The Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta

Before I wrap up my time in Vietnam, I want to mention a few trips I made around Ho Chi Minh City:

One day trip was to the Cu Chi tunnels.  These were a series of underground tunnels dug by the Vietcong during the American War (as the Vietnamese call it).  The tunnels were used as supply routes to the South and was a main base of operations for the 1968 Tet Offensive.  Tunnels even ran under a US military base and went unnoticed for years!

A sample map of the tunnels

Before reaching the tunnels we first had to stop at an art warehouse, just in case anyone was interested in purchasing a souvenir.  Why would we be solicited on a group trip we prearranged?  I was wondering the same thing.  I don't recall anyone buying a piece of art, but at least it was cool to see a few people at work creating it.

Back to Chu Chi; overall the tour was interesting and somewhat informative.  Our guide spoke English, if that is what you want to call it.  He was a nice guy and all, but with his sharp accent I only caught half of what he said.  Imagine how difficult it was for the non-native speakers in our group (most of the people)!

We got to see a few booby traps and crawl in the tunnels, although they were enlarged for the foreigners who, as the guides liked to point out, were much bigger and fatter than the average Vietnamese.  The US relied on Allied soldiers from Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand to squeeze through the tunnels and try to smoke out the enemy.  What a shitty job!

If I were a soldier I'd be glad I couldn't fit in there!

And this is the enlarged tunnel!

The experience was made even more real by the fact that a gun range was on site.  Yes, there was an outdoor range where tourists could fire live ammunition!  Maybe the Vietnamese don't care too much about the irony - tourist dollars trump it all!

Not the first thing I would think of doing at a former battle site!

At the end of our tour we watched an enlightening video - well insightful for the wrong reasons.  It was a 1970s propaganda film created by Communist Vietnam documenting the importance of the Cu Chi Tunnels and going to great lengths to describe how the locals defended the territory against the "American devils."  Several heroes were honored for "killing Americans."  I took it as a look into the mindset of the Communists during the war, with historical value but not a reflection of modern day thought.  That might have been the point of the film, but I don't know exactly.  I do know that it did rub more than a few people the wrong way.

The second trip was to the Mekong Delta.  The Delta is several hours from central Ho Chi Minh City, so unfortunately we ended up spending much of the day sitting on a bus.  I wish I'd of had more time to further explore the area; you could easily take several days just to get your feet wet.

The Mekong Delta is full of countless rivers and
streams that crisscross the region and help
make the lands some of the most fertile in the country

The Delta is where the mighty Mekong River meets the South China Sea though a network of distributaries (apparently wiki says that's a word).  The vast region supports a population of over 17 million and is known as the rice basket of Vietnam.  Surprisingly such a populated area is also a hot spot for biodiversity, with thousands of unique species of aquatic life.

A popular option when visiting the Delta is to see a floating market.  Farmers bring their crops by boat to these water bazaars where local retailers come to stock their shelves.  Actually many of the boats are manned by traders who transport the goods from farms to market and spend most of their lives on the water.

To really experience the floating markets I should have gone deeper into the Delta - Can Tho has some of the largest - but that would have required a minimum of two days.  If you want to see the action the best time to go is early in the morning.  Since we were coming from Saigon, we didn't arrive until lunchtime.  So what we saw was a small, quiet, market.  Not exactly what the tour books picture but at least I can say I visited one.  I hadn't had the chance while on Semester at Sea so it was good that I made it the second time.

Now this is the type of market I wanted to see!

A huge variety of products are on sale, at least when the markets are open!

The streets near the river shore were actually more interesting
 and lively at the time of day when we visited

Before heading back we stopped at...no, not another art shop, but a workshop which created coconut candy.  The workers showed us the process of making the taffy-like substance and gave us free samples.  I actually recognized the product from a store in the Central Highlands, so it was cool to see its origin.  Of course we were given the opportunity to purchase the candy too!  I wasn't a huge fan, and considering it was nearly four times the price in the tourist trap than at a normal supermarket, I quickly passed.

That evening my buddies from the hostel and I went out for drinks at the plastic chairs again.  We weren't out too late because one of the French guys was headed back home early the next day, and his cousin (a French teacher in Ireland) was moving on to Cambodia.  As for me, I had a flight bound for Singapore!