The Cu Chi Tunnels ...Vietnam

If you are ever in Vietnam, there are a couple of things you cannot afford to miss.
One of those things that you must do is to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and see for yourself
how the Vietcong and NVA soldiers survived the non-stop carpet bombing and attacks
by American forces during the Vietnam conflict.
You'll probably need half a day to do this as the Tunnels are located about 70 kms away
from HCMC ( Saigon ).
But it is a journey worth the time and expense.

In the years gone by, I have read much about these tunnels...of how American GIs and other combat troops went on "search and destroy" missions of these tunnels. They found some here and there but did not really go all the way in for fear of "booby traps" and such things.
Many of those who ventured inside did not come out alive!
The strategic opening/ entrance of each tunnel is kept very small, tiny enough for a VC soldier
to get in or out but not for the bigger size of an American generally.
These tunnels are linked underground to others in a vast and complex network that stretch from
North to South, East to West.

It's truly mindbloggling when you sit through the introductory presentation in an actual underground dugout lecture room.
No electricity nor modern heavy equipment were used to dig these tunnels.
So what were the basic tools used by these resourceful peasants?
Not surprising at all.
I had used them myself when I helped my late father in the early 60's to construct an
underground room for me as a study cum simple bedroom, under our Siang Lim Park
home.
The main tools, still useful today anywhere, are the changkol and the "punki".

At last, we arrived at the entrance to the Cu Chi Tunnels. It is vast.

We orientate ourselves to see where we should explore using the Site Map.

Our "NVA" Cu Chi guide led us into this lecture room where

we watched a historical ( propaganda ) film in mainly black and

white format depicting the history of the Vietnam conflicts.

It was a very hot day on the surface. I can't imagine how the

Vietcong cope with the burning sun, the heat, the humidity, the

mosquitoes, leeches and terror raining from the sky daily.

A diorama showing the cross-section of a typical underground tunnel system

complete with different facilities such as kitchen, sleeping quarters, hospital,

meeting room, store room etc..all connected by tunnels over separate levels.

After a bombing raid, the VC emerged to scour for unexploded bombs.

There were many.

They took these back to their underground workshops, saw them open

to extract the gunpowder for making their own explosives and bullets.

Resourceful and ingenious!

These are the 2 basic tools they used to dig these famous tunnels...

the changkol and the "punki" ( rattan basket ).
It just go to show that in this case of the Cu Chi Tunnels as well as all

other tunnels elsewhere in Vietnam...the indomitable spirit of a people

willing to survive at all costs can unite together, struggle against all odds,

do the almost impossible and defeat the vastly superior might of America...

the world's leading super power.

Old men make war, young men die in them.

I am standing on a land. A timeless piece of land that has been occupied for a few thousand years. A land that has known peace and war and war and peace. That seems to follow a repeating cycle of two ages. An age of war and an age of peace. War and Peace are like two different worlds that somehow are intertwined in the reality of what we call life.

In this long history of the land, Unk Dicko a mere mortal, is standing on just one page of this storybook. And this page tells of wars in the past and peace in the present. Only the living like us try to make sense of the meaning and purpose of it all...the wars. The dead cry out for answers from where they lie in war cemeteries, mausoleums, unmarked graves or as wandering souls in marshes, swamps and the humid jungle of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.


A peace loving man surrounded by weapons of war.
[ The War Museum, Saigon ]

Was the War on Vietnam a huge mistake by America?
What do you think?
In hindsight it's always easier to say " we were wrong"





Do you know how many people died during the Vietnam War?
If we take the period from 1963 to April 1975 as generally accepted, the number of war
dead from all parties is estimated at between 5 million to perhaps 7 million people.
No one can really tell.
Many of those missing are unaccounted for till today.

Between 3- 4 million Vietnamese ( both North and South ) died.
About 1 million dead for Laos and Cambodia combined.
Americans dead over 58,000 - mainly soldiers.
Australians dead reportedly 521 - mainly troops.
Smaller numbers for other allied forces.
Were there Singaporeans who were killed in this 11 year war?
If yes, who were they? How and why were they killed?
[ Detailed answers in my next blogpost ]





After studying the external exhibits, I went into the War Museum proper.
There were much on display that drew me closer.
As I walked through the main concourse I ended near the entrance again.
There, I saw a young man dressed in similar NVA green fatigues seated at
a desk by the main door.
Before him was an open visitors' book and a pen. I flipped through some of
the pages. People came from different corners of the world. Many different languages
were on the pages.
I asked the young man on duty, " Can I write something? "
This pleasant young man answered in the affirmative..." Yes, can " ( in English ).


