Day 35: Ho Chi Minh City

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Saigon is a lively, booming city full of historical landmarks and attractions. We say it’s like an upgraded version of Hanoi; much more to see and do. We were warmly welcomed into the home/hostel of Vy, who took us through a map of Ho Chi Minh city and even gave us her personal phone number incase we get lost or need her help. She really is the perfect host.
We started with a tour around the Cu Chi tunnels; an immense network of connecting tunnels used by the ‘Viet Cong’ soldiers as hiding spots during combat at wartime. We were shown booby traps cunningly invented by the Vietnamese to kill and injure the American soldiers. These traps were lethal; the Vietnamese were crafty as hell. Before our guide showed us how each trap worked he’d say, “welcome to Vietnam”.
They also cleverly made the entrances and doors narrow enough for Vietnamese to fit but not American soldiers. Genius.
American soldiers would throw grenades down the tunnels to destroy them, which failed due to the design of the tunnels and strategic use of air filtration and trap doors. They were unstoppable.
I was mesmerised by the whole experience and highlights why I wanted to come to this city so much. Tomorrow we visit the War Remnants Museum among with other tourist hotspots around the city.

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