the DMZ

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Our friends Christine and Mathieu had decided to stick around and we all hired a driver and private taxi for the day, travelling back North to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

After the French occupation, Vietnam was divided in half on the 17th paralell. North was run by the Republic of Vietnam, and the Americans came in to try and maintain democracy in South. The war blared ironically, with particularly bad consequences, vividly captured in B&W photos, in the DMZ.

Our tour stopped first for a Vietnamese Coffee. The stuff is like refined rocket-fuel. If the water's safe, you have about 30 minutes of buzz, if it's not so pure it combines with the supercharged caffeine for a healthy trip to the nearest toilet! Served piping hot, or iced, over condensed milk it is the best coffee in the world!

Next, a war memorial on the grounds of an American Air base, just South of the DMZ, which commemorated the VC (Vietnamese Communists/ Cong's) victory in the South. The original barracks lay strewn amoung scrap metal, unexploded bombs, and leftover uniforms.

The Ben Hai river runs through the DMZ and there is a bridge signifying crossing N to S. There are concrete turrets riddles with bullet strikes and some small chips with rusted bullets still in them. Strange for an area supposedly 'Demilitarized'.

The main stop was the Vinh Moc tunnels. Hundreds of local people escaped the bombing in 100's of km's of trenches supplying ammunition and food, and of course in 3 tiers of tunnels. They are just about big enough to walk around in. Our guide led us through 400m of tunnels which ran between 10 and 23 meters underground. The warren of refuge tunnels were dug by hand, and housed 400 people for 6 years during the fighting. It was amazing to think of the peoples sheer commitment to life.

Minor confusion on our drivers behalf over us not wanting to eat in a restaurant paying him commission. I learned a few fast stern words in Vietnamese, getting us to a Cafe, but ultimately resulting in him not taking us anywhere but home! A really informative day, well worth the frustration and language barrier!

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