Yesterday we arrived late into Ho Chi Minh (HCMC). We checked into our hostel and began to socialize. It was a busy night and we soon got convinced to join the pub crawl. Exhausted but excited to be in a new place we went. The streets were lined with neon signs advertising various bars. On leaving the crawl, we found a 7/11 for a nighttime toastie before bed.

The next morning we planned to go see the tourist sights of HCMC. We passed the monument of Ho Chi Minh; the man who took back control of the city from the French, formerly called Saigon. Robin stopped off at Uniqlo for some new tops and shorts.

We visited the cafe apartments. A block of converted flats which house over 30 different eateries, cafes, and shops. Here we had lunch and a much needed coffee.

Next we went to the war remnants museum which told the story of the Vietnam war. American aircraft and tanks littered the courtyard of the museum. We learnt about the effects of agent orange, the anti war campaigns, the global response, the Vietnam divide, the Vietcong, and the photography from the war. It was interesting to learn more about the Vietnam war given the education we received was a very westernized standpoint.

Then we went to Saigon post office to buy some overpriced postcards to send home.

To round off our day we visited an underground shopping center of street wear. We loved all of it but they did not have our size in anything.

The next day we got up early to go to the Cu Chi tunnels. This site is a section of the tunnel section from the Vietnam war open to the public.

On entering the park, we were told about the tunnels. Vietnam has over 600km of tunnels underground which were used by the Vietcong to deceive the GI (all the forces whom invaded Vietnam including American, South Korean, Australian). The tunnels had 3 layers, the deepest impenetrable by b52 bombers and grenades. The levels had a few larger chambers used for conferences, mess, ammunition storage, and sleeping. The regular tunnels curved to avoid grenade destruction and were very tight. They were designed to deter westerners by being too small for them to fit.

We leaned about the traps used too. They would sharpen bamboo into spike and cover them in excrement and urine to ensure infection on impairment. Some were rotating trapdoors, others foot traps. The door trap was particularly clever. On opening a door spike flew down from the ceiling. The board was split in two connected by a chain to ensure impact when the natural response it to stop the top section- the bottom section will still swing into the GI’s lower section.

After the traps we got to go into a tunnel entrance and a tunnel itself. For some reason I can Asian squat so I had no problem navigating the tight tunnels with my knees up by my cheeks. Robin on the other hand left the tunnel at the first checkpoint. She probably made the right decision as I continued weaving up and down levels through small chambers. One section I heard someone up ahead go ‘oh a scorpion’. Sure enough further up I had to shimmy past a gnarly looking black Scorpio.

After our visit to the tunnels we treated ourself to a Bahn Mi. Definitely beats the costa paninis!

To kill time we went to a cat cafe to rest before having some pho and going to bed.

-M