Cu Chi and More

Yesterday I took a tour about two hours north of Ho Chi Minh City. My tour covered the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai temple in one day. On the way to our first stop, the Cao Dai temple, our tour bus visited a large ceramics and arts store called Handicapped Handicrafts. The store's wares were created by injured victims of the Vietnam War. The ceramics were very nice (albeit pricy) and the entrance to the shop went through the worker's craft tables so you got to see the pieces coming together. The bus ride was not very comfortable (I was positioned over the back wheel, so no leg room), but it was fascinating to drive through the countryside and catch a glimpse of everyday life in the region. Children played outside small tin roof houses, while water buffalo grazed in the nearby fields. In the small towns we passed, roadside stalls and shops offered cold beverages and shade to passerbys. Out in the country, the motorbike is still the primary means of transport. This means the curbs on the road, if any, are sloped to allow bikes to drive up and park on the sidewalks. It's like that everywhere, sidewalks are part walking area, and part parking lot. And the rest of the space is taken up by any of a variety of vendor's stalls.
We visited the Cao Dai temple first. The Cao Dai temple rests in a walled compound that belongs to members of the Cao Dai religion, which is a very new religion that formed in the early half of the 20th century and combines aspects of Vietnam's most prominent religions. The temple is very ornate and brightly colored, although the overwhelming crowd of tourists was slightly off-putting and perhaps provided a grim picture of what to expect on the tourist scene here in Vietnam in the coming years.
After the Cao Dai temple, it was another hour's drive to the tunnels in Cu Chi. The Cu Chi tunnels a large system of underground tunnels and chambers that were used by the Viet Cong to evade and defend against enemy troops. Our tour of Cu Chi began with exploring how the entrances were concealed, as well as examples of Viet Cong booby traps, and dioramas depicting the daily life of a Viet Cong soldier. It's worth pointing out that these dioramas are basically identical to diorama you might see of American troops in museums. At the shooting range, for a dollar a pop, we got to fire off a gun of our choosing out of the selecton provided. I decided to shoot the AK47. The gun was much more powerful and much louder than I expected. After that were the tunnels. The small part of the original tunnel system that the willing members of the group went through had been expanded to twice it's original size. Even with the expansion, the tunnels were best traversed on hands and knees. After the tunnels, it was a long bus ride back to Ho Chi Minh.
Today, I got some much needed shopping done (second pair of clothes finally! Stop crying mom), and went to a fascinating pagoda and also the War Remnants Museum. The War Remnants Museum represents Vietnam's story of the war. The museum was once called the War Crimes Museum, but was changed in 1993 to appeal more to tourists. The images and stories in the museum are ones rarely or never seen in American museums. Going through the exhibits was a gut wrenching and sobering experience. There was no need for propaganda here, the images spoke for themselves, and they spoke loudly. America has a habit of forgetting it's history, especially it's mistakes. And that's no more important as we continue the war in Afghanistan. Here I am, years after our defeat here, in a safe city with vibrant, happy, and friendly people who have welcomed me with no remorse whatsoever. We have a lot yet to learn.
Tomorrow I am headed off to the Mekong Delta for two days with a few people I met on the tour to Cu Chi. I can't wait to see scenery and experience the spectacular floating markets. I hope everyone is safe and sound and doing well!

Cheers,
-Adam
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam