Day Eleven

No visits to UEF today. We started out pretty early this morning and headed to Cu Chi to see the tunnels there and to learn about the Vietnam War, better known as the American War. The Vietnamese tunnel system was first used in World War II for protection from the Japanese. The construction was continued during the American War and the total distance of the tunnels reached around 75 miles. The Viet Cong used these tunnels to avoid detection by American soldiers and to move long distances unnoticed. The US Army unknowingly built a military base directly on top of a main hub of the tunnel system at Cu Chi during the war. It took quite a while for the US to discover the tunnel network because the access points were very small and well disguised. Once discovered, the US started sending down “tunnel rats” to try to fight the Vietnamese in their underground city. We also used B-52 bombers to destroy the tunnels. The first part of our visit today was watching a North Vietnamese propaganda video about the American War, which showed the innocence of the Vietnamese people and the brutality of the barbaric Americans. After this, our tour guide showed us various tunnel entrances and improvised hunting traps used against the Americans. We eventually were able to go into a tunnel which I’m sure was expanded so that tourists could fit into it. One thing we passed during the tour was the National Defence Sport Shooting Range where tourists could pay to fire weapons similar to those used in the war. I found this to be rather disrespectful given that this was a battleground where soldiers from both sides gave their lives. After lunch, we returned to the hotel and changed to walk to the War Remnants Museum. Previously known as the War Crimes Museum and the American War Crimes Museum, this building showed the war from the Vietnamese perspective. In the courtyard outside the museum were American artillery guns, a helicopter, and a few airplanes. The inside of the building focused on the human casualties. The entire museum portrayed the US Army as evil and inhuman killing machines. Highlighted in particular detail were the My Lai Massacre and the horrible consequences of Agent Orange. I don’t exactly have the words to describe how I felt leaving the museum. I felt rather disgusted to see Americans portrayed like this. At the same time I felt slightly guilty because I knew that the information was biased but not entirely incorrect. I find it amazing that the Vietnamese do not hate us after seeing the “history” that they learn.