Ho Chi Minh City, (Saigon) Vietnam Day 1 of 2

Ho Chi Minh City, (Saigon) Vietnam. At about 4:30 AM we started to head for shore. We had been anchored out for the night. It had been mostly smooth. We went inland up a river quite a way. Sometimes it became very narrow. At about 8:00 AM we docked at a very busy spot in the river just before a 90 degree turn to the left. There was constant movement from all kinds of floating traffic. Many noisy, tiny boats with single cylinder engines and no mufflers. Huge barges filled with sand and pulled by tugs. Large ocean going freighters and container ships. Many local boats abut 60 feet long carrying all kinds of freight. All the local boats were ratty looking and appeared like they could sink any minute. These were all the same. They looked like a barge with a square, flat roofed, house built to the rear and had pointed bows. None had any paint. They were just raw rotten looking wood. The river itself was a muddy brown color and all kinds of garbage would float by.

We took a tour that left at about 8:15 AM. It was called the Cu Chi tunnels tour. It was supposed to be about five hours. About sixteen of us got on a 40 passenger bus. It was a long way to the down town area. Traffic was very heavy but almost no cars. There were some trucks and now and then a van or taxi. There were thousands of bicycles and motor bikes. Like every where else since Hong Kong, there would be some times three people or a whole family on these motor bikes. Often you would see a motor bike carrying a load ten times the size of the bike. They would run in and out and around the bus we were in. Why many were not squashed I have no idea. Other then sometimes traffic lights , there seemed to be no rules. Just go or squeeze in wherever you can. The bus paid no attention to them. The bus could go much faster then the motor bikes and would just beep its horn and kind of mow its way through them. It would cut them off and often drive them off the road or into oncoming traffic.

After driving through the down town area and 44 miles into the countryside we came to the Cu Chi zone. This is a huge city. There are eight to ten million people spread over a very large area with almost no high rise buildings. Most still call the city Saigon but the official name is Ho Chi Minh. The latest official word is the whole area is Ho Chi Minh and just the down town area is called Saigon but the locals do not seem to agree. The whole place is pretty dirty with garbage and debris everywhere. We were told land is very expensive and that is why most of the houses were so tiny but often several stories.


The tunnels area is now a national park. There are mud paths leading in many directions. In places there is concrete made of this sandy mud. It is never smoothed but just left in bucket size blobs and usually hard to walk on. Roots and rocks often stick up out of the trails. Obviously there is no insurance in this country.

Before being taken to see the actual tunnels, we were given a brief history and description of the tunnels. As the guide, our guide, called the park ranger, finished his speech, he started to play a 25 minute tape. Our guide told him this would not be a good idea and would just get us mad. It was just 25 minutes of the official line haranguing us about bad the US was.

We walked down paths for a pretty long way to the first of the tunnels. Even though these tunnels had been mostly enlarged for viewing, they were still tiny. The rangers official line was how smart they were to fight a war with no modern weapons to speak of. These tunnels had been started in 1948 and there were 200 kilometers of them on many different levels. They were connected to every house and building in this area. There were different under ground rooms for individuals, health care areas they now call hospitals, meeting room areas for military planning and others. Depending on who was telling the story, there was room for 16,000 or the official count of 60,000 to 80,000 people. They showed us air vents that looked like termite nests. They showed us others with secret entrances and exits. Most of the paths were muddy and wet. There were huge craters from bombs almost every couple of feet. Very few in our group would actually go down into these tunnels even though they now had stairways for the tourist tunnels. Bobbi did start to go down into one but when she got near the bottom of the steps she changed her mind and bolted back up the stairs mowing down all in her way. That learned them suckers to give her plenty of space. I guess she didn’t like it down there.

The ranger was very proud of these tunnels and how smart they were. I like them real well too. What a great idea. Only one problem. About 80% of those who entered them died of various causes. Lack of air, getting lost and never finding their way out, tunnels collapsing, tunnels caving in during bombing, tunnels getting flooded and gassed, and many other reasons.

At the end of their tunnel tour they have an area with booby traps. All kinds of grotesque apparatus for maiming those who should step into one of these booby traps. Of course these traps were kept secret which maimed more of the locals then anyone else. This was all very interesting to see. No one will forget it soon.

Our guide did tell us both the official word of how great things were under the commies and what the truth is. All citizens are equal except politicians and government employees who are more equal. Everyone knows there is huge corruption and all they get is promises and talk while the higher ups live very well. Now that many if not most are getting an education of some kind, they know that through out their history they have gone from one bad regime to another. When they revolt and fight for something better, all they get is dead or injured. It will probably be at least a generation or two before they try again. You almost never see any old people. I read their life expectancy was about 47 years. This guide said it was about 67 for the men and 72 for women. Whatever, over 75% of the population is under 35. 90% of the old people are dead from wars and sickness. Men over 55 do not or cannot work and must be supported by the rest of the family. Those out of work must also be supported. There is no welfare, social security, pensions or health care of any kind provided by the government or businesses. What a great place, not.

Our guide is from this Cu Chi area. He was born and raised here. When asked if the Viet Cong had been supported by the people giving them food and supplies or if it was taken, the answer was, whoever were the activists in your area, that’s who you supported, or else. You had three choices. Don’t listen and you get your house and maybe yourself blown up. Move. Give whatever you had. He goes on to tell a story about his uncle.

Uncle is 55 but still worked driving a small bus. He transports 16 up and back to work daily. One day he is rounding a corner and runs over a land mine. Two people are killed, all injured and he losses an eye and part of an arm. Several days later he gets a visit from a Viet Cong representative. Why did you run over our land mine. You have one week to replace that mine or you will be killed. He had to contact his son who was in the army. The son had to buy a land mine which was very expensive. When he tried to give it to the Cong they told him he had to place it and set it. This was very dangerous for an expert let alone someone who had never seen one before. He had to do it or he too would be killed. Nice folk, huh?

His description of the fighting for a new government only to end up with the same or maybe dead sounds like the same story for most of the world. There are just a very few exceptions. We are sure lucky to be living in the best.

The idiots knocking our country should be forced to live in one of these hell holes for a few years to see how well they like it. Did I mention this entire place from the river to the tunnels smells like garbage too. This whole third world is totally air polluted . This mass majority of humanity is totally ruining the waters and the air with no possible remedy even being considered.

Grossed Out Sherm Out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)