Day 12 - Ku Chi

Even though the tour was over most of the group went on the half day trip to visit the famous Ku Chi tunnels. The Viet Cong built a network of over 250 km of tunnels.



At least one of these tunnels was 7 km long and went directly under an American base. This allowed the Viet Cong to direct sniper fire and then vanish. The entrances to the tunnels were tiny and incredibly well concealed.



The tunnels were very cleverly organised, over 3 levels. The deepest tunnels were several metres deep. The tunnels themselves held many dangers for an unsuspecting or chasing enemy. Also the Viet Cong created clever and unbelievably nasty booby traps on the surface.



One of the highlights of the trip was going through one of these tunnels. EVen though it was close to the surface and only about 120m long it was actually fairly hard work. There is not much air down there, it is a very confined space, it is hot, and you are trying to run bent nearly double. I came out panting and perspiring and my shoulders lost a lot of skin from scraping along the tunnel walls. And I wasn't even being chased or shot at! It was a fantastic experience and really worth doing. I am sorry I did not get a photo of us inside the tunnel but it was very difficult to take one.



The guides at the site were excellent but the guide Intrepid sent us was absolutely hopeless. This was really unfortunate because everything else on the trip was excellent. Not only did she not know her stuff, many of the things she said were just plain completely wrong. Even without knowing much about the place I could tell she was wrong so I hung back and listened to one of the dite guides who was excellent. Unfortunately the rest of the group did not do this and missed out on a lot of information.

Day 11 - Mekong Delta

Today we went for a trip in the Mekong Delta. The Mekong is one of the longest rivers in the world and it reaches the sea on Saigon's doorstep.





As you would expect the vegetation is luscious. Water palms such as these are used to make rooves when dried.





After a nice boat ride across the river mouth we had great fun bouncing around in these tuk tuks, basically a small cart attached to a motor cycle. Helmets were compulsory because of falling coconuts and low branches / leaves.





We got to try some foods and fruits that are native to the delta. They suggested dipping the fruit in salta which made an interesting difference, especially for the grapefruit (which was actually really nice, not bitter like the ones we get at home).





The "cords" that surrounded the eating areas are actually hammocks, and they were very comfortable :)

After some more buzzing around on the tuk tuks we had a beautiful lunch, the highlight of which was an elephant ear fish, Never heard of it? Neither had I but it was very nice. After that it was all on board for a row down what in the US would be called a bijou.






On the boat on the way back we called in at a coconut candy factory. They went to pains to tell us that everything in the coconut is used, nothing goes to waste. That seems to be the way with everything in Vietnam so it was not hard to believe. We also got to drink some cocnut milk from a fresh coconut. I found it a bit sickly sweet.








We also called in at a lacquer factory. The workers here are victims of Agent Orange and the work they do is astounding. It is beautiful, high quality work. The images are put together using egg shells or sea shells and layer after layer of lacquer and polishing is applied. It takes about 4 months to produce a single one of these "painttings", they are unbelievable works of art.








This was the last day of our Intrepid tour. This is a photo of the group at the hotel.

Day 10 - Saigon

While Saigon is officially called Ho Chi Minh City, the locals prefer the old name of Saigon.

There are 9 million people in Saigon. Between them they own and operate 4 million motor cycles, that's a motor cycle for every man, woman and child in Melbourne. The roads are like rivers of motor bikes that never stop, with the occasional log (car or bus) thrown in. Crossing the streets here is more daunting than even Hanoi, at first, because the streets are wider (further to cross) and carry more traffic.





On arriving in Saigon we took a cyclo tour. Cyclos are the local name for bicycle powered rickshaws, at least that's my description. Being out in front while these guys pedal their way through, and across, traffic is really something.






Our first stop was the War Museum. Whilst this is a "must see" of Saigon there is nothing pleasant about it. It is sombre, grim, and very thought provoking. The museum itself is not that well done, the presentations are not very professional but they are very powerful. I am only attaching a couple of the more "stock standard" pictures. To say this was a brutal conflict is a massive understatement.





I personally have not found Saigon as interesting as Hanoi. It is a relatively modern city and well planned. It has a massive market and some respectable and even beautiful buildings, such as the Post Office. The picture is of the Post Office's interior. There are also a number of modern office blocks etc which really could be in any other city.



For dinner we went to this restaurant that had very ordinary decor. Its claim to fame was that President Clinton had dinner there on a visit to Vietnam (2002 I think?)

The Streets of Saigon

The streets of Saigon are wider and much better organised than the ones in Hanoi, which means they are not as much fun!

Here are some quick examples.






Carts are still popular and mix in with the traffic.







Although the streets are wide they are obviously not wide enough for some people. These guys (like many, many others) are riding on the footpath, I thought that only happened in Italy!







Another mobile shop. Drink, anyone?







Another common sight is people sleeping / napping / resting on their bikes.








