Cuchi Tunnels

Our last day in Vietnam! The days have certainly whizzed by. Elliot and I savoured our last hotel buffet breakfast before checking out and piling into our van. We had a 2 hour drive to get to the Cuchi Tunnels. A lot of has changed since our last visit and probably for the better. If you come yourself, you will be allocated a guide. You are not allowed to wander around by yourself which is probably not a bad thing. The tunnels were built as part of the guerilla warfare against the American Troops. It really was a showcase of what you would do just to survive. Some of the methods employed to hide and defend the tunnels and bunkers were ingenious. Parts of the tunnel were barely wide enough for a tiny Asian, some so narrow you could only go backwards on your back. There were 2 tunnels we could try. The first was just to showcase how narrow the entrances were. The second had been widened for "Westerners", with stairs dug out for easy access. Lighting and fan ventilation had also been installed. I only just coped. I'm not sure how much more awful it would have been without the extra ventilation. The original were just long pipes of bamboo jutting around termites nest, with the termites eating the bamboo and eventually leaving a hole thus "no evidence" for the Americans to find. 

The complex also showcased other types of bunkers and things that the villagers and or guerilla's did to survive, such as the venting of smoke from cooking, recycling of American weapons, traps to slow and maim soldiers and so on. It definitely was an educational morning. We had a peaceful late lunch and made our way to the airport for our evening flight back to Sydney via Singapore. We farewelled Oma and Opa in Singapore and continued on almost uneventfully. Elliot lost his printed slip after going through immigration! So we had to stand in customs while phonecalls were made...luckily they were super nice about it. From landing to exit only took 20 minutes so not bad Sydney airport!

Examples of the American cluster bombs. The smaller ones are unexploded ones that the villagers recycled

Hard to see but on the right you can see how there are roughly 3 levels of tunnels, you can only move on the lower levels otherwise you could be heard by the American troops

Tunnels were all around the American base. Black lines indicate tunnel

One of the bomb craters that hasn't been filled in

Can you see the entrance?

There it is

Lucky he is skinny!

And he's gone

Demonstration of the different types of traps

The widened tunnel with easy entry and exit. Too hard to take photos inside

Not sure how this fit in but there was a hut showing how rice paper was made 

Short break with tapioca and tea!

Lunch by the river

Last meal in Vietnam not counting the lounge!

The plane to take us home

Mekong Delta

Bustling Mekong Delta

Vietnam saved its best hotel buffet til last! The selection was big and the quality excellent. Not only did I get to choose Vietnamese coffee, I could have espresso based coffee for free too! 

Our destination today was the Mekong Delta. We headed west from Saigon for 2 hours on our minibus. Si gave us all the requisite information for our day. Today's excursion was unfortunately one that was just ok. We always enjoy learning about the people. However, for the first time today, we felt pressured to either tip or buy something. It was the concept of community tourism, we were brought to the community where they had an opportunity to show off what they do, and we could choose to buy their products if we wished. Our guide did say that there was absolutely no pressure to purchase anything. It didn't stop them from the hard sell though...It wasn't the guide's fault. It was just how these communities did tourism. Other groups were partaking in the various offerings in different order. Just not our preferred way to do things I suppose!

It was also the first time we had a subpar meal!!! It was probably from the style of the cooking from the region, with the common usage for coconut water in their cooking. This meant all the dishes had a sweet flavour to it. The fresh coconut here was delicious though, sweet and flavoursome. 

Breakfast buffet! There were options on each side of the "square"

Todays' noodle station offering was Hue Noodles

banh mi station

omg sushi

Vietnamese coffee station

After a 2 hour bus ride, we were off on a boat

to explore the mighty Mekong and its communities

The boat just pulls up and you walk off the front

Bee farm. My mother spotted the queen like a pro in 5 seconds flat

They were selling all sorts of bee products

Tea with honey, and calamansi

honeyed ginger, honeyed banana chips (yummy so I did buy some)

Next stop was the rather strange combo of fresh fruit and traditional folk song performance

This was where it was a little awkward as they put a basket for tips...I would have rather just have paid for their performance

Scorpion and cobra wine anyone?!

How many different types of boats can we try?!

One of our very strong rowers. Again it got awkward because they were angling for a tip just before they dropped us off back to our guide. 

Lunch time

Lovely view, but food was just average

Elephant ear fish

Our guide showing us the various usages for coconut

He grew up as a farmer and so was skilled in many things!

Using the coconut to make candy

All done on site and made by hand

Last coconut before making the long trek back to Saigon

Japanese for dinner for a change

Peach and lemongrass iced tea

Saigon

Where we ended the evening. Live music bar!

 

There was no rest for the wicked. Time to move on to the next "highlight". We few Vietnam Airlines from Danang to Saigon. The plane was notably more comfortable with the all important USB charging port. Luggage at Saigon airport was slow. 25 minutes for the record. New city means new guide. We had the pleasure of Si (not sure how you spell it...). He took us to our hotel for check in, and gave us the instructions for tonight's food tour and pick up tomorrow. We had the afternoon to ourselves. Our hotel was well located with most of Saigon's sights within around 1km. We kept it simple and walked to the 2 closest, the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum for the Vietnamese Government's point of view of the Vietnam war. Although the heat was not as oppressive as up north, it was energy sapping nonetheless, we limped back to the hotel for a shower and an hour of A/C respite before our 6pm Vespa Adventures food and nightlife tour.

The tour was amazeballs and we all loved it! The food was unique and scrumptious, and we got to enjoy the highlights of Saigon in a fun way. My mother commented that she felt like a naughty teenager and lamented on the inferior skills of her vespa driver. Sheesh! The lightning quick thunderstorm had passed after the first 30 minutes of the tour and so the temperature and humidity dropped to a level that was actually pleasant for once! No ugly sweating here!!!

The usual van pick up for our transfer to the airport. How nice it would be to always travel like this!

Yet another different welcome drink

Massive lobby

"Old world chic" as per their website

Rooms were luxurious

Seriously considered a bath

Bathroom large too

Very green and shaded but still hot

Reunification Palace

War Remnants Museum

The displays and information inside was fascinating

We were picked up at the hotel, and yes they provided raincoats and helmets which were not stinky!

First up, a cocktail at a rooftop bar to enjoy the Saigon skyline. A place that the young and more well to do locals like to come to

Great view

Definitely beats walking!

Great way to see Saigon

Lemongrass clams. Almost like the Thai Tom yum

Deep fried crab legs. Salty and spicy. Yummy!

Frog legs

Looks plain but is packed with flavour!

First stop tick! 

Literally whizzing past attractions. My kind of sightseeing 😂

Stop 2. Showing us how rice pancakes are made

All locals

crab springrolls

Pineapple juice

Wrap and roll. Take a leave, grab the pancake, roll, dip in sauce and eat!

Beef. Again wrap and roll. No need to soak the rice paper. The meat juice and sauce will do the trick

Change of pace. Funky bar with acoustic live music

I love the lamp!

Vietnamese Iced Coffee Saigon style

Last but not least, we finish off at a bar with more upbeat live music

Cheers!

A little souvenir

A goodnight gift from the hotel