Cu Chi Tunnel: Discovering Vietnam War Zone
Among the many countries I've visited, Vietnam is probably one of the most memorable places on my list - particularly in Saigon. Saigon was the old name of the now famous tourist destination in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh city.
My friends and I were able to take a peek of the historic Vietnam War (1954-1975) through the relics and remnants in Cu Chi District. I was very excited going to this place because of one reason - shooting range. I couldn't wait to try it.
It was a half day tour schedule... Then we were on board going to this historical site.
On the bus going to Cu Chi Tunnel with our tour guide, Vietnam War veteran - Mr. Bean. Oh no! not the Mr. Bean on television. *wink
Along the way, this sign was erected. We were getting nearer...
First thing first, Mr. Bean bought our tickets for our half day tour.
We passed through this underpass to get to the main area.
Tour guides and staff were positioned everywhere in the area.
When we got in, a tour guide was already explaining about the war and the incredible structure of the Cu Chi Tunnel. I was really impressed and amazed on how these tunnels were built. The board he's pointing at was the structural design of the tunnels under the ground during the time.
After the quick lecture, we headed to a specific part of war zone. I was listening intently to our guide when I noticed something.. I felt something strange on the spot I was standing on.. And bwala, our guide asked me to move way from my spot. And there you have it - a hidden tunnel entrance. The entrance had a wooden covering overlaid with dried leaves. You can barely notice it, unless you are very vigilant on your surrounding... ehem!
Vietnamese soldiers took advantage of their small body build to outwit their enemies. They built these small tunnels. See my friend Patricia? Yeah she was able to fit in. hihi. We were shown more tunnel entrances/exits, and they were even smaller than the first one. Whew!
Next up, we were shown various types of booby traps the Vietnamese soldiers used during the war. The traps were covered in green grass that made them unnoticeable..The traps had different designs meant for different scenarios.
I wondered how many soldiers fell on these traps...
Our next destination was the spot where the soldiers recycled those missiles and other explosives that didn't explode... err.. how do you say it?..
They carefully disassembled the parts of the missiles and created new ones. Resourceful hu? There were life-sized replicas of soldiers working.
The fun thing about this spot is there was a switch that controlled all soldier replicas allowing them to move - like they were really working. Isn't that cool?
We were on to our next war remnant.. and it was the original tank left by the American soldiers at the zone. I was so amazed as it was my first time seeing a real tank face to face. Whew!
And now to the most anticipated part of the tour, for me.. the shooting range!.. I was so ready to try firing a gun..I've come this far to try shooting. *wink. And then...
The Cu Chi shooting rates were a bit EXPENSIVE!..hahaha.. Actually, we could afford it.. but we hesitated...We thought if it was worth the price.. My heart sank when we finally decided NO!.. But we can do it back home for lesser price. .. awwkay...
These were the guns available for the shooting..They looked old but these were the gun types back in time. I would have chosen the AK-47.. Arg..
This was the actual shooting range. Envy mode on..
And the highlight of the Cu Chi Tunnel tour.. the tunnel where we got to experience how it felt to be under the ground.. Yikes! See the image above, it was the entrance to the tunnel. So we were so excited and presented to be first on the line, which was a wrong technique, if I were to say.
We had a different guide for this adventure... And there we go, we got inside and went down to another level and then down to another level. We were about 15 feet below the ground....
Inside the tunnel, we had to squat while walking since the tunnel was small. It was pitch dark so I kept on flashing my camera to see where we were heading.
So it was so dark. The air was getting thinner and thinner. We were sweating already.. My thoughts wandered for a few seconds thinking "So this is how it felt to be dead?" haha..
Anyway, the tunnel had 3 exits. My friend who's first on the line got panicked when our guide run and went out on the first exit (which was supposed to be part of the adventure- to finish on our own). So we followed the guide outside along with 2 Spanish gents who were behind us. The rest of the people on our group went on. And we decided not to continue the adventure except for our guy friend - he went back and finished the 3rd exit.
It was so hot under the ground and we could hardly breathe. According to our guy friend, there was a part on the way to the 3rd exit that you needed to almost crawl on the ground. woahh..
We just met all of them at the 3rd exit. We also cheered for them. hahaha..
Honestly, I felt like a loser at first because I wasn't able to finish it.. but on second thought, the experience was already enough to realize the hardship that the soldiers went through to fight for what they believed --- and their freedom.
I figured out a technique in going inside the tunnel. We should have opted to be on the tail of our line so we will have enough time to pose and take photos. haha, We didn't have vivid photos inside the tunnel except for these not-so-clear photos. -_-
After this activity, we headed out of the area because there were mosquitoes there.
So this was our adventure in Cu Chi Tunnel.
Are you planning to visit Ho Chi Minh City soon? Share your experiences!
Sept '14