We woke up early at 6.00am, because we have to reach The Sinh Tourist by 6.30am. We went to the ABC Bakery & Café.
ABC Bakery & Café is conveniently located at 223-225 Pham Ngu Lao Street. We are just a few minutes away from Galaxy Capsule Hotel, where we were staying.
I was pretty surprise and amazed that ABC Bakery & Café interior design was so nicely done up, and it just like one of the best bakery shop that I used to go in Kuala Lumpur.
There were variety of choices of pastries and bakery products that we can choose from the authentic European-Style bread, Danish and other products. And they were freshly baked from oven as the shop opened as early as 6.00am to 10.00pm.
And the prices are quite economical, starting from only VND 17,000 a piece and getting high quality pastries and breads. We picked 3 to 4 types of buns and pastries so that we could bring along.
We booked a day tour to Cu Chi Tunnels - Mekong Delta (My Tho) through TheSinh Tourist website months ago with VND1,316,000 total for 4 persons, excluding the entrance tickets to Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels entrance fee was VND110,000 per person.
Alvin and I thought it was a great deal, that was one of the reasons why we booked it online earlier. Booking the tour earlier after researches we did online, is one of the ways to save and segregate our travelling budget months before we travel, so that we would not have to spend a lot during the time of we travel.
Our package including transportation air conditioned bus, English speaking tour guide, wet tissues and one bottle of water per person, boat trips, tropical fruit platter and honey tea, lunch, traditional music performance and horse cart. It is excluding travel insurance, entrance tickets and all meals and beverage unspecified in the above.
We reached The Sinh Tourist at 6.30am, there were already a lot of tourists assembled at the centre. Alvin went to the counter to redeem the bus tickets for our booked tour. All the tourists came here for varies of booked destinations, such as Mũi Né, Vung Tau, etc.
We were directed to the tour bus which we have to walk as the bus was parked at Le Loi Street. Our family were allocated at the front 4 seats, may be is because we booked earlier through the website. The bus departed at 7.00am.
Our English speaking tour guide was a Cambodian whom was born in one of the Mekong Delta areas at Vietnam. His name is Tey. He was very friendly and briefed us about the tour of the day, what are the things included and excluded in the tour package.
Tey was humour and talked to us a little bit about the city of Saigon, and the people here. Finally, he was collecting our monies to purchase the entrance tickets later.
The road towards Cu Chi was not really good, most of the road were dusty and bumpy. We can see a lot of heavy vehicles on the road as well. Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City is developing, I think that is the reasons why we can see a lot of heavy machines vehicle on the road.
Surprisingly, I can see all the villages, industries areas or housing areas all the way to Cu Chi, there is no single sight of forests or plantations in the middle of our journey. That is how the country developing. We took a nap in the bus because it took almost 2 hours to reach Cu Chi.
Cu Chi is a district in Ho Chi Minh City. During Vietnam War, there were only several villages scattered around the area. However, the area had became the major battle field, due to the discovery of more than 200 km of underground tunnels used by People's Liberation Armed Force and Vietcom to fight against the South Vietnamese and US armies.
Storage of ammunition, food, hospitals, meeting room, command centers, dining area and other war-related facilites were built underground, far from the reach of enemy, yet near to the heart of the enemy- 45 km from Ho Chi Minh City.
The tunnels connected the nearby villages, Saigon River, border of Cambodia, and greater network of the nationwide tunnels. The tunnels, with the entrances well blended with the surrounding, were excellent for guerrilla warfare.
As retaliation, US army dropped millions tonnes of bombs onto the area. Ironically, these modern weapons failed to defeat the hand-dug tunnels. Cu Chi area is still considered as the most bombed, shelled, gassed, and defoliated area in the world.
There are two areas where you can see the tunnels, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. From the online researches, most of the tourists recommended to go to Ben Duoc as they are the best example of the original tunnels. Ben Dinh still has tunnels but they have all been widened for tourism purposes.
We reached Cu Chi at around 9.00am. We were at the Ben Dinh Tunnels as most of the tourists bus would go. Our bus was one of the earliest tourist buses. After a short briefing by Tey, we took a few minutes walk to the visitor information center.
There was a small exhibition area at the tourist center with the "remnants" of the weapons used in Cu Chi area- napalms, rocket launchers, grenades, rifles etc.
