyed the day and rated it one of the best ship's tours we have done.
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