Another early start.

Saigon traffic is so dense that a car is just too slow to maintain our tight schedule so, after scooters last night, this morning it was a speedboat down the Saigon river….

We’ve been in Vietnam for almost two weeks now and I’ve not really mentioned the Elephant in the room.

Unfortunately, there’s not many Vietnamese rooms that have an actual Elephant these days as there are only around a hundred of them left 😩😩😩.

The particular Elephant that I’m referring to though is, of course, the Vietnamese war which, in Vietnam, is called the American war. 

Our destination was Củ Chi, a huge underground network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong in their resistance against US forces.

Short history lesson:

Before World War 2 Vietnam was part of the French Empire (But that’s a whole different history lesson).

During WW2 it was invaded by Japan and the resistance against them was led by a certain Mr Ho Chi Minh. 

After WW2 Hoi Chi’s army captured Hanoi and declared Vietnam independent.

The French tried to gain control again but they were defeated and in 1954, the treaty of Geneva was signed, the French left, and Vietnam was broadly split into two, North and South, supposedly to reunite with free elections which never happened.

The North was communist, led by Ho Chi Minh, the South, Capitalist.

China, had become communist in 1949 and effectively controlled  North Vietnam. 

The US were terrified that communism would sweep through Asia so, in 1963 Kennedy sent 16,000 ‘military advisors’ who effectively controlled the South  and following a few skirmishes, marines started arriving in numbers in 1965 to help the South overthrow the communist north.

By 1965 there were over half a million US troops, plus Aussies, Koreans, Thai etc. (Spain sent 12 – no idea why, maybe in case the Vietnamese attacked with bulls!). 

The only other thing you need to know was that there were resistance fighters in the South called the Viet Cong who fought for the communist North and it is these that mainly inhabited the tunnels of Củ Chi.

Oh, and the fact that the Americans got their asses kicked, (although they still maintain they won) and they finally withdrew in 1975, but not before one of the most horrendous wars in which the US used napalm and agent orange.

Look them up if you’re not squeamish but they are truly horrific chemical weapons. One, a skin burning gel to kill and mutilate, the other a nerve agent that continues to cause birth defects to this day, to try and’ cleanse’ the country of Vietnamese.

The Vietnamese, who had far fewer resources. laid ingenious but horrific traps to kill, maime and scare the living daylights out of the young American troops who also didn’t want to be here. (17% deserted!).

The Americans laid so many mines that, at current clearing rates, they wont be gone until 2225 (yes, you read that right).

At the start of the war there were 40Km of the Củ Chi tunnels left over from the French wars. By 1975 there were over 250Km in which lived 12,000 Viet Cong and the thousand entrances are incredibly well disguised.

It’s an entire underground city on three levels with bedrooms, kitchens, escape tunnels, traps (take one wrong turn and plunge into a pit with spikes in the bottom).

There’s thousands of traps in and above the tunnels that mainly involve long drops and very sharp spikes, often made from the remnants of the US bombs.

Turn away now if you’re of a nervous disposition..

These are just a few of the sickening and terrifying but also ingenious ways to demoralise a technically superior enemy.

Many entrances were boobytrapped with grenades that detonated when they were opened. 

The Americans built a huge base on top of one section of the tunnels and never knew what was beneath them. They couldn’t figure out where the Vietnamese, who suddenly appeared to shoot at them, were coming from.

I can’t begin to imagine the terror of the US soldiers (average age 19) walking through a thick jungle in 40 degree heat, in full combat gear, being shot at and knowing at any second they could spring a deadly trap.

The tunnels are incredibly narrow but the Vietnamese were small and agile. I just about managed to crawl a few metres through a section that had been widened for tourists and there’s not much skin left on my knees. 

Then they let us have a go with AK47’s with live rounds 😱

I’ve just realised the cause of my sore shoulder!

After the tunnels were speed-boated back to the hotel with just 5 minutes to spare before our city tour – in 35 degrees heat 😥

It was far too hot and although we visited the palace and other landmarks we were just happy to flop back into the air conditioned car.

The War Remnants museum was harrowing, with vivid pictures and descriptions of the horrors of war so we didn’t spend too long there before deciding a coconut coffee was more appetising.

In the evening we celebrated Brigitte’s birthday…again…

If you don’t know why this is her second birthday this week See Day 10

…more birthdays to come, maybe.

And finally s cocktail on the hotel roof – I think our combined ages equalled the total of everyone else.

…. before retiring so to bed – another cruise tomorrow – it’s a tough life.

Saigon – November 23rd 2024