Our tour guide was humourous, informative, and multitasking. He helped to check our tickets at the entrance, guided us through the tunnels site, and explained the history of the tunnels to us all by himself.
Later on, he gathered us to the field or the forest. The surrounding was just like an another ordinary rubber trees plantations to me. I had been to my grandmother’s rubber plantation when I was young as 5 or 6 years old. The feelings was exactly the same.
The first tunnel entrance shown to us was narrow. According to our tour guide, normally there would be a sign pointing to the entrance as only can be recognised by the tunnels people. The sign may be a big tree or a broken bamboo or big leave. The park staff demonstrated his skill to go into the tunnel.
The tour guide and the park staff invited other tourists to try on to jump in to the tunnel entrance. Alvin asked Issac to try on too! Alvin was so bad, that he stepped on the cover after Issac had hidden down to the tunnel, and would not let him to come out!
Then we were led to a bobby trap, that were used mainly to cause serious injury rather than killing the US soldiers.
The reason was, if you killed one, only one was down. If you seriously wounded one, it took another two to take care of the disabled one.
Then, more tunnels' entrance were revealed. Narrow and hard to be seen.
The ventilation holes are well blended into the environment, which may look like an ant hill.
Disposed US tanks that was left behind.
Models of the local fighters were shown along the walkway.
We were brought to the traps workshop. The park staff shown us types of traps and how do they works!
Military uniform clothes making workshop.
The shoes making workshop. It is quite unique as they made it by using the recycle tyres which were on the vehicles or tanks! Vietnamese really creative and innovative!
Weapon workshop extracted the gun powder from the unexploded US bombs, and used it to made anti-tank explosive and grenades. Well, we learned a lesson of creativity, as well as the power of recycle.
20 minutes wandering in the forest, we were led to the resting point in the park.
The shooting range was located next to the resting area, with the bullets could be bought at the office, with a minimum purchase of 10 bullets per time.
There was a shop selling souvenirs and drinks at the resting point. Washroom is available there as well. Vietnamese are very creative. We saw different types of airplanes and car models which are made from the recycle soft drinks or beers tin cans!
Then, it's the time to visit the tunnel- to the best of our estimation 100 - 150 meters long. We went through the first 20 meters only, because we have 2 kids with us. There were several exits at certain distance, so we could get out of the tunnel whenever we felt uncomfortable.
The entrance was about 5 feet tall, we need to bend a bit to get inside. A small staircase in the room led us into a 2 feet tall tunnel. The tunnel seems small at the beginning, and made us feel uncomfortable. We got used to it a minute later, and we could move very fast in the tunnel afterward.
At some of the point, we needed to lay and crawl (yes either face down or face up) over the tunnel, while at some of the point, we couldn't see the person in front of us. But worry not, what we need to do is following the light.
After the that, our tour guide gathered us and we were led to the underground kitchen with the "chimney" channelling the smokes far away from the kitchen.
Tapioca and tea were served from the kitchen or the canteen nearby the exit of the tunnel. The tapioca was very tasty when eat together with the peanut and sugar.
Then, we watched a video about Chu Chi for 20 minutes near the exit also entrance of the Cu Chi Tunnels sites. The park staff was explaining to us, but the video was boring and hard to follow.
We left the room around 10.45am as the tour guide was asking us to leave for our next the destination ~ Mekong Delta (My Tho).
We had no problem walking on the ground, but moving in tunnels was different. Hand bag, camera bag, backpack, and even big bulky camera could be a burden in the tunnel. Well, keep these items in the tourist bus would be a good idea, or even better, not bringing them to Cu Chi.
Some information stated that Cu Chi is infested with mosquitoes, centipedes, and other vicious insects. We prepared insects repellent and some medicines, just in case. Lucky enough, we did not have the chance to apply them.
Cu Chi was extremely warm during our visit. Water was hard to find, so bringing some water to keep ourselves hydrated is important.
Our trip was full with activities, and we did not really have time to sit down in the canteen there to have tea for the whole trip. I felt lucky that we bought some breads, pastries and water, and with that, the children were not feel so hungry.
Cu Chi is really a must visit site nearby Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City. You have never been to Saigon if you never visit the Cu Chi Tunnels!
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