Weather forecast from my room not too accurate as the windows were so fogged up by the humidity that I couldn't see the sky! When the windows cleared and another bright, sunny morning appeared.
In hopes of beating the mid-day heat at the Cu Chi Tunnels, we left the hotel early and drove past literally thousands of motor scooters coming into Saigon. Soon we were on a rural road heading west toward Cambodia (just an hour away.) . This is the Cu Chi region of Vietnam and has been a vital region in the country's history. One attraction for the French was rubber plantations (Michelin invested heavily in the region). A poor Vietnamese man from the north who couldn't pay taxes owed to the French were transported to this region and forced to work the plantations. Many died of tropical fevers and maltreatment, beginning the Vietnamese hatred of French.colonialism.
Ho Chi Minh desperatly wanted to free Vietnam from the French and appealed to President Truman in the post-war 1940's. Feeling loyalty to their wartime ally, the US refused to aid him in driving out the French; thus forcing him to turn to China and the Soviet Union for support. The Viet Cong (South Vietnamese loyal to Ho Chi Minh) were in the Cu Chi area and began to build tunnels to hide from the French and later the Americans. Much of this rich countryside was destroyed by Agent Orange spraying used by the US to defoliate areas where the VC could hide. It was also the most heavily bombed region of Vietnam as over 500,000 tons of bombs were dropped.
After a brief stop to see how rice paper is made for the spring rolls so popular in Vietnam (we used them in our cooking class), we arrived at the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Fortunately, eucalyptus trees have reforested the area, and we had shade as we walked to the tunnels. It is estimated that over 124 miles of tunnels laced the region around Cu Chi; in fact, the Mekong Delta headquarters of the US Army's 25th Division was built over part of them. There were 3 levels of tunnels, 10, 20 and 30ft deep. The top level could withstand a tank, the second layer moderate mortar attacks while the deepest was virtually impregnable. Relentless cluster bombing by B-52's eventually destroyed much of this network. Photos shows some of the undetonated cluster bombs that were found in the area.
The tunnels were not intended for long-term use but had meeting rooms, barracks, makeshift hospitals(photo of operating table on left) and storage for supplies shipped down the Ho Chi Minh Trail that ended in Cu Chi. We sampled the staple diet – tapioca root dipped in chopped peanuts -- definitely not to my liking.
A few 'brave' (or crazy) members of the group went down into the very narrow, extremely shallow, hot tunnels inhabited by bats! I had climbed down the steep steps 10 years ago and decided I needed prove to myself that I was still up to the challenge. It's definitely not a pleasant experience but one that convinces any visitor of the resourcefulness and perseverence of the Vietnamese which eventually led to their winning the war!
We were definitely a motley, dirty bunch as we drove back to the city. Lunch was at Skewers, a Mediterranean restaurant and a change from the delicious Vietnamese food we'd been sampling. A highlight of lunch was meeting Tony, owner of Ann's Tourist. This is the local travel agency responsible for our tours and transfers. He told us how his dad was killed in the war in 1970 and just a few weeks before Saigon fell, his mother who worked at the American Embassy decided they needed to leave the country. She put 7 year old Tony and his 6 year old brother to bed, telling them they would all leave in the morning. But when they awoke, she was gone and they were loaded on a plane bound for California. After a few months at Camp Pendleton, a great aunt took them to live with her. They grew up and attended college in California but never knew what had happened to their mother for 19 years. One day she called and through many tears learned that she had not been able to located them until just recently. A few years later the boys returned to Saigon where they joined their mom in her travel agency which has become quite successful. Today is Mother's Day and that special story of a reunion between a mother and her sons was very moving for all of us.
Before dinner tonight we visited the Truc Mai House where a family of local artists entertained us with music played on traditional Vietnamese instruments. The music was lovely and we enjoyed getting a chance later to try them ourselves.
Tomorrow we will leave the city for a tour of the fascinating Mekong Delta by Chinese junk boat. This will be our last day in Vietnam and promises to be a special one.
Linda
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