We hauled our luggage down the lane from the Cam Hotel, loaded it into the same minivan we'd used in the Mekong, and headed for the Củ Chi Tunnels. We also had the same guide, Thang.
We stopped off at a lacquerware workshop on the way, where disabled people (mainly men) were making lacquerware. It was great to see the whole process, and we were particularly impressed with the eggshell-decorated items. It was interesting to learn that different eggshell colours came from different baking times.
The Củ Chi Tunnels were one more sobering aspect of the Vietnamese/American War. The tunnels showed how the Vietcong avoided detection during the war with everything happening underground. You were able to crawl through a section of the tunnels (made larger for Western frames). It was rather claustrophobic and hard to imagine living like that for any length of time. There were also demonstrations of the various booby traps used - terrifying. Fighting the Viertcong must have been a horrific experience for the Allied troops.
At their peak, the tunnels stretched over 250 km across Củ Chi District, northwest of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). They served as living quarters, command centres, supply routes, hospitals, weapons workshops and hideouts for guerrilla fighters. Some sections had three levels, reaching depths of up to 10 meters and consisted of trapdoors disguised under leaves, ventilation shafts hidden in termite mounds, narrow passages (often only 30–40 cm wide), booby traps around entrances, smokeless kitchens (Hoàng Cầm stoves) and underground wells.
I've probably said it before, but being in Vietnam and seeing things like the Củ Chi Tunnels, you can see why it was a war that could not be won by the Americans (and the Australians - unfortunately, we were there as well). Still amazing that the Vietnamese are so welcoming.
In an exercise of maximising the tourist dollars, one could also fire some rounds from some of the"war" weapons. Richard and Alex thought that we should donate a few more 'dong' to the Vietnamese economy, so participated.
At the Củ Chi site they also had a small family workshop producing rice paper (one of the region’s traditional cottage industries). The rice paper (bánh tráng) is made from rice flour batter and is spread thinly on cloth over boiling water. From here it's lifted off and placed on bamboo racks to dry in the sun before being used for spring rolls, bánh tráng nướng, and other dishes. They were also making rice wine (rượu gạo) on the premises. Many rural households traditionally make both because they use similar ingredients and equipment. All very interesting.
On the way back, we stopped off to have a look at a rubber plantation. There are quite a few around here, as there were on the road from Dalat to Saigon. This area is ideal for growing rubber as it has hard clay soil (đất xám), ideal for the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). French colonial companies established large plantations here in the early 1900s, especially Michelin and Société des Plantations d’Indochine. Rubber harvesting is one of those processes that looks simple when you see it, but it’s actually a very precise, skilled craft. A worker uses a curved tapping knife to make a shallow diagonal cut on the bark. The cut must be exactly 1–2 mm deep — deep enough to reach the latex vessels, but not deep enough to damage the tree. Once the cut is made, white latex sap begins to drip slowly from the cut and flows down into a small spout. The spout directs the latex into a collection cup and flows for 3–5 hours before slowing.
Our final Vietnamese treat after getting back to Saigon was a "no-nonsense" massage performed by well-trained blind masseurs from the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Blind. So good to see people with disabilities being trained in ways that give them a sense of purpose and a living. And they gave a good massage as well.