Pack everybody into the family car for a nice relaxing drive into town.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

In vietnam it is easy to be a millionaire. The two notes pictured are for half a million dong each. At approx 20,0oo VND to $1 AUD, the 1m VND is worth about $50 AUD!

Days 8 & 9 - Hoi An

We spent yesterday and today in Hoi An (pronounced Hoy Yen).

We came to Hoi An by road, it is a relatively short distance from Hue.

Along the way though we went through some beautiful mountains (3 passes) and a 6.4km tunnel built by the Japanese. We also did a quick stopover at China Beach and Danang on the way. China Beach is a beautiful, very long beach, somewhat reminiscent of what you would find on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.


Hoi An is a cute little town that has a Chinese and Japanese heritage. Most of the locals here are descended from the Chinese or Japanese though they have been here many generations.

The town itself is very big on crafts.

There are shops everywhere and they are very good by Vietnamese sytandards.
There are people working and making the products right in front of you in many of the shops.

You can also order just about anything and it will be made to your order, often overnight. Marianne & I have had sandals made, we ordered them yesterday and picked them up this afternoon. It was tempting to get a suit, or at least a jacket, made here. You just show them a picture of what you want and they figure out how to make it. There are heaps of tailors here, as well as shoemakers, jewellers, mat weavers, and other crafts. It doesn't always work out though, it is better if you have 3 - 4 days here. Two girls on the trip (late teens & early 20s) have had dresses made and they are very happy with them. Their Dad had a jacket and overcoat made, the jacket was okay but the overcoat was a disaster.

It's a really nice little town, easy to walk around and very pleasant with the river running through it.





Today was another excellent day.

We started off the day with a cycle ride around the town and the surrounding countryside which is really very beautiful and interesting.





We took the bicycles onto a boat and went up the river, getting a good look at the fishermen along the way.

We found a nice quiet spot and had a most delicious and wonderful barbeque.

Everything was really fresh and it was really, really good and we had a good quiet spot on the river. At one stage a number of boats came up the river beating drums.

Apparently this is quite common and these pboats move in little packs. They beat the drums to agitate the fish, which then obligingly swim into the nets they are dragging behind them. Sounds so simple!

We visited the beach but the sea wasn't very inviting when we got there.

We did see a fisherman out in a "basket boat", very reminiscent of the coracles used by the ancient Britons. These things are very difficult to steer and I would love to have had a good look at how they do it, but I wasn't able to.

After some more cycling around (and shopping in) town we went to a Vietnamese cooking class. The food we cooked (with a little bit of help from the instructor) was sensational. It would be fantastic to be able to reproduce this when we get back home!

Tomorrow we head out for Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.

Day 7 - Hue

We spent the whole day in Hue (pronounced Hway) today. It was a good day, except that the weather closed in and it rained, and rained, and rained - all day!

Despite this we had a good day and did lots of things.



We had booked motor bikes in advance of knowing the weather, and we buzzed around the place on the bikes getting wetter (and colder) as we went along.

First up we took a boat up the Perfume River to visit a Buddhist temple (they seem to be called pagodas over here).





There was a "class" in session while we were there so that added a level of interest.

The temple is also famous for the head monk who drove himself to Saigon in 1963 and set himself on fire.

This was done to protest against a government policy to make the Catholic religion mandatory at the expense of all other religions. There is a very famous photo of this incident, taken by Malcolm W Browne, which won the 1963 World Press Photo of the Year. The car used by the monk is preserved (in not very good condition) in the temple.

Back on the bikes and off to a place where they make incense. It looks deceptively easy to make but is difficult at first. One person literally churns out thousands of sticks a day so clearly once you get good at it, it's not that difficult.

From the incense place we visited a burial tomb (with attached temple) to one of the kings.


A lot of the place has been destroyed but is being rebuilt under a UNESCO program. We didn't stay too long at this place because it was very wet at this point.


From the burial place we moved on to a convent run by Buddhist nuns. They served us a lavish, all vegetarian, lunch. A couple of the people on the trip professed it was one of the best meals they have ever had. I guess this means I do not have the DNA of a vegetarian.


We visited a bunker, initially built by the French and subsequently added to by the Americans.


The bunker is one of a series near the Perfume River. Apparently Hamburger Hill is located about 40km from the place we were.



We also visited a lady who makes the classic conical hat that is synonymous with Vietnam. Her mother died when she was little, she only has one arm, and her father was one of the first people killed in the Tet offensive. So her life has been difficult. She started making hats when she was 10 and now has a reputation for being one of the best in the business.




After that we had a ride in the countryside on the bikes. It was cold and wet but still fun.

The hot shower back in the hotel was most welcome though.



One thing that is very evident wherever we go is how much has been destroyed. And what is left is riddled with bullet holes. There are bullet holes everywhere, in everything.