Wizz and Tom's Big Trip: South Vietnam

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

South Vietnam

Motobikes in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Reunification Palace - this was the site that signalled the end of the Vietnam war during the fall of Saigon in 1975 when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates

Vietnam - synonymous with Communism and a nation that singlehandedly defeated two of the most dominant countries in the world, first France shortly followed by, of course, the US - our final country in SE Asia. Our crossing from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon took us through the heart of the Mekong Delta. We stopped for lunch in Ha Tien, just beyond the border crossing on the south coast and experienced our first taste of delicious Vietnamese food.

Living the 'high life' - rooftop bar in HCMC

Arriving in HCMC little did we know that this would be our home for far longer than expected, thanks to the rigmarole applying for visas to China (ridiculous bureaucracy enforced by the Chinese government), but aside from our numerous embassy visits, including a chat with the British consulate, we did start to learn all about the American War... First stop, War Museum, complete with tanks, helicopters and howitzers all emblazoned with “US Army”. The museum is a really informative place, lots of newspaper cuttings and demonstration photos taken around the world in the ‘60s and ‘70s. One thing that struck us in particular is how the US flouted so many of the UN’s international war laws and the use of Agent Orange sprayed across the Vietnamese land and people had a devastating effect that is still being experienced by the thousands of people, particularly children, now living with horrific deformities and serious health conditions.

Tom at the war museum

HCMC at night - the opera house

The Cu Chi tunnels about an hour north of the city were almost inconceivable. It is a network of approx 200km of underground tunnels in parts dug as deep down as 9m, home to hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese hiding from the American carpet bomb attacks. We were shown some of the original tunnels – absolutely tiny in size, I could barely squeeze into the trap door - where people lived for months on end, cooking, sleeping, even giving birth but never going above ground until it was safe. The tunnel network is immense and even when the US Army became aware of its existence there was little they could do as they were a) so well camouflaged in the ground b) far too small for any American soldier to climb into. Whatever our opinions beforehand, seeing these kinds of conditions gave us a deep respect for the Vietnamese, the sheer courage and bravery they must have had to persevere and live in such conditions is unimaginable.

Disappearing Vietcong-style into one of the tunnels. We were told "the fat Americans couldn't fit":

Gone!

Tom firing an AK-47

HCMC is also home to more than 3 million motorbikes and is insanely busy. Crossing the road feels like you're taking your life into your own hands. The advice is to walk slowly across and never run. Motorbikes whizz past never stopping or even slowing but just swerving out the way last minute - very scary! HCMC is also quite afluent in parts with one area of the city home to various fashion boutiques, designer watch and handbag shops and 5* hotels. Communism indeed!

Following HCMC we headed up the coast to Nha Trang. The beach town of Nha Trang is reported to be the best beach in Vietnam – we agree! The beach itself is pretty darn picturesque and we found the cheapest, tastiest food for a long time being barbequed by the side of the road – yum.

The beach at Nha Trang

Heading further up the coast to Hoi An, famed for its Chinese and Japanese influences from the days when it was a thriving sea port. I’d say a fair comparison is to Laos’ Luang Prabang, though swap the mustard coloured colonial French villas for Chinese styled wooden houses. We soon forgot about the constant hassle from the town’s tailors and dress makers although our trip inside one tailors’ shop lead us upstairs to look at silk worms weaving their magic.