Vietnam

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This final blog entry is being written in Hedge End which feels like cheating but I need to finish it off. Our last two days in Ho Chi Minh City went by in a bit of a blur but we did have one more excursion to the Cu Chi tunnels to fit in. The same guide, Yung, joined us on this trip which took about 2 hours in the minibus, this time along a proper motorway which was a bit less frenetic than the minor roads. The driving in Vietnam has provided us with endless entertainment and we still find it hard to believe that anyone completes a journey in one piece!

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding places, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for many North Vietnamese fighters. We were shown the size of an original tunnel which was much smaller than the tunnels that have been reconstructed for today's tourists. In fact much of the original tunnel system has been collapsed and the new system has been built to accommodate overweight westerners! Even so, you had to crouch down in a very confined space to be able to pass through the 20 metre section which was more than enough for the group we were with. This was yet another example of the resourcefulness of the Vietnamese people and brought home the futility of the war. The site has become one of the top tourist destinations in Vietnam and as well as the tunnels themselves there are models of Vietnamese soldiers in a range of scenarios in jungle settings as well as examples of very crude looking booby traps used during the conflict. Add to that the firing range and the gift shop, it made for quite an unusual visit!

Ho Chi Minh City has shown quite a wide spectrum of the Vietnamese lifestyle. To all intents and purposes, it is a modern forward looking city but there are many local people living a very simple, hand to mouth existence in amongst all the affluence. It's not unusual to see a lady with a bamboo pole on her shoulder carrying loaded baskets of fruit for sale outside a grand, modern hotel or motorbikes stopping at the side of the road where another lady is selling noodle soup or loose cigarettes! I hope they don't loose too much of their traditional lifestyle with the growth of tourism and investment from multi- national businesses. We were interviewed whilst sitting in a park on our last day by two teenagers who were practising their English conversation skills. They greeted us with 'Hello Grandfather and Grandmother' then proceded to ask us questions about our likes and dislikes and travels. Knowing that we had visited China one of their questions was 'Which do you like best, the Vietnamese or the Chinese?' To which we were able to answer 'Vietnamese people smile more.'

Vietnam is a place we would like to come back and see more of another day. We have felt safe and welcomed - the hotels and their staff have been excellent and it has been fascinating to experience such a different culture. And last but not least, your money goes a long way! One of the biggest disadvantages is the 13 and a half hour flight we had to endure to get home!

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