Early this morning we threaded our way out of Saigon into the countryside to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels were started during the Indochina War when the Vietnamese were trying to earn their independence from the French. This site was a little more sophisticated than the one we saw in the north. There were costumed manniquins and docents to provide some visuals and to indicate how the people lived in these tunnels. Women as well as men were prepared to give their lives first in the war with the French and later with the Americans. There is a shooting range near the site and we thought that there was a series of sound effects to add to the reality of the site Wrong. It was live ammo being fired on a range. Sadly people over the big 70 could not enter the tunnels so we could only poke our heads in. Our guide laughing said those tunnels were made for the Vietnamese not Americans anyway. Troy would not have fit in. The jungle had been destroyed and all of the growth is new. Rubber plantations are part of the economic resources in this area.
Back to the city and another wonderful lunch. Cuttlefish was the first course and the final one was flan. We visited the Post Office, the Presidents Residence, and the War Museum. Interestingly the photos bring back memories of what we were seeing on TV during that war only this museum presents a different point of view. No matter what ones political beliefs are, I have come to admire the courage and ingenuity of the Vietnamese and to recognize how difficult their lives were as the result of living constantly in war from 1939 until the end of the Vietnam War.
