Chad and Sharon Moore

Crossing into Vietnam was effortless, the difference in road conditions was welcoming.  You've got to love tarmac :-)  The scenery of patchwork emerald green rice paddies was much the same only this time you saw far more brick houses than wooden shacks, the poverty isn't as obvious here.  After a couple of hours we arrived in Ho Chi Minh (HCMC).  It took another hour to get to the centre, it's home to approximately 8 million people and it felt like every single one of them was out on the road ! We stayed in the backpacker area, Pham Ngu Lao, as it was where the bus dropped us off.  It was humid and we weren't planning on staying too long so travelling to a nicer area seemed pointless.  As it was, we stayed in a decent enough place with all the mod cons plus breakfast for US$10.

The most striking thing about HCMC is the organised chaos, the swirling sea of motorbikes on the verge of a giant traffic accident, the city buzzes with people on a mission.  In the few days we were there motorbikes narrowly missed us on several occasions.  They don't just stick to the road, any path is far game too, from the moment you step outside you need 360 vision, it is exhilarating!  We completed the Lonely Planet walking tour of the city, checking out the sights, sounds and smells of what used to be Saigon.  The lack of traffic lights in the city made this a bit more adventurous than expected.  At times we felt like we were on an extreme game show being challenged to cross a six lane road with non-stop traffic but you do as the locals do, have faith and go with the flow, literally !  Whilst on this tour we entered a vast indoor market called Ben Thanh.  Of all the markets we have been to in South East Asia, this has to be the most hair raising experience.  We are accustomed to the usual beckoning of the traders, Cambodia was particularly bad for this with every single trader asking you the same questions.  The Vietnamese market sellers seem to have taken it to another level, we were literally pulled about!  At times it felt like being in a horror film with zombies pulling at your limbs, it was all too much so we didn't stay long.  You would think they would learn this isn't a good selling technique, buying stuff in a market shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg !! :-)

As with most people of my generation we grew up with films involve the 'Vietnam War' or the American war as its known here.  One of my favourite films in fact, is Apocalypse Now.  So, to keep up with our seemingly new tradition of visiting places that involve death (why is it that history tends to glorify these things?) we took a trip to see the Cu Chi Tunnels.  Most of you know about how the Viet Cong (VC) used these types of tunnels to launch attacks in South Vietnam, the history of them is quite interesting considering most of these fighters were farmers, they improvised extremely well to fight a much more trained and well equipped force. 

Wandering around the area of the tunnels really brings home that movie moment, the bush is dense, the weather was hot and humid.  We were sweating and best of all there is a shooting range so you hear gunshots continually echoing around the trees.  The highlight was crawling through a series of these tiny tunnels (we were told they had been made bigger for western people :-)) which are mostly unlit and the feeling of claustrophobia comes on fast and Sharon had a bit of a panic attach.  It is an uncomfortable but unforgettable experience.

Vietnam is a long country and would be difficult to see completely in the one month our visa allows so we have saved the Mekong Delta, tropical island of Phu Quoc and the rest of HCMC for another trip.  It was time for the beach again, all the hustle and bustle of the last few cities had worn us out :-)