ChinaTeacher

We arrived in SAIGON after our final overnight train trip – thank goodness!  The overnight train trips really sap our energy for some reason.  I think it’s because there’s no window in the cabins.  We arrived at 4:30 AM so a hotel room was out of the question.  We dropped off our luggage and our guide led us through the darkened alleys of Saigon to a streetside breakfast place he knows.  Fortified with “Pho” (Vietnamese soup) and bittersweet Vietnamese coffee, some of our group headed back to the hotel lobby for a nap, while I and a few others headed to a 5-Star Hotel to chill out over Iced Coffees while we read for a while in their comfortable armchairs – Turned out to be a good decision.

In the afternoon, we took a nice slow ‘cyclo’ tour to visit the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace.  I found myself close to tears while touring the Museum.  Of particular interest to me was the collection of photos taken by war correspondents (from 11 different countries) who were killed during the Vietnam War.  Many of these photos were taken from the film cartridge found in their camera after their death.  The museum has also gone to great pains to collect and display exhibits depicting typical detention camps and prisons, as well as the torturing methods used to exterminate prisoners both physically and psychologically.  Also on display are some of the weapons used in the war such as tanks, bombs and photo displays showing the after-effects of toxic chemicals used, such as the 44 million liters of Agent Orange.  I hadn’t realized that many of the Vietnamese are still suffering from this war – many infants have been born with terrible deformities, both physical and psychological.  We visited an orphanage back in Hoi-An and learned that the majority of ‘orphans’ actually have parents; but, since they are significantly handicapped, they can be taken to the orphanages who are supposedly well trained to deal with their inflictions.

   

Anyway, the next morning we headed off for a tour of the Mekong Delta.  It was wonderful, we travelled in several different boats, including a small row boat, and sampled some fantastic Vietnamese cuisine, Honey Tea, Coconut Candy and Coconut Wine (yum!).  The scenery was spectacular!

    

That afternoon we took a tour to the infamous CHU CHI Tunnels.  Over 250 km worth of tunnels were dug by the Vietnamese.  Parts of these tunnels were several stories deep, including trap doors, living areas, weapons factories (they would actually collect used American shell casings, etc. and manufacture them into usable artillery for their own use), field hospitals, kitchens and storage facilities.  After seeing just a small example of the tunnels, I can only have the utmost admiration for these resourceful people.  These mole-like tunnels enabled the VC to conduct surprise attacks and then to disappear suddenly into hidden trapdoors without a trace.  The Americans were unable to defeat them through ground operations and finally had to resort to firepower, turning the Chu Chi tunnel area into what is described as “the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated, and devastated area in the history of warfare”.  You have to see these tunnels to actually appreciate how nimble the VC had to be – they are so tiny in size – the American soldiers would have had extreme difficulty trying to enter them.  Oh yes, I also shot an AK47 while I was there – check out my photo!FINAL WORDSI must say that SAIGON has not embraced me in the same way as Hanoi.  Hanoi’s Old Quarter has a certain ‘magical’ quality to it – I simply can’t describe it.  If I were to plan a return visit to Vietnam, I would probably focus more on the north, ie Hanoi, Sapa and Halong Bay.  Although I did very much enjoy Hoi-An and Nha Trang.  I visited a lot of wonderful places along the way and met some amazing people.  Vietnam is a very beautiful country indeed.  And, if you come to Vietnam, be prepared to gain some weight.  The food here is amazing!  Now, I have to head back to China and try to stick to vegetables and water for a while!

 

 

 

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 25th, 2007 at 11:52 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.