30th June - Last day in Vietnam

We travelled to visit one of the 'highlights' of a visit to Vietnam on our last day. The Cu Chi tunnels are set in and around an area not far from Saigon and are an amazing feat of the people during the war. Tunnels spanning miles and miles with school rooms, hospitals, kitchens as well as living quarters were build on various levels for the local people and the Viet Cong. The entrances were concealed in the thick jungle and the surrounding surface land was covered in grim, lethal bamboo man-traps. The tunnels themselves were incredibly tiny - just big enough for the Vietnamese to move through (80cm circumference) - no chance of us tall and fat Westerners getting through the steaming hot warrens with ease! So for the benefit of us tall and fat Westerners, there are now tunnels with an appropriate tourist girth for us to struggle through. (I really didn't like it though and awkwardly shuffled out after about 1 meter, realising that the Viet Cong clearly had healthy knees!!) James was dutifully sandwiched between all the other tall fat Westerners, trailing through the sweaty air and emerged with the plaintive cry of... "I've come on holiday by mistake....that was rubbish."

Sadly the actual tour round the area was pretty rubbish. We were rushed round in huge groups, often colliding with other huge groups either in front or behind, and the guides were fairly feeble. Still, another box ticked and what we actually went to see is still amazing!

Later we went to The War Remnants Museum. This was a totally different story. For about three hours we walked around in utter silence, appalled and transfixed by what we were seeing. There are hundreds of amazing photographs taken during the war, prison cells and a section about village massacres and the use of chemicals (like Agent Orange). There are many photographs of the people who have been horrifically disfigured by the chemicals used, as well as several foetuses in formaldehyde. An incredible museum, and we left speechless.

Sitting amongst the busy street restaurants and bars later that evening, with the locals beaming and chatting away to each other and the tourists, it was hard to imagine that many of these people would have spent part of their lives living through the war and the terrible things we had learned about today.