Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now known, is a strange place. A very busy city during the day but then the numbers of people dramatically seems to multiply as soon as the sun sets. The population is 9 million and apparently there are 8 million mopeds. This cannot be an exaggeration. There are so many mopeds filling the streets. They ride 7 or 8 abreast on either side of the road and once they are waiting at traffic lights, they all try to squeeze into the same narrow spots, and that's when the squabbles start! Brilliant place for people watching.
We did a couple of little day trips during our time here. The first to the Mekong delta. This is an overrated conveyer belt from one tourist trap to another. And all the way round there are people asking for tips. We wouldn't do it again. But it might have been better to do more than a 1 day trip. Maybe that was a bit harsh. It was very touristy but there were some pretty good bits. We drank honey tea and snake whisky, had a boat ride and I had a python round my neck.
Anyway, the second trip was much better. We went to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Vietnamese hid in the jungle against the Americans. The Vietnamese, or Viet Cong as they were known, hid and travelled underground and built traps. The traps were made from bamboo and shrapnel from the Americans bombs!
We could crawl through the tunnels and down into the ambush holes. All the time we were seeing these, there was the sound of AK47s shooting live rounds at the local firing range. This brought things a little closer to home.
After we had been there, we headed to a war remnants museum. This was full of newspaper extracts and photographs from around the world covering the Vietnam war. It seems strange to us as neither the Vietnamese or the Americans wanted the Americans there but in they waded.
The most startling bit was the section on chemical weapons. America dropped gallons of 'agent orange' on the Vietnamese and used other chemicals and phosphorous bombs to kill people, crops and livestock. Only 89 grams of the main chemical in it, had enough toxicity to wipe out a city with a population of 8 million people, i.e. nearly the same size as Saigon. Agent orange caused a genetic dysfunction that is still affecting children born now. Children are being born 3 generations after the war with deformities, learning disabilities or missing limbs or organs.
We went to a factory that was set up by the government to employ people with agent orange disabilities that makes pictures and ornaments. Some of the guys there are amazing. We saw a middle aged man (who couldn't have been more than 3 ft tall when standing) on a trike guiding a teenage boy who was born without eyes around the building. That was remarkable. Some of the things they were making were so ornate. We actually bought a picture made with egg shells and the proceeds went to continuing employing those affected. And it isn't just a few people that are affected. You walk down the streets and in a 10 minute walk you will see several people that have either been born with deformities or lost limbs from the land mines that are still strewn all over the countryside. Truly moving.
There were some interesting facts we learnt too. That there were 32 cities damaged in the war, with 28 having significant damage and 12 that were wholly destroyed by American bombing raids. We were also told that the Americans spent more than 3 times the amount on the Vietnamese war than they did on WWII. The amount of bombs dropped was nearly 10 times the amount. Not even mentioning the millions of civilians killed or tortured to death.
Although it was quite a harrowing end to our adventure here, we are very glad we saw it. Vietnam is an amazing country that has been through so much. The people are all very friendly and the place itself is beautiful. If you ever get the chance, go!
But for us, it's now time to go to Cambodia.
We did a couple of little day trips during our time here. The first to the Mekong delta. This is an overrated conveyer belt from one tourist trap to another. And all the way round there are people asking for tips. We wouldn't do it again. But it might have been better to do more than a 1 day trip. Maybe that was a bit harsh. It was very touristy but there were some pretty good bits. We drank honey tea and snake whisky, had a boat ride and I had a python round my neck.
Anyway, the second trip was much better. We went to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Vietnamese hid in the jungle against the Americans. The Vietnamese, or Viet Cong as they were known, hid and travelled underground and built traps. The traps were made from bamboo and shrapnel from the Americans bombs!
We could crawl through the tunnels and down into the ambush holes. All the time we were seeing these, there was the sound of AK47s shooting live rounds at the local firing range. This brought things a little closer to home.
After we had been there, we headed to a war remnants museum. This was full of newspaper extracts and photographs from around the world covering the Vietnam war. It seems strange to us as neither the Vietnamese or the Americans wanted the Americans there but in they waded.
The most startling bit was the section on chemical weapons. America dropped gallons of 'agent orange' on the Vietnamese and used other chemicals and phosphorous bombs to kill people, crops and livestock. Only 89 grams of the main chemical in it, had enough toxicity to wipe out a city with a population of 8 million people, i.e. nearly the same size as Saigon. Agent orange caused a genetic dysfunction that is still affecting children born now. Children are being born 3 generations after the war with deformities, learning disabilities or missing limbs or organs.
We went to a factory that was set up by the government to employ people with agent orange disabilities that makes pictures and ornaments. Some of the guys there are amazing. We saw a middle aged man (who couldn't have been more than 3 ft tall when standing) on a trike guiding a teenage boy who was born without eyes around the building. That was remarkable. Some of the things they were making were so ornate. We actually bought a picture made with egg shells and the proceeds went to continuing employing those affected. And it isn't just a few people that are affected. You walk down the streets and in a 10 minute walk you will see several people that have either been born with deformities or lost limbs from the land mines that are still strewn all over the countryside. Truly moving.
There were some interesting facts we learnt too. That there were 32 cities damaged in the war, with 28 having significant damage and 12 that were wholly destroyed by American bombing raids. We were also told that the Americans spent more than 3 times the amount on the Vietnamese war than they did on WWII. The amount of bombs dropped was nearly 10 times the amount. Not even mentioning the millions of civilians killed or tortured to death.
Although it was quite a harrowing end to our adventure here, we are very glad we saw it. Vietnam is an amazing country that has been through so much. The people are all very friendly and the place itself is beautiful. If you ever get the chance, go!
But for us, it's now time to go to Cambodia.
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