Day 21- Cu Chi and the Vietnam War

Back from the weekend and my first hand experience with the Vietnam War. 8 of us booked a trip to Cu Chi this weekend which is 2 hours north of Saigon. The bus was cool, the weather was hot, and the tunnels were small. When Matt and I first booked our trip we weren’t entirely sure what we were doing, we had read in the Shoestring book that Cu Chi was a place to see if you wanted culture and history…especially during the 60’s and 70’s. So we decided what the hell.

During the war, as you may know, Vietnam was divided in two with the North being socialist and the South being democratic. Saigon, the largest city of the south had a large American presence and Cu Chi was one of the biggest bases for American troops during the war. Of course, just because the South was democratic didn’t mean that the people of the South supported the American cause. We saw a Vietnam propaganda video from the war and it very clearly illustrated the locals resistance.

One of the tactics of the locals was an intricate web of tunnels throughout the Cu Chi region that allowed safe harbor, weapons and intel transportation, and extremely successful guerilla war tactics. Cu Chi is said to have over 75 miles of underground tunnels at various depths, where Viet Cong essentially lived.

While we were at one of the Cu Chi tunnel sites we got to walk around the jungle and see first hand some of the remnants from the war like craters from B-52 bombing runs, broken down tanks which have since become a part of the landscape, and the tunnels themselves. One thing we did not get to experience was the vast destruction that was created by Americans during the war. Napalm wiped out the entire jungle of the area when the VC and the tunnels created immeasurable frustration for the US. I can see why, after the day’s tour the Army was essentially fighting an enemy which was not there. The jungle has since been regrown by the government and is now protected.

As for the tunnels themselves, all I can say is: small. They have been enlarged to allow tourists to crawl through them, but when I took advantage I was still on my hands and knees with my shoulders too broad to fit through without squirming. I have no idea how the VC lived in these… Matt and I also paid to shoot an M1 carbine at the shooting range, which was good fun.

The day after was a nice day off, but Matt and I still woke at 7 to meet a few of the local volunteers for coffee. They really enjoy talking to us because they want to improve their English but don’t talk to each other (or really anyone else) in pure English. Talking to us forces them to practice their English, and us our admittedly rusty Vietnamese. After coffee we all went to the supermarket to pick up supplies to make salad rolls… The ensuing hours were filled with creating a Vietnamese meal from scratch and then devouring it until we were thanksgiving full. Afterward Matt and I were basically referred to as women because we refused to let the volunteers clean up after the masterpiece they had just made. Apparently only the women wash dishes in most families. Later that night, we went out and played shuttle cock (basically hacky sack) until we could no longer track the birdie, watched a movie and chalked it up as a weekend. This week is going to be a full one until we head off to Mui Ne on Friday. Mui Ne is a beach town and I could not be more stoked to get some sun time in for the first time this trip. Adios. 

Cu Chi Tunnels from David Daly on Vimeo.