Day 6: It's pretty hot here

     Today the group took a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels north of Ho Chi Minh City. The tunnels were the site of a long, guerrilla battle between the US and Viet Cong during the war. The Viet Cong lived in the tunnels, which were already in place before the war but later expanded. Their setup was very extensive. Rooms of are connected by small passageways that I could barely fit through. There were rooms for all purposes, as the Viet Cong had to live entirely underground. Entranceways were well hidden and scattered throughout the jungle. Oxygen entered the tunnels through openings that resemble ant hills. Due to that, they often went unnoticed by American soldiers. During the long bombing campaign to clear out the tunnel system, the landscape of the region was devastated. You can still see craters from dropped bombs across the region.
     On our tour, the group got a chance to crawl through the tunnels. I don't understand how anyone would be able to live like that. The tunnels we crawled through were even expanded to accommodate tourists, but some of the larger guys still had trouble crawling through them. In addition to the tunnels, the tour guides showed us the traps used by the Vietnamese at the time. The crude traps were very effective and pretty scary to think about. It really puts the war into perspective when you think about what each side had to experience.  

I thought this hammock in the tunnels looked like a good place to nap

     We had lunch next to the Saigon River in Cu Chi at a restaurant located on a pontoon platform. The restaurant was probably the most beautiful places I have ever eaten at and I'll let the pictures do the talking.

    Next stop, a Vietnamese war memorial. What stands out to me is the resemblance to America's Vietnam War memorial. The memorial was inside of a very large temple. On the wall were listed the names of all of the Vietnamese who died in the Cu Chi district during the war. Each wall was covered in names, I was amazed by the sheer number. It really shows the sheer cost that Vietnam paid during the war. In the center of the temple was a large shrine to Ho Chi Minh. I find it interesting how one man is so highly idolized. Surrounding the memorial is a beautiful courtyard and multiple murals. Like the tunnels, seeing the memorial really helps in seeing the war through a different perspective.

     The final stop of the day was a war cemetery. All of the students went out on their own to observe the gravestones in a much more solitary manner than the previous destinations. I thought the opportunity to quietly reflect on what I saw today was beneficial to me. The visit to the cemetery didn't last long, and then we went back to the hotel after another long, memorable day.