Day 11

 May 20 Saturday

Rubber tree

We started our last full day in Vietnam with breakfast in Ho Chi Minh City and then headed to the town of Cu Chi. Along the way we stopped at a rubber plantation. Originally, these plantations were created by the French and employed forcibly. Unfortunately, we couldn’t watch the rubber production because the milk collecting season is from July to January. Then we made the final leg of the journey to Cu Chi.

Cu Chi hole

Cu Chi tunnels

The Cu Chi tunnels were started in 1948 while the Vietnamese people were fighting the French. They used the tunnels to hide rice, documents, and themselves. The tunnels are at most 12 meters deep, 250 kilometers long, and made of clay. These tunnels were made by hand, using shovels and baskets. Typically, this work was done in groups of three or four. Living in the tunnels often caused skin disease and blindness, so citizens of Cu Chi would often come above ground for fresh air. Cooking, water collection, hospitals and more all took place below ground. During the Vietnam war, these tunnels were utilized to hide from Americans and avoid bombs. The tunnels were strong enough to withstand the weight of tanks. As we were walking through the museum we saw a tank, which illustrated the triumph of the tunnels over modern, powerful, war machines. At the museum we also saw many of the booby traps created by the Vietnamese to catch unsuspecting soldiers. One of the most interesting was a trap with long bamboo spikes. The Vietnamese would fill these traps with human faces, so that when Americans were impaled by the spikes, they get very serious bacterial infections. Students had the opportunity to walk (crawl) through the Cu Chi tunnels. Even though the tunnels had been widened to accommodate tourists, they were still too small to stand upright.

Heading into the tunnels

We stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant along the river. The restaurant had several pergolas and beautiful flowers along the shore. 

Lunch

War Remnants Museum

After a delicious meal we headed back to Ho Chi Minh city where we visited the War Remnants Museum. It was extremely emotional to experience the horrific events that occurred during the Vietnam War. The exhibits and graphic photos gave us a new perspective on the war, as up until now we have only heard the American perspective. We also learned about the lasting effects of Agent Orange. It was powerful to witness firsthand images of the War.

Norte Dame Cathedral

To end the day, we visited the Saigon Post Office, which was built by the French and is still in use today. Then we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was unfortunately under construction. Both of these building were indicators of French influences. To end our stay in Vietnam and Cambodia we got to enjoy some free time in Ho Chi Minh City with our new friends.

Requiem

We want to thank our tour guide, Tony. Tony grew up during the time of the coupon system, which created a lot of suffering in post war Vietnam. During this time, the production rates were very low because citizens got the same coupon regardless of their level of work in the fields. We were very fortunate to spend two weeks with Tony and learn a ton about the culture of his country.

 

Kelsey Dahme & Lily Geffre