Our first day here was quite intense and very busy. Day two is meant to be mostly a day of leisure and is Palm Sunday so we are electing to attend mass at Notre Dame Cathedral as it is not open except for services. It is in a few year process of renovations and only recently re-opened for services. We are really loving this city and would like more time here during a cooler season.
Notre Dame’s twin spires under renovation.Jim took this quick picture before the mass started because it is requested that photos should not be taken during the service. Sandy got a bit annoyed though as she watched people disrespecting this 😖. One girl videoed the entire mass 😡. That being said we both agree that this was one of the most impressive and moving Catholic services we have ever attended. This was the third mass of the day at 09:30 and the only one in English. The cathedral was full.The cathedral was established by French colonists and was constructed between 1863 and 1880. It was initially named the Church of Saigon then in 1959 the name was changed to Notre Dame. It has two bell towers reaching a height of 190 feet. All the original building materials were imported from France but many tiles were damaged in the war and since then made in Vietnam.The Palms were elaborately entwined and handed out as we entered the church. We kept them as you cannot just throw blessed palms away if you do not save them as they need to be burned and buried. Sandy folded them up to fit in our suitcase to be burned when we return to the USA or placed over our bed or something. Church statues of the Cross are shrouded during Lent as it is a time for us to enter into the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. By veiling statues, we symbolically enter into the tomb’s darkness, acknowledging the absence of Christ.
Sunday night is meant to be an evening scooter adventure of joining in the Vietnamese favorite past-time of going “di vong vong”. Going out without much of a plan, just enjoying food, drink and friends.. Sandy elected to decline the evening tour and stayed behind which was a good decision as learning to hang on to the back of a scooter takes some time to learn. Jim has ridden motorcycles but hanging on with all of the acceleration and deceleration was difficult. No pictures as he was hanging on for dear life. First stop was for green papaya salad enjoyed sitting on a curb. The proprietor is very successful and has put her children through university just selling this salad. They then went by some of Phuc’s business ventures and on to a place for chicken curry which Jim did not enjoy, very bland and tasteless. The video above is the only time Jim felt able to use his camera, a railroad crossing while not moving. Our last day here we went to Saigon Water Bus Station where we boarded a private speed boat to cruise the waterways to the Cu Chi Tunnels at Ben Dinh, enjoying a fresh perspective of the landscape.
Our guide seemed to be on his phone constantly.
Hop in our boat to see the buildings of Ho Chi Minh city from the Saigon River but hold on tight as we are moving at a very fast pace. Nielsen arch of the Bin Loi Bridge is 115 feet high and 91 feet wide. It was made from 3,000 tons of steel sheets in 8 months. Cu Chi Tunnels stretch a total length of 155 miles. They were dug with simple tools and bare hands during the French occupation in the 1940’s. The main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters and entrances to other tunnels.We had the unusual and rare opportunity to meet a retired Viet Cong Veteran named Huyh Van Chia, he was 17 when he began fighting as a guerrilla soldier and lost his arm when he was 20 years old during the war while fighting in the tunnels. He was shot by a tank after firing at it, and his arm was amputated in a make shift underground surgery.The tunnels have three layers and the upper soil can support the weight of a 50 ton tank. The underground network provided sleeping quarters, meeting rooms, hospitals and social areas. Life in the narrow tunnels was extremely difficult. Food, water and most importantly oxygen was very scarce.These two primitive devices of a small shovel and basket as well as bare hands were all they used to dig the tunnels.We listened to the veteran soldier who spoke to us in Vietnamese and our guide interpreted the information. We had the opportunity to then ask him questions and found out he lived in the tunnel for a very long period of time. He is 79 years old. We posed for this photo with him then we continued through the Cu Chi forest and learned more about tunnels and booby traps.
This video demonstrates how the VC entered the concealed tunnels. “Now you see me now you don’t”.
This video shows a booby trap which if the enemy stepped on this segment of grass they would fall into the hole with sharp spikes covered in poison or feces.. The VC planted booby traps near the concealed tunnel entrances.The booby traps set by the Viet Cong were devised to badly injure and maim but not kill so they could take the victim as a prisoner of war for the purpose of interrogation under torture to get them to reveal classified military information.Can you imagine how small you must be to squeeze through the tunnel opening. VC are built considerably smaller than American soldiers.Cu Chi tunnels had curly disguised drain holes to prevent flooding during rainy season. They lead to a nearby river or drainage system allowing water to escape the tunnel network.The circled area shows an air vent to a tunnel arising out of a termite mound.In 1970 an American tank was destroyed by a delayed action mine that was planted by the Viet Cong. It now still remains in the place of the explosion.We wandered through the jungle path for a brief stop
To see a local making rice paper. If your sound is on you can hear gun fire as they have a firing range as part of the tour, some people will buy rounds of 100 bullets to us in the machine guns.We entered the tunnel with much trepidation. We were reassured by our guide that we could exit after a short crawl of only 60 feet. Ok that’s doable we think.
Sandy follows our guide into the caveShe found there were advantages to being short as she merely had to crouch down to get through instead of crawling.Well not so in some parts.Sandy is happy to exit but worried about Jim not being close behind.
Finally to our relief he emerges.Look at the smile of seeing daylight.Some stats on the tunnels
Our guide treated us after the tunnels to the famous and delicious Banh Mi sandwich at a take out place that he claimed had the very best. He was right. They were so delicious.Here is the place if you are ever in Ho Chi Minh City. The sandwich is a crispy French baguette with a spread of mayo or pate, a protein of pork, chicken or tofu, pickled vegetables of carrots and daikon radish and then cucumber and cilantro, sometimes chili peppers and a condiment of Maggi sauce or soy sauce.We ate our sandwiches at the most wonderful Vietnamese coffee shop also highly recommended.Back to the resort’s gym to atone for our eating and drinking sins. Our guide Phuc(aka Frank) gave us a gift of custom made shot glasses painted by a friend of his to remember the special time we spent with him in Vietnam.We will never forget you Phuc.On our way through airport duty free shop we saw these very explicit photos discouraging the buying of cigarettes. A bit more graphic than US packaging.And once again we take to the skies in Vietnam Airlines for another short one hour flight to Quy Nohn Hotel Bai San Ho for two nights.Ho hi Minh City from the air on our departure.Quy Nhon arrival.
Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon is our first stop in Vietnam and it has been quite impressive as it is such a modern vibrant city. We cried at the Museum but the afternoon was filled with exploring other aspects of the city. The Catholic Mass was quite uplifting and the tunnels quite educational. Jim got to see the back streets and alleys on his motorbike tour and they are quite different from the modern city. Some of the houses were no larger than 3 X 5 feet of floor space. Other small houses all had their motor scooters inside the house. Quite the contrast and not at all unusual in this world, the immense contrast between the classes.
I am stunned at the sky scrapers and how big Saigon now is. Amazing what 50 years can do.
Jim, your so fortunate to do your SEAsia vacation in 2025 rather than 1968.
Bill
Wow! So impressive! I could not imagine it was such a modern city. The tunnels are incredible and you are incredible to go in them! To think we were at war with them and now it is so friendly. I am constantly impressed with your travels, and the way you write about them. You give me a great gift.
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