Vacation Recap: HCMC

Refreshed and ready to go we set out with big plans for a full day of exploring in Vietnam's largest and most chaotic city.  First stop of the day was a small Hindu temple bursting with smells (incense) and sights that overloaded the senses.

The it was off to the Reunification Palace, formerly the home to the president of the south. Mostly the upstairs was just old furniture and things from the time the president lived there, but in the basement, or operations center, was pretty cool.  The maps, old radios and other communications equipment, shooting range and sleeping and working quarters were pretty cool to see.

A break down of the number of American troops that served in Vietnam and their branches.

But the Reunification Palace was really just an appetizer for the real star of the day: the War Remnants Museum.  It would be easy to get caught up in the actual war machinery on display and the propaganda posters from countries around the world.  That stuff was interesting, but what I found fascinating was the stories of individuals: those that fought, those that were tortured and those that dealt with or are still dealing with the effects of chemical weapons like Agent Orange.  The story told was slanted, no doubt, but it's hard not to feel for the incredible burden the Vietnamese people bore throughout the war, and in some respects continue to pay.  I could have spent more than the two hours we were there, but the joint closed at 5 p.m. sharp.  They don't mess around.  It was lights out and you have to leave at 5 p.m. on the head!

The next day we headed out of the city to visit the Cu Chi area - a heavy Viet Cong strong hold near a former American base that is famous for its once impressive tunnel system.  Lucky for us we had an excellent guide named Mr. Bean (at least that's what he wanted to be called; I think his real name might have been Vinh).  He was quite the character, Filipino-Vietnamese, he fought with the Americans but didn't truly consider anyone the enemy.  After the war he spent four years in a re-education camp clearing landmines and learning of the glories of communism, but he said he's not bitter.  It seemed the only thing that boiled his blood was his abandonment by the Americans and the lack of adequate compensation for his services.

One of many different kind of "traps".

Tunnel entrance.

View from the Saigon River on our way back to the city.

The tunnels themselves were pretty cool, although they were widened for tourists.  I shudder to think what it would be like to navigate an original, especially if I didn't know where I was going.  On the way home we opted to take a boat back to the city and enjoy a little extra time with Mr. Bean.  It was nice to take in something different and try to imagine the area as a hot spot of activity as it was in the war.

Next up: the Mekong Delta.