Today was a full day. We got picked up by a fancy van with leather reclining seats and WiFi and usb chargers. There were 6 people in our group including us and they had drinks and snacks for the ride. Our tour guide Betty was super enthusiastic and full of jokes that were a little lost on our crowd but she was kind and tried hard. Our first stop was to the Cu Chi Tunnels. It was about 1 1/2 hours outside of Saigon. On the ride there we watch the documentary/info video which is def some propaganda about the Americans but the actual tunnel tour was really interesting. We got to see and hear about all of the tactics the Viet Cong fighters used against the Americans. Obviously as an American, it is a strange experience to hear what they had to endure but from a historical perspective, it was interesting to hear about their simplistic but effective tactics. Obviously the side you hear is skewed to their version of history but it wasn’t overly offensive as not much opinion was added in. As a side note, I acknowledge that it may or may not be appropriate to take photos here. I wrestled with the idea but ultimately, I decided I was ok with it.
Walking through the Tunnels was pretty unreal. They were so tight and the ones we were able to go into were expanded at 40% for western tourists. The tunnel we were able to go into had increments of 20 meters and went up to 100 meters in but Will only made it to 60m and I only made it to 80m. It was super tight and I had to do a full squat to get through and I’m short as it is. A regular person would have to practically get to an army crawl towards the end. It is definitely not for the claustrophobic. I could have made it to the end but the heat and humidity here is no joke. Can you imagine living in there for years?!?
After the Cu Chi Tunnel Tour, we drove another 2 hours to get to lunch. It was included with the tour so we didn’t expect too much but it was actually delicious! And at this point, we were starving so we were happy to eat anything.
After lunch, we drove about 15 minutes to get to a boat station. Here we boarded a motor boat which we took to Unicorn Island in the Mekong Delta. The water looked absolutely disgusting but according to our guide, it was “nutrient rich” from the soil and wasn’t dirty like it seemed. It didn’t smell or anything but when drops of it splashed on Will at points (and he was in the worst seat), he was pretty repulsed.
Once we were on unicorn island, we walked around and saw the local fruit crops and tried some local foods like freshly made and warm coconut candy, fresh local fruits, and honey tea. Then we went on a boat ride in the Mekong Delta.
After that, we drove 2 hours back to Saigon. When we got back we walked about the backpacker/party area called Bui Vien street and then found some dinner which was delicious!! Afterwards we went into a coffee shop to get our first Vietnamese coffee. We love Vietnamese coffee at home but it was even better here! Super strong but so smooth and delicious!
Afterwards, we decided to get a quick nightcap. I read about this cool Speakeasy called Snuffbox and then a friend recently went to Saigon and recommended it so it was a go. The building it was in looked pretty shady and dilapidated but once inside, it was super cool with live music and really fun cocktails! It was expensive by Vietnamese standards but still so cheap compared to a cool bar at home. After our drinks, we headed home to rest up after a LONG day.
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