As soon as I've penned my few lines, I asked my young friend
if he could capture the scene in above 2 photos with my camera.
He said, " ok. "....and helped me.
Suddenly, another 'NVA' chap almost similar in age rushed towards me
and blurted out in typical VC -like manner, " Cannot take picture!
Cannot take picture! "
It was a little ludicrous.
His colleague had helped me snapped 2 pics with my camera of
my very own message in an ordinary visitors' book. That's about it all.
It is not as though I was snapping some state secrets. I did not turn to
other pages. Just my own.

And so before the matter escalate and get out of hand...Unk Dicko must
act like I always did in all my travels ( Check my post Heaven and Hell about Medan )!
I asked this fierce 'NVA'..if he understood English. " No" he said.
I held up my message for him to see and said I've pronounced a Blessing on
his country...and would he like to get someone else to read for him?
His reaction?
On hearing that I have wished Vietnam well...he was rather pleased.
And told me, " Ok...ok..no problem ."
He even thanked me for what I have written!

Vietnam...Those who survived and those who didn't.

As I moved from one exhibit to another in the quietness of the War Museum, it suddenly dawned on me that I had no need to go in search of any historical battle sites.
I was already standing on the battle ground. The whole of Vietnam was engulfed in the War and Saigon itself was in the thick of all the action.

In this section, nearby to me was a Vietnamese man, a loving father, pointing to the same exhibits and explaining the situation to his 2 young kids. I noticed their mother was not with them. The kids took it all in without displaying much emotion which is perfectly understandable considering that they are only around 10 years old.


This is one of the most recent exhibits. It shows the discovery in 2008 December of mass graves
of prisoners who were tortured and killed during the war.
Their remains were extracted and given a proper ceremonial martyr's burial with honours.


Not everyone perished. There were those lucky enough to survive
the infamous prison system and they had harrowing tales to tell the world.
To the Vietnamese...these are their heroes.

Some of the lucky survivors and today regarded as heroes, giving
their testimonies about the inhuman torture they were subjected to...in special commemoration meetings a year ago.

Saigon...adventuring on a motorbike.

These images are from the Saigon Tourist Map sponsored by the Kimdo

Royal City Hotel.

The top picture is the external facade of the Hotel.

Map of Saigon showing locations of our hotel and other
tourist attractions in the heart of downtown city.

The superb facilities at this hotel. The room above with a lighted TV
screen resembles our actual room.


[ This is Ah Sup...my freelance guide on motorbike ]
My fellow travellers who are GROs from Serangoon held their official Retreat
Conference/Workshop on Sunday 12 June 2010. It took the whole morning after
breakfast till nearly 1 pm. I was not involved in it so rather than taking a longer nap
especially after watching the previous night W Cup games, I opted for some adventure.
I saw this friendly local guy outside the hotel the first night.
He was leaning on his red motorbike and spoke to me in passable English. He asked
if I would like to go anywhere in the city..he'll be able to transport me on his bike.
He reminded me of the bygone days when such chaps offered visitors and tourists their
"personal" guided tours, including to places not mentioned in official brochures for obvious
reasons.
I declined his night tours but told him I can use his services the next morning provided
he can convince me, right there and then, that he is legitimate and above board. Pulling
out his wallet, he showed me 2 kinds of riding licence he was holding...all valid, without
demerits. His photo and name confirmed who he was. 1st test passed.
" How do I know I can trust you? "...I asked him directly. He was a total stranger to me.
Again out came the wallet and he pulled out a stack of business/personal name cards of
visitors who had given them to him.
He told me to read behind each card.
Every card had a very positive praise or recommendation written by the card's owner....
about the reliability, honesty and dependability of "Ah Sup". Some were his regular clients.
They are from all over including Singapore.
Test 2...passed. My instinct tells me so too. My instinct is seldom ever wrong.
Meet me here tomorrow at 10 am. I will need you for 2 hours... "I said to him.
He was delighted.

