Apr 20, 2006 - Saigon and the Mekong Delta-- Cu Chi Tunnels and a Journey to Cambodia

Carl Henderson Travel Professionals International chenderson@tpi.ca Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Our guide showing us a map of the Cu Chi Tunnel Network	Model of the 3 level tunnel network	Eric trying on a sniper hole for size	An actual booby trap from the war
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An entrance to the 250 plus KM network of underground tunnels	Trenches the Viet Cong used for fighting the Americans	American M41 tank hit by a delay mine in 1970	Weapons and traps made by the Viet Cong
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Guide at the shooting gallery	Vietnamese snake wine	Crawling throught the tunnels	Climbing from a tunnel into a bunker
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Menu items not seen at home	More menu items not seen at home	Dinner with Vanessa and Julie	Local fisherman
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Mangoes for sale at the floating market - Mekong Delta	Cruising through the Mekong Delta	Fishing in the Mekong	Boat eyes to ward off any danger
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Cycling around the Mekong Delta	A short cycle around a Mekong Village	Waiting for yet another bus and new guide	On a sunset cruise up the Mekong River
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Our oarswomen in the Delta	Close up of Oars Locks	Rowing into a Mekong Village	Old Vietnamese man working in his garden
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Children trying to sell us baked goods	Vietnam and Cambodia border crossing	Border crossing - Vietnam/Cambodia	Our final boat taking us up the Mekong - now in Cambodia

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Eric in a sniper hole		Birthday Boy in a Row Boat

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Saigon and the Mekong Delta - Cu Chi Tunnels and a Journey to Cambodia

A return to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now called, was like a visit to a different country compared to the rest of Vietnam. What had seemed like such a third world Asian city when we arrived on our cruise, now appeared to us as a thriving metropolis with sky scrapers, trendy shops, restaurants and cafes. It is so interesting how your views of a destination can change based on your previous travel experiences. Saigon is exceedingly more modern than anywhere else in Vietnam, and at this point, we loved that! Although we didn't have too much time here on this visit, we had already seen most of the major sites within the city. This time we were here to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and book ourselves an excursion through the Mekong Delta heading northbound into Cambodia.

Our trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels was extraordinary. Our guide was a Vietnamese/Phillipino whose family had moved to United States just before the war where he joined the US Navy. He ended up fighting with the Americans and South Vietnamese back in his home country. Upon victory of communist North Vietnam, rather than fleeing, he decided he wanted to move back to his home country and stay there. As a result, he spent several years in a re-education camp run by the communist north before he was allowed to rejoin the rest of the society. With his background and experiences, he had some incredibly unique views and perspectives to share with us as we toured the region that was once home to the Viet Cong.

The Viet Cong lived in a network of tunnels underground so small and narrow that most westerners could never fit inside them. For tourism, they have widened some of the tunnels to allow people to enter and get an understanding of what it was like for the Viet Cong. Even at their larger size, these tunnels are not for the claustrophic. Pitch black, you crawl through a hardened dirt tunnel on your hands and knees gradually sloping downwards. After about 50 metres there is an 'emergency exit' for those that feel they have had enough of dark underground corridor. This is where I happily exited. Eric continued deeper into the ground through the full length ending in an underground bunker before climbing back up to the light of day and fresh air.

The tunnels were just a part of the day trip. The region had sniper holes we could try on for size, booby trap demonstrations, weapon displays, tunnel maps and even a shooting gallery for those that care to try their hand at blasting an AK47 or similar weapon for a buck a bullet. With what we learned, you could not help but admire the ingenuity of the Viet Cong. It is no wonder the Vietnamese have a history of victory with their cunningness, wisdom and smarts beating the French, Chinese and Americans. Understanding their history helps to explain the strong sense of national pride found throughout the country.

After our day at the Cu Chi Tunnels we departed Saigon to head for a two day journey through the Mekong Delta into Cambodia. Either we were just getting exhausted from being constantly on the road or the tour we booked was lousy. Expecting to see a lot of sights along the way, our tour days felt more like a journey from one bus to another boat, back to a bus, then a boat and so on. With each change of transportation, we seemed to be merged with another group and yet another tour guide. We did however, get a good view of life in the Mekong Delta along the way and experienced another boat journey along the Mekong taking us to Phnom Penh, Cambodia - another exciting new country in our dream trip.

www.carlhenderson.ca

www.imagestoframe.com

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