Day Six – Vietnam War-era Tunnels and an Exhilarating Saigon Experience

Not a tale of two cities, but a tale of two completely different experiences in Saigon.

Our morning was spent visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels, about 1 3/4 hours outside the city.  This is a sequence of over 75 miles of tunnels that date to the French War and that were used extensively by the Viet Cong during the American War, especially given their proximity to Saigon, when they served as a base of operations during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

We had a chance to first meet with a Viet Cong veteran, a now older gentleman who was missing his right arm below the elbow.  He didn’t speak any English, so our guide translated his description of his upbringing in the town of Cu Chi and his joining the Viet Cong at the age of 16.  He pointed out on a map the territory in and around the tunnel complex, explained the history of the tunnels, and which areas on the map were (primarily) controlled by the South Vietnamese army vs. the Viet Cong.  He then explained how the tunnels worked and what they were used for – sleeping, cooking, storing arms and ammo.  He explained how ventilation worked – using termite mounds above the service – showed where booby traps might be placed in the event enemy troops got into a tunnel, how the tunnels could be blocked in the event enemy troops tried pumping them full of poison gas or water.  Generally, the tunnels were three levels deep, with the arms and ammo stored at the lowest level so that they wouldn’t be impacted by bombing on the surface.

He answered a few questions – he lost his arm as a result of an M16 hitting it, and answered “no” when I asked if he’d killed any enemy troops, but our guide later said that that undoubtedly wasn’t true:  he had a choice of killing or being killed.

Life in the tunnels was brutal – dark, wet, filled with bugs and snakes and sickness (mostly malaria), and the people that spent their time below the surface really only came out at night – to scavenge and go to the bathroom.  

After that we had a chance to explore the exhibits that explained more about the tunnels and how the Viet Cong engaged with the enemy.  Displays of booby traps, bunkers where weapons or sandals or rice paper were made, termite mounds so we could see the ventilation, what a tunnel entrance looked like, the remains of the crater from a B52 bombing.  And, as well, the ability to enter one short – maybe 60 yards – tunnel where you either crawled or duck-walked in almost complete darkness to get through.

Also on the grounds is now a shooting range, where for a fee you can try to fire an M16 or AK47 rifle.  As we walked around the tree-lined and dirt-pathed complex, you could hear the gunfire from the range.

The whole experience was eerie and sobering and saddening and maddening.  The description we heard of the Viet Cong soldiers was “bare feet, wills of iron.”  We had a quiet ride back to the city.

A few of us took a short walk around the city after lunch, with a chance to taste our first street-made Banh Mi sandwich and then, at a different stop, a traditional Vietnamese dessert, before some time to ourselves.

And then our evening activity:  tooling around the city at night on vintage Vespas!

It is almost impossible to describe how exhilarating this was.  Just me and my driver (both wearing helmets) buzzing around, winding in and out of traffic, going through quiet alleys, past little store fronts and people sitting outdoors at cafes and restaurants.  Crossing the river, first in one direction and then in another, seeing the bright lights on the new and not-so-new skyscrapers, the wind wizzing by us, and greeting other motor-scooter riders along the way, negotiating for space at a stop-light, turning into a busy lane of traffic.  We saw a kite festival along the river.  As I told our guide, if this was New York City, people would be giving each other the finger and yelling at each other, but here it all just works.

We made a few stops along the way – after driving for about 30 minutes, we first stopped for a drink at an outdoor rooftop bar, with great views of the city.  Then we rode further to a street-side stand that remains open 24/7/365 (even during Tet) for their famous Banh Mi sandwiches (I had two) and a beer, while just hanging out on the sidewalk.  We rode further along to our next stop, for a meal of a variety of seafood dishes and beer at an outdoor restaurant, sitting on the commonly seen small chairs.  Riding again, we went to our last stop, a bar with live music performed by a 7-piece house-band and a variety of singers.  And finally, riding back to our hotel.

It was over four hours of just a fantastic experience.

This was two visions of Saigon:  brutal stories of the Vietnam War, from over 40 years ago, contrasted with a vision of Saigon in the 2020’s – a modern vibrant place.