Ho-Chi-Minh-City aka Saigon Part 2

Back in Ho-Chi-Minh-City, we take things a bit easier. Our hotel is located in District 1, with Ben Thanh Market right outside the door, restaurants, massage parlors, rooftop bars, walking streets, and shopping options just a few steps away. We make use of this and spend most of our time in close proximity to the hotel. The city is lively and noticeably wilder than Hanoi, which can be a bit annoying at times. However, we have learned to politely ignore overly persistent street vendors.

But since we can’t go without activity, we chartered a Grab taxi this morning and traveled to the Cu Chi tunnels, which are 1.5 hours away. The Cu Chi tunnels represent a vast 250 km system of underground passages and chambers, of which a smaller part is still accessible and can be explored today. The facility was built on three levels and is up to 10 meters deep. The tunnels were used for defense and for living underground. Living, meeting, and working spaces were created underground. Defense and medical stations were also established.

We participated in a guided tour that took us into the tunnel system. A clear warning to everyone who isn’t keen on cramped spaces: refrain from entering the tunnels. Even though many paths have been slightly enlarged, it can still feel unsettling. Moving through a tube that is 80 x 60 cm is simply not for everyone. However, we definitely found the visit impressive. Besides the tunnel systems, there are the especially unpleasant traps of the Viet Cong as well as old war material, airplanes, tanks, and helicopters from the time of the war on display. For the really adventurous, there’s even a shooting range where you can fire heavy weapons. That wasn’t really our thing.

Back in the city, we resumed our activities as in the first section. :-)

This evening, we will conclude our trip at a particularly nice restaurant before heading back home tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow at the airport, I will write one last blog post about the culinary experiences, but I already want to say thank you for 'traveling along' and your interest in my entries. Because you are such loyal readers, my blog is trending at position 1 on Vakantio. Thank you very much. :-)

With that said: Collect moments, not things!