South Vietnam

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Back in Vietnam, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels about an hour outside of Vietnam. They had examples of some wicked looking boobie traps, a small section of tunnels had been enlarged for tourists to crawl through, and you could pay to fire off a few rounds from an AK47 or other very loud war guns. It's amazing tht anyone who was in the war had their hearing left.

Our guide for the day tour was very informative and had an interesting take on the whole war. He said that it really shouldn't be called the "American War" but a war between N and S Vietnam. But here's the weird part. He said that in the end nobody really won or lost the war, it just ended. Hm, I think he could get a good job working for the Clintons.

On our way in, he warned us that we would see a video which was "incorrect and very anti-American." He was so right and we found it kinda funny. "The ruthless Americans wanted to drop bombs on the peaceful villagers" and "attacked like a pack of wild dogs." Ya gotta love propaganda.

While the majority of South Vietnamese were not in support of the N. Vietcong, the village of Cu Chi was 100% behind the communists. They built the tunnels here for this reason and because the ground is made of very hard clay to prevent the tunnels from collapsing. These were part of an extensive network of VC tunnels totaling more than 240 kilometers. After crawling about in these tunnels for just a few minutes, you realize just how determined they must have been.

Next we went to the honeymooners' mountain town of Da Lat which centers around a small lake and is surrounded by pine forest. It was cool and refreshing to walk around town and not get sweaty.

We weren't planning to hit more beaches but Na Trang was a nice way to break up a long bus ride. And the scuba diving was only $40 for two dives and lunch in a nice cafe so we thought we'd check it out. It was just okay, a bit cold yet for my taste but too good a deal to pass up.

We also signed up to teach disadvantaged kids English. We were given the choice between the young ones or the older ones so I opted for the latter. It was poorly organized with kids at different levels of knowledge in the same room and no lesson plan. We broke into groups for discussion. Our group was all girls and they told us it was going to be "Women's Day" soon. Men would clean the house, take care of the kids and cook. There is no "Men's Day" because the other 364 days a year are all men's days. 😊 We told them about the history of California and life there. One of them said she like watching the Ellen Degeneres Show. It was a fun exchange.

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Photos

Cu Chi Tunnels
Oddly, it's really hot in here despite the fact that it's under ground.

An entrance to the Cu Chi tunnels
Sprinkle a few leaves on top and you'll never see it.

Bao Dai's summer Palace
The last emperor of Vietnam built this house in the cool mountain town of Da Lat in the 1930s. Looks more like some place Bette Davis would live than a palace.

The "Crazy House" of Da Lat
This strange hotel in Da Lat looks like it was built by Fred Flintstone with the aid of hobbits.

Striped sky over Da Lat lake
Aren't these stripes of white and blue strange?

Eiffel tower of Da Lat
It's actually a radio antennae.

red antherium
I've never seen one all red like this before.

Na Trang beach
So I lied about no more beach pictures.

Vietnamese temple
Looks like a combination between Cambodian and Chinese temples.

Sleeper bus to Hoi An
Now this is an overnight bus with style!

Comments

[Victor]

toby chillin on da bus
nice bus ride! and scuba diving in Vietnam?! never would've thought about it as a place for good diving, as you say, the price was right!!