The next day, before 10 am, Ah Sup was waiting for me with an extra helmet.
We agreed on the price for a 2 hour city tour at my directions and choice of place.
If you want to save a lot of precious time for sight-seeing in the city, nothing beats the motorbike.
The traffic is very heavy and chaotic in Vietnam. No one seems to be obeying any traffic rules while on the road. Pedestrians are at the greatest risk. Everywhere and almost everyone rides a two -wheeler. The roads belong to motorbikes rather than 4 wheel vehicles. Taxis are hard to
find. Parking space for cars even harder to find in this complex city of Saigon.

[ The former Presidential Palace ]
With a helmet strapped on my head, I climbed astride the bike and my city adventure began. Almost immediately, we were weaving in and out of a maze of traffic which became mind-boggling when we came to an intersection of 5 or 6 roads. There were vehicles coming at us from all directions, some within inches of us and yet somehow I noticed that within this chaotic system of seeming disorder and confusion...there exists some form of acquired " order". The thing is that nobody should stop suddenly at any point for this to work. Just keep moving at whatever speed, to and fro, in and out...while on the road. The few near accidents or collision I saw were almost because someone stopped abruptly.

This was the former Presidential Palace of the last president of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu who lived here until its fall on 30 April 1975. The 2 NVA tanks that broke through the palace gates can be seen on the grounds today. One is Tank 843 - T54 supplied by Russia while the other is Tank 390 - T59 supplied by China. Today, the Palace has been renamed the Saigon reunification Palace.

Everything inside the Palace have been left as they were in the 70's. You can see the phones, radios, maps, communication equipment etc..the most advanced then ( but over 3 decades old now! )...all untouched.


The scene outside the front entrance of the Palace.


[ The Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral ]
Built by the French colonalists between 1863 and 1880, this was and is the most important Roman Catholic church in Vietnam. The church is mostly made of materials imported from France. Special bricks came from Marseille while glass for the stained windows came from other parts of France.Services are still held every week especially on Sundays.

[ Statue of the Virgin Mary or madonna ]

This area in Vietnamese is known as the Paris Square.

Vietnam June 2010 - Cruising Down The River, on a....

After all the day's interesting activities had ended, we finally arrived at our 4 star Hotel situated in the heart of the city. This is the tourist belt something akin to S'pore's Orchard Road. Opposite our Kimdo Royal City Hotel are top 5 star hotels. Rooms here are on the higher side compared to those further away from this location.
We checked into our rooms and found them spacious and cosy. Most important to me was that the TV can receive the Opening Game of the World Cup to be played that night and televised "live" around the world.
I had checked and was told that we can receive the telecast from our room itself.

Our Dinner was at the SAIGON Cruise Restaurant. It's actually a restaurant on a cruise ship...2 huge decks that can cater to a large number.
We were led to the open Upper deck where we sat alongside a long table.
The dinner was a "sit down and we serve you " type.
Food was good but the waiters were struggling somewhat as the crowd was large.

Just before we boarded the Cruise ship restaurant.

Cruising down Mekong river....with ones you love,..waiting for the moon.,

The ole' accordion playing ( here it was a duet of 2 gifted musicians )..a sentimental song,

cruising down the Mekong, on a night in lovely June.

[ A snapshot with a lady officer of the Ship]

The 2 musicians entertained everyone on board with some superb pieces

which went down very well with the appreciative diners. The ship had actually sailed

away from the harbour while we dined. It was timed to return to the pontoon after dinner

and the performance was over.

After dinner, the night was free. Some of our group went to a specially arranged

Ka-Ra-O-Ke somewhere in town.

Some went night shopping around our hotel area.

It was pretty safe to walk around on your own.

As for me, I settled down to catch the opening World Cup action from South Africa.

The commentary was all in local Vietnamese... but it did not matter to me.

Football and sports in particular are universal.

Vietnam, June 2010.....exploring by sampans.

In the Mekong Delta with numerous inter-linked rivers, streams and canals...the traditional Vietnamese sampans is an important mode of water transport. Having come this far, our programme included being ferried on sampans to our next destination. We proceeded to the end of the hamlet jetty and found the sampans waiting for us.

