All alone I arrive in Saigon (currently called Ho Chi Min) for a few weeks of Vietnam. And my god, what a chaos! So many people, so much disorder. Traffic is the most striking feature in this mega city, one can watch it for hours and be bewildered how this works and why no-one crashes into another.
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So many motorbikes, so many
Everybody wants something from you, and in a quite aggressive way too.
Need taxi? need motorbike? Need sunglasses? Need Marihuana? Need books? Need new wallet? (likely yours is already stolen or about to get stolen) Where you going? Where you from? Need drink? Need food? Now happy hour, come inside.
Need a punch in the face? I can’t blame them, but still it’s irritating. Let’s say I have to get used to the new situation.
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Need cigarettes?
First day I’m busy sightseeing, but the truth is it’s not a very pretty city with mainly socialist square architecture. Still the most striking is the traffic, this amazing traffic. I got a haircut too, the first hairdresser ever that started cutting my hair straight away without asking any questions, coup Vietnam I suppose. When done (in about 10 minutes) the neck and head massage made up for the meager cut.
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By cyclo around town, my new best friend for a few dollars
Tomorrow I will visit VietCong tunnels used during the war, the Cu Chi tunnels 50km north of Saigon. I’ve already decided not to do this via a travel agent, but by myself on a rented motorbike. I’m all day studying the traffic and building up courage to dive into it tomorrow.Nighttime is spent socializing with other travelers and expats. We are all a long way from home and are open for new contact and company.
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Joe, English teacher in Saigon.
This morning the hotel dude asks me where I’m off to on my scooter, so I inform him about the Cu Chi tunnels. He raises his eyebrows and asks: ‘By yourself?’, grins and walks back inside. I mumble that I have roadmaps and that it’s no problem, but it doesn’t seem to impress him much.
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It is a tremendous thrill to be part of the city traffic. It’s so different from seeing it from the side. It is alive and I’m part of it, I’m a blood cell flowing through the city veins. With thousands of us we go around and through each other. Most of us use a reasonable speed that allows you to react on all elements happening on the road, still for me upper concentration is required. It is unbelievable, but this is doable!
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Riding along
There are more people on the road
Amusing what you come across along the way: folks carrying their complete home furniture on their scooter or even bicycle, trucks on the wrong side of the road arrogantly honking their horns, fruit stalls to tank energy, pumping music from speakers here and there causing me to head-bang on the beat, chicken, dogs and children crossing. It’s a pity it’s too dangerous to use my camera more often
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One pineapple please.
Actually the trouble starts when I’m out of Saigon. My precious roadmaps are worth nada, and not a Vietnamese around that speaks English, or understands my map (or bothers to have a look).
- ‘Where am I now? Please point on this map’. And they look blank and smile politely if I’m lucky
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No English, and no interest too
The most helpful was a soldier, who fully agreed with all my enquiries.
Me: Where am I now? Here?
Him: ‘uhm, yes!’
Me: Where are these tunnels?
Him: ‘uhm…’
Me: go left?
Him: ‘Yes go left!’ while zig-zagging his hand to the left, ending it with a confirming nod
Me: Ok, thanks.
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Luckily it also started to rain
I was about to cut my losses and thinking what to tell this miserable hotel dude, when I saw a country side restaurant with a few tourist busses in front. Strange how happy you can be to see a few white faces. However, the odd 75 Italian tourists spoke as good English as the rest of the locals here and I could forget about a smile too.
But happy happy after all, the Vietnamese tour guide could explain me in detail how to find the tunnels. I used the moment also to have deicious grilled gambas for lunch in this idyllic restaurant.
Restaurant out of nowhere
There are a few tunnel complexes around the area, and the one I found, Ben Duoc, is visited less by Western tourists and more by the Vietnamese themselves. Besides tunnels this one has a bit more ‘interactive elements’ so to speak, read further for details :)
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Tunnel layout explained
Chatting with the VietCong
Emptying a (real) AK47 for an extra $15. Kickuh!
Entering the tunnels, of course.
A nibble of VietCong army food (yuk) and that was it.
The way back is a piece of cake, while traffic looks a bit more familiar by now.
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Immy and her laundry?
