War Tourism

Saigon is many things, including a key stop for "war tourism."  Sprinkled throughout the city are spots with US planes and tanks on display; tomorrow I will go to the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace.  But today -- off to the CuChi Tunnels.

These tunnels (apx 240 km in total) supported the Viet Cong's control of a large rural area only 30km from Saigon.  At its height the tunnels stretched from Saigon to Cambodia.  The area was extensively bombed but the Viet Cong and villagers displayed a real tenacity.  Our guide was a former officer in the South Vietnamese Army and was full of personal stories about the war.  After the US with draw he spent several years in prison, was released, and eventually was allowed to be a Vietnamese citizen.

He did allow it was a terrible war for nothing.  50,000 US killed, 1 million Vietnamese soldiers, and 5 million civilians.  On the way to the tunnel we visited a home for adults living with the effects of agent orange.  (Through birth defects).

When he asked where I was from I said:  San Francisco.  (It is any easy answer).  He immediately burst into "I left my heart in San Francisco" and recounted his trip there in 1992 to visit old US Army buddies.  Small world.

Pretending to go down in the tunnel.  When I did crawl along for 200 meters I tell you it was dark and hot and stuffy.
No way I would have been patriotic enough to live below ground for several years.

Sketch showing tunnels; they existed on 3 levels.

Map of the area -- Saigon is the brown blob.

Tunnel opening