Cu Chi Tunnels

To further our knowledge and understanding of The Vietnam American War, the next day we set off for the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels were about two hours by bus from HCMC. The tunnels were vital to the war effort, and if America had managed to take Cu Chi the war may have ended differently.

Bomb Crater 

Our guide shows us an example of a booby trap

After touring the area, however, it was easy to see why our military had such a difficult time taking Cu Chi. There were traps everywhere. The Vietnamese were also very resourceful. For example, they took American bombs that did not explode and refashioned them into bullets, and other weapons. They were also more determined and committed to their cause. They would sometimes live in those tunnels for weeks and months at a time. Food was scarce, a bowl of rice, maybe some tapioca, and the weather didn't make their stay any more pleasant.

US tank left behind

Bombs that were refashioned 

We had the opportunity to go down into one of the tunnels. Apparently these tunnels have been altered to accommodate fat westerners tourists. Our particular stretch of tunnel was 30 meters long with exits at 10 and 20 meters. My 6'4 180lb body could only handle crawling the 10 meters. I left Cu Chi with deep respect for those Vietnamese soldiers who endured so much.

Entrance to tunnel

War Remembrance Museum

We arrived in HCMC after thirteen hours of travelling. After finding a place to stay, getting something to eat, and doing a little walking around, we chilled in our room. I did sneak out and get a massage. It was 120,000 Dong ($6) for 90 minutes, and was pretty good.

The next day we got up early and made our way to the War Remembrance Museum, which chronicled "The American War," aka The Vietnam War. I am somewhat of a history buff/nerd and I keep up with foreign affairs, so I found the museum very interesting and informative.

On the other hand, as Union General William Sherman said, "War is hell." The museum certainly didn't gloss over the atrocities committed during the war. We saw the horrific conditions prisoners on Pho Quoc Island were kept. The piece that touched me the most, however, was the Agent Orange Exhibit. There was an entire floor dedicated to it, and although I knew about AO, most of it was from a Western perspective. While the media in the States covered the debilitating injuries and complications American soldiers faced from AO, the suffering of the Vietnamese has either been glossed over or completely ignored.

Examples of torture techniques used.

America's use of AO destroyed many of Vietnam's beautiful forests, and left behind generations of disabled and disfigured Vietnamese. It was a truly sobering exhibit. People spoke in hushed voices throughout the exhibit, and I saw a few folks crying. It didn't exactly make me swell up with pride, being an American, by the time I had exited the museum.

The aftermath AO left behind

However, the last US troops left Vietnam over 40 years ago, and while not forgotten, and maybe not completely forgiven, the Vietnamese seemed to have moved on. Unfortunately I fear there will be a similar museum like this in Iraq 40 years from now.

40 years later and all we have to do is replace SE Asia with Middle East