Each sampan is manned by two persons...one at the bow and the other
at the stern. The oar or paddle is similar to those we have seen in S'pore.
Many of the paddlers were ladies.

Mrs Lim H H seated in her sampan waiting to move off.


The sampan moving from the main river into a smaller stream.
The current was quite strong and was going against our direction of
travel.

The others slowly and gently getting into their sampans at the jetty.


My sampan following the lead craft.

The current was so strong that I took the extra paddle to help

out.

We were traversing in a typical setting where many river ambushes

were carried out by both sides during the Vietnam War.

"Dayung Sampan, dayung dayung sampan".,..could be heard as

we slithered through the waters.
At journey's end, I was to experience a most excruciating and incredible pain. The

sampan I was in berthed by the side of the jetty. And as some of those in my boat

stood to get ready to get off, the sampan suddenly tilted to one side. Instinctively,

as I was still seated, in a purely reflex action, I counter-tilted to the other side placing

my left hand on the sampan's side for balance.

At that very moment, the next sampan came at speed ( very, very carlessly ) and

"banged" right onto my left hand fingers.

My fingers were completely sandwiched between 2 sampan brows. Electric shocks

went through my body! It was that painful. I thought my fingers were crushed.

Everyone around near me was quite shocked too.

I quickly dipped my injured hand into the river water to "cool" it.

The injury was quite bad...my 4th finger was beginning to turn blue-black in only

minutes. It swelled to twice its normal size.

Someone managed to get some ice from our next hamlet where we had a tea break.

Nothing further could be done as I wrapped my finger in cold ice.

[ About 5 weeks after this, and after I went to doctor, my entire finger nail came off .

I keep the shell of that finger nail as a "souvenir" of this trip ].
.

During the tea break, we had the villagers singing and performing

traditional songs to entertain us.


Special blend of their honey tea.

Vietnam June 2010...exploring the hamlets, Mekong Delta.

What's the weather like in June in the Mekong Delta region where we were?
Daytime average temperature averages about 32 degrees F while it falls to a more comfortable 25 F at night. So you would think it's pretty much similar to Singapore.
Yes, to a large extent but not in terms of the humidity.
I think it's more oppressive over there.
And somehow, I felt there was also less cloud cover over the sky which means you can literally get sunburnt just walking around unprotected.
The cooling effect of winds were also missing unlike here we get sea breezes blown inland.

After that nice untypical Vietnamese lunch, we proceeded to a quiet mud-caked pathway where about 10 horse-drawn buggies were waiting for us.
Each buggie could sit a maximum of 4 persons and pulled by a single horse.
Once all were boarded, the signal was given and the horses moved off along the same path.

There were potholes here and there and the buggie driver tried his best to go round them..not so successful at times. The wheel of my buggie hit one and we were bumped upwards...and down again. The screams and yells I heard from other buggies confirmed the others were also enjoying
this bumper-ti-bump ride very much!
The drivers seemed to enjoy listening to all these thrilling screams probably equating it to a job well done.

The horse buggies, all loaded and moving off.

Wait! Wait! Have we bought insurance yet !!
In this buggie..D2 and Minister Lim Hwee Hua.
Alamak..too late for insurance lah. Hi-ho Silver! Giddy-up
and go..

Unk Dicko came through safely and did not forget to thank

his horse and driver.

This poor horse had to work overtime! But received kind pats

from this group.

Vietcong countryside during the Vietnam war looks exactly

like this. But these are no VCs in the pic.

After the buggie ride, we walked through a forested area to

another hamlet where there is some thriving cottage industry.

You can learn much about the wars in Vietnam, their causes and outcomes,

about the Japanese, French, Chinese and American involvement

from 1942 to 1980 from this Owl...over many cups of coffee.

Anything can be used for a hat..or a Vietnamese hat has many uses.

Can anyone guess what this is used for in this place?

We arrived at a village hub which has a cottage industry.

This one here makes very good sweets and confectionery for

the local market or export.

They handed out some for trying...durian sweets, coconut sweets..

wow, so good...many of us bought a lot of these!