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Published: June 27th 2007
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Caodist Temple
The inside of the Caodist Temple in Vietnam. Saigon We took a bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon. It was a very nice bus, and we had an unexpectedly short drive between the two capitals. When we arrived in Vietnam, we missed being able to speak the local language and know where we were going. We had to rely on good old “yellow book” our trusty Lonely Planet guide. After getting hassled by the local taxi drivers, we decided to walk to our hotel. We found a nice hotel located in Minihotel Alley—the main backpacker hangout. That night, we did a little window-shopping before we ate a delicious supper.
Independence Palace . . .a.k.a. “Headquarters" The next day, we took a taxi to Independence Palace. This is where the President of South Vietnam took up residence during the Vietnam War—or the Great American War . . .depending on where you come from. It was a groovy palace still decorated with 1960s furniture and had that “swanky party” atmosphere. On the grounds outside the palace, there were replicas of tanks used by the North Viet Cong when they took over Saigon and attacked the palace in 1975. The coolest part was that in the basement there was a setup
Cu Chi Tunnels
An American tank that was blown up and left for waste of a main headquarters combat station where the South Vietnamese Army set up their base for making major decisions during the Vietnam War. After learning some history (Vietnamese Style) at the palace, we took a taxi to a nearby market to do some souvenir shopping. Luckily, we ended up finding our way back to Minihotel Alley, we ate supper at a restaurant called “Burrito, Burrito”—they didn’t serve burritos.
Cu Chi Tunnels We decided to take a day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Cu Chi guerrilla fighters who live north of Saigon helped the Viet Cong fight against the South Vietnamese and the American Army. But before we got to the tunnels, we made a stop at a Caodist Temple in Southeast Vietnam. Caodism is a religion that is found only in Vietnam. It was created in the early 1900s and is a mixture of several religious beliefs: Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The temple was multi-colored and decorated with different symbols that are recognizable in other religions, cults, and politics. We stayed for some of their Noon worship service—which is one of four services held each day (6, 12, 6, and 12). From there, it was off
Saigon
The famous street where the photo of the young, crying Vietnamese girl is running naked because they have just been hit with napalm. to the Cu Chi Tunnels. When we arrived in the Cu Chi guerrilla village, it looked much like the dense jungle we were used to seeing around Southeast Asia. In fact, over 25 years ago, it was without vegetation—a completely burnt wasteland due to the fighting. Americans bombed this section of Vietnam with fierce intensity. They used a variety of bombs, napalm, phosphorous gas, and Agent Orange trying to chase out the enemy and to clear the jungle so they could fight . . .and see what they were doing. The Cu Chi guerrillas were a fierce group. Apparently, they were teeny-tiny people with collapsible bones . . .okay, so they just have small frames, but it was crazy to see how small the tunnels were that they had to live in and crawl through! The tunnels were basically 30 cm by 60 cm and were generally covered with mud and standing water. They used their elbows and toes to crawl through the tunnels dug to escape the bombs and to surprise attack any incoming American or South Vietnamese troops. One tunnel was built to accommodate tourists. The Cu Chi want people to see how it would feel to live
Saigon
Independence Palace and survive in such a small, cramped environment. The tourist tunnel is only 100 meters long with “chicken” exits every 30 meters . . .it is also twice the size of the original tunnels used by the Cu Chi guerrillas. Double the size or not, this tunnel is small! There is little to no light, and breathing your own breath is a nightmare. The biggest fear alongside the cramped space underneath the surface of the earth is not being able to turn around in the tunnel . . .to go back for any reason, one would have to back-up only! At this stop, we also saw an abandoned American tank which was bombed during the war by the guerrillas. The four Americans fled from the explosion only to meet death by enemy fire. The tank remains in the exact location where it fell. Another interesting part of the tour was the Cu Chi traps set in the ground to capture, injure, kill, and scare American and South Vietnamese troops who were on the attack. These traps were made mostly out of wood and long, rusty nails. They were hidden just below the earth’s surface and covered by a thin layer
Cu Chi Tunnels
Going into the unknown (this is a 60 cm by 120 cm tunnel--double the size of the original Cu Chi Tunnels which were 30 cm by 60 cm!) of grass and leaves. Troops would step into them, fall into them, or get stuck in them due to their clever camouflage. Finally, we had a chance to do something very interesting. Billy bought 5 bullets for an AK 47. We had our ears ringing, as we shot the Viet Cong gun across a shooting range aiming at a cow on a large sheet of paper. The noise was incredible! Though the AK 47s were loud they weren’t nearly as deafening as the American’s guns—the M16s. Those blew us away. We figured that with all the gun noise, bombs, traps, and complete disarray . . .being a soldier during the Vietnam War must have been more than a complete nightmare . . .it would have been like a living hell.
The End is Nigh On our last day of our two-month travels, we decided to take it easy and do some last minute shopping. We also went to the Vietnamese War Remnants Museum. Here you can view plenty of graphic pictures taken by photo journalists during the Vietnam War—not surprisingly, there were no photos depicting the North Viet Cong in a negative light. We saw several large American tanks, a
Cu Chi Tunnels
30 cm by 60 cm flame thrower, fighter and bomber planes, anti-aircraft guns, and of course, the “mother bomb” . . .which it is said it can flatten about a square mile of land! After the war museum, Billy got his last massage of the trip while I got my hair done. It was a great trip . . .and one where the memories will not soon be forgotten. Until our next big adventure—see ya!
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Melis
non-member comment
Amazin'
You know Tash - you would be a FABULOUS history teacher! Now you'll be one of those Teacher's that's been then and done that! Happy for you both!