Vietnam South

Saturday, November 10 – Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels and City tour

         Ho Chi Min City or Saigon?  In the northern 2/3 of the country, it is called Ho Chi Min City but in the south it is Saigon.  In Saigon you get corrected if you call in Ho Chi Min.  They do not accept the victors name.                

     On the way to the tunnels we stop at a meat market on the side of the road.  Squirrels, snakes, rats, chicken - any type of meat you want.

Squirrel yummy

            The Cu Chi tunnels are an hour outside of Saigon. This vast network of tunnels, stretching over 250 kilometers, was built by the Viet Cong in the battles for the south. The tunnels are a sobering insight into the dedication of the Viet Cong who lived almost entirely underground in the narrow and claustrophobic tunnels. These tunnels, like the Turkish cave city at Derinkuyu in Turkey are built into soft rock not natural caves.  Hence they need a ventilation.   Also like the Turkish cave cities, cooking smoke has to be ventilated and hidden.  The Viet Cong did no cooking after 0400. 

            The South Vietnamese and allied armies did everything possible to find the tunnel entrances.  They burnt the forest so that they could track ashes to the entrance.  They used over 300 German Sheppard dogs to sniff out the entrances.  This led to action and reaction by both sides.  First the Sheppards were effective in tracking the scents of the VC.  Then the VC put chili peppers near the entrance to counteract the sensitivity of their noses.  It worked, but it made the Sheppards have the hiccups.  So the Allies found the entrance because of the unnatural hiccups.  Finally the Sheppards were neutralized by buying and stealing clothes from Saigon, making the VC undetectable by the dogs.

            Upon arrival, we had a chance to watch a brief video that introduces the Cu Chi tunnels, followed by a walk through the reserve.  Marsha bravely went into a widened entrance for a picture. 

  Oh, oh, in was easier than out.  Off came the belt and everything from the pockets.  With a group of German tourists and me taking pictures, Marsha was finally rescued by a couple of tour guides.

Nearby is a chilling demonstration of the traps and weapons used against the American GIs. 

            Later Marsha stooped her way thru 20 meters of tunnel.  I gladly waited at the exit. After driving back to Saigon we had an included set lunch.  Spring rolls, stewed pork in a clay pot, rice and veggies.  As always it was followed by pineapple, mango, dragon fruit and watermelon.   Desserts are very predictable in Viet Nam.

Finally we took a city tour.  The Presidential Palace, now called the Reunification Palace, is the most impressive.

The President's desk

 

Decorations varied from wildlife, elephant feet (above) to lovely murals.

Saturday, November 10 – Mekong Delta

            If I realized it was a 2 ½ hour drive each way, we would not have done this on a travel day.  But… we are off to the Mekong Delta, the main river system in SE Asia.  It starts in the Tibetan Plateau in China and flows into the South China Sea.  The river is 2,700 miles long, the 13^th largest river in the world.  For several hours we are transported by motorized junk  and a man powered rowed “canoe” over a small section of the river.  The widest part we navigate is 3 km wide.  On a protected channel we are rowed in an area two small boats wide.
Here are scenes from the junk...

Living on a working junk

A wholesalers junk

An advertising 'sign' on a retailers junk

Our junk and driver

and from the rowboat.

Doing the laundry

Going downstream to get more tourists

Taking fruit to market

            Along the way we stop to see a rice paper factory which exports to Japan.

  These papers are fried, rather than Vietnamese steamed rice paper.  It looks like a spider web, leaving gaps for oil to enter and escape.  Since it is for export, the 'piece workers' earn more than normal workers.  Their salary is around 150 USD per month.  Across the road is the factory's owner new house way above the standard for the area.  
 

We also visit a wine distillery

Rice wine with snake is good for male libido.

 and a candy factory.  Salaries are around 100-120 USD per month .

            Finally we have a set lunch by the River.  Yes, spring rolls, pork, rice and fruit plus some variation seafood.  Butterfly Fish with a carved red pepper hanging from its mouth and a couple of large Tiger prawns.  Yor take pieces of the Butterfly Fish, wrap it in rice paper with some cabbage, basil and cucumber.  Yummy.

            We arrive back in Saigon two hours before we need to leave for the airport.  A quick nap, pack and pizza followed by a final hour drive through the city to the airport. 

Sunday, November 11 and Monday, November 12 – Homeward bound

            Officially we leave on Saturday, November 10 at 2350.  But let’s not quibble over 10 minutes.  A quick 5 hour flight to Tokyo, a 4 hour layover and a 13 ½ hour flight back to Chicago.  Of all the airlines we have traveled on this trip, JAL is definitely the worst.  They have least amount of legroom, worst food and least attentive flight crew.

We arrive back in Chicago at 0800 the 12^th.  A great Australian born, American citizen, Tibetan cab driver ends our journey.