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| Leigh Inside Cu Chi tunnel |
The first few days of this part of our trip
continues with GoAsia, on the Vietnam tour that we bought while in New Zealand.
As a part of that tour, our first day in HCMC
was to be spent in tiny tunnels.
We were picked up early for the 60 km ride to
Cu Chi which is known for its role in the anti-American War in Vietnam, because
of the tunnels. The tunnels are now a war memorial.
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| Marg getting out of a Cu Chi tunnel |
In the 1940s, during their war of independence
from the French, communists dug tunnels.
In the 1960s when America became involved in
Vietnam, tunnel digging resumed, so that Viet Cong soldiers could evade the
American’s and their allies.
The tunnels were used as supply routes,
hospitals, food and weapon storage, and living quarters.
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| Life on the Mekong |
We were allowed into one section of these
small tunnels, and there were many displays depicting what life would have been
like in them. It was grizzly, but ingenious, and so interesting.
The following day, we were taken to the Mekong
Delta, in the southern part of Vietnam, where the mighty Mekong empties into
the South China Sea.
The Mekong at its delta, splits into a maze of
smaller rivers, islands and swamps, that provide a rich environment for people
to plant, harvest, build and live.
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| Cai Be floating market with their advertising poles |
We boarded a little motorised boat that took
us into one of the smaller rivers to see what life was like there.
It was a fascinating experience motoring right past the places where people live and do all their daily chores right on the river.
Our first stop was the Cai Be floating market.
It was a fascinating experience motoring right past the places where people live and do all their daily chores right on the river.
Our first stop was the Cai Be floating market.
Our boat ducked between the large barges and
small boats, that were carrying fruit, vegetables, rice and all sorts of stuff.
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| Making coconut candies |
It was fascinating watching people doing their
daily shopping in this way.
Leaving the market area, we cruised along into
the Upper Mekong Delta. We were heading to some small villages in the
Vinh Long area.
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| On Binh Hoa Phuc Island |
It was interesting to see how the family
prepared the coconut, cooked it, cooled it, processed it then cut and wrapped
each sweet individually ready to sell.
Not long after, we arrived at Binh Hoa Phuc
island.
There we had a traditionally prepared and delicious seafood lunch.
After that we relaxed watching a concert with traditional southern Vietnamese folk music.
There we had a traditionally prepared and delicious seafood lunch.
After that we relaxed watching a concert with traditional southern Vietnamese folk music.
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| Women rowing the narrow waterways |
After lunch, we had time to either cycle around
the tiny island or hang about (literally) in one of the hammocks to sleep off
your food.
Leigh did the cycle while Marg opted for the
hammock!
While there, we bought a separate trip on a
very small canoe type of boat.
The boat was paddled quietly through the
meandering and narrow waterways by a woman using giant oars.
She rowed while standing on the stern.
She rowed while standing on the stern.
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| Life on the river |
She gently paddled us around a maze of very
tiny tributaries, too small for bigger boats.
We saw homes with children playing in and
around the river, and people doing their washing and other daily activities.
It was really interesting, and a little slice
of Vietnam that we would not ordinarily have seen.
One of Vinh Long's main draws is the tranquil
islands dotting the river, the slow-paced agricultural life, and the houses
built on stilts.
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| Stilt houses in Vinh Long |
In New Zealand suburbs, you see a house with a
car parked outside or in a garage etc.
It was the same with the houses in Vinh Long, except what you saw parked was boats.
It was the same with the houses in Vinh Long, except what you saw parked was boats.
After a really interesting day, we were driven
back to HCMC.
This ended our official tour with GoAsia, and
we had really enjoyed it.
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| Enjoying a drink in HCMC |
HCMC is Vietnam’s largest city with over 7
million people.
That night, we went out for a drink at one of
the many nearby bars and watched some of
those people moving by. Wow, what an atmospheric place.
It is a very lively city with lots of noise,
busy looking people, street sellers, heaps of little shops, and many narrow
streets and alleys full of activity.
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| Buzzing street outside our hotel |
This proved to be a fantastic location to stay as everything was right outside the door, including restaurants, and the main sights.
The next morning, we headed out to find them.
You could still see much of the French
influence in HCMC’s wide boulevards, street trees, beautiful mansions, and
colonial architecture.
Not surprising probably, as the French were in Vietnam for 100 years up to 1954.
Not surprising probably, as the French were in Vietnam for 100 years up to 1954.
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| Central Post Office HCMC |
One of our favourite buildings, was the ornate
Central Post Office.
This beautiful building was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
This beautiful building was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Another was the Gothic style Notre-Dame
Cathedral.
This was the last thing we expected to see in
largely Buddhist Vietnam.
But, apparently there are almost 6 million Catholic’s
in Vietnam, and this cathedral is one of their most important places of
worship.
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| The People's Committee Hall HCMC |
A third favourite, and also built in French Colonial
style, was the People’s Committee Hall.
This ornate building in its beautiful gardens, was originally built as the Hotel de Ville or City Hall.
This ornate building in its beautiful gardens, was originally built as the Hotel de Ville or City Hall.
Over the next two days, we saw many other
sights, including markets, museums, and temples.
One sight that will stay with us is the huge
number of motorcycles in the streets, alleys and lanes in HCMC.
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| Out for a drink on our last night in HCMC |
On our last night in this exciting city, we
followed our dinner with another night time walk, ending up with a cocktail at
a nearby bar.
We ordered cooling cocktails to help us celebrate a fabulous time in Vietnam. We sat there and just people watching for ages.
We really liked HCMC and its vibrancy and
loved our time in Vietnam.
But tomorrow we move on, and it’s out of
Vietnam into Cambodia. We are excited to moving onto a new country.