We got back to HCMC and booked a tour to go check out a couple of the major spots in the city the following day. The first spot was the War Remnants museum. It was nice to get a refresher of the events leading up to the war and the actual war itself but the information about the effects of Agent Orange was just heart breaking. An entire level of the museum was dedicated to this war tactic and the results it produced for which I have no words. I think the hardest thing is that the areas which were assaulted by Agent Orange were still being attacked essentially because not only were people directly affected by the gas but now their children were being hurt as a result. I mean there are children born with deformities because their parents were living in the areas where Agent Orange was dispensed. On a lighter note, they had several tanks, helicopter and planes that saw action in the war as part of the museum so that was really cool to see those machines up close.
After the museum we took a quick stop in China town (I know, ironic) for lunch and then went to see the Chu Chi tunnels. This area was about 2 hours outside of HCMC but while on the way there our guide, Mr. Bean told us his story which was awesome to hear. Mr. Bean was born in Vietnam but at the time that the US entered into conflict with Vietnam he was in New York so he enlisted in the US Navy. He spent the war along the Mekong River looking for the VC so while we were going around the tunnel area he showed us what his guys and him would do when they were out scouting.
For example, the tunnels had air pipes that would reach the surface from the main tunnel to provide fresh area below. Well, whenever Mr. Bean and his friends would find one of these holes they would pour black pepper or trash down it. I mean, I know it was war but I think they would some humor in that. Mr. Bean was in charge of his own set of troops and the way that he talked about them it sounded like they were his sons which is why when he told us he stayed in Vietnam after the US left it broke my heart. Mr. Bean is a great guy who sang songs to us all day long and always said, “Nobody won the war. There are no winners.” Wise words, Mr. Bean.
When we finally got to go down into the tunnels, it was a bit too much for me. First you had to climb down 3 meters into a large room but then you had to climb down another 3 meter to the actual tunnels and my god, were they tiny. I was bending over and crouching buy my back was still scrapping the top and I had to get into get into a bear crawl at one point so I only crawled the first 15 meters of the tunnel then popped out of there like a meerkat. Too small a place, too far underground for me.
The next day, I went on to check out the floating market on the Mekong River. Along the way we stopped at a market to see how they make coconut taffy and rice wine which I think was just actually grain alcohol except with a fancier name. The market wasn’t that bus because Tet was still going on but we got to see some bits of the market.
We stopped along the river for lunch at a locals’ house which included a couple of really cute dogs and a rather large snake as guests. I don’t remember the exact type of snake just that it was definitely big enough to eat one of the pups for lunch. After lunch we hopped onto some smaller boats and floated down the river to where we left the big boat to take us home.
The next two day went by uneventfully except for me moving into a really nice hotel with my own room, a comfy queen size bed and a jacuzzi tub. It was the end of the trip and since I had been doing everything cheap so far I decided to treat myself. Hey, its’ my vacation after all. During these last two days I did some lesson planning but I also just wandered around HCMC. During my wanderings I found the post office which has some of the most vibrant colors of any building I had seen. But then I realized that older buildings in HCMC were very colorful and it made me smile.
Oh, and remember the friends I met up with in Mui Ne? Jill and Paul? Well, guess who was on my flight back to Hong Kong? Paul! So I had a travel buddy all the way back to the border. Not that I would have minded doing it by myself. I’ve realized that I’m an excellent solo traveler and that sometimes I actually prefer it that way. Even though running onto familiar faces is always nice, I don’t think I’ll ever be intimidated or concerned about going somewhere foreign by myself. Well, if you knew me before coming to China you know that I don’t mind doing things by myself and this trip has only reinforced that mindset. Besides, I’ve found that even if you don’t know where you are or the language you can usually find a kind person around the corner that will laugh and struggle to help you as best they can.
In a Shenzhen Minute 
I’m an Australian living in Sai Gon, on the same street as the War Museum in fact. It is still sobering every time I walk past.
Glad you enjoyed your time in my adopted city!
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