Saigon and Long Tan

Bussed down from Phnom Penh to Saigon, plenty of rice fields to see. Cambodian customs was easy, but Vietnam customs was an interesting experience with the bus driver taking all the passports and giving them in a pile to the customs officer who then stamps at random and throws them back at the bus driver who call the names out.  Anyway, we eventually made it back on the bus.

Saigon is one big traffic jam although with no tuk tuks. The biggest vehicle has the right of way, but motor bikes do suicide slides to get in between the vehicles to get that extra spot. Staying at Victory Hotel Ho Chi Minh City which was built as CIA housing in 1963 and then taken over by the military in1975, who still own it today. It is a very nice hotel. Walked around the area and can see the old French architecture and the road lay out. Being a Saturday it was a bit quieter, but still busy.

 

Sunday headed of to the War Remnants Museum to see an unbiased version of the war. Plenty of US weaponry on display and photos of American atrocities, thought provoking to see how the other side see it. As they say the victor gets to write history. Mind you, if only 10% of the propaganda is true, then the US has a lot to answer for.  Just more examples of man’s inhumanity to man.

Went off looking for a cache and Michael made the mistake of sitting down and was immediately descended upon by shoe cleaners even though he was wearing sandals. Despite saying no at least a dozen times, shaking his head vigorously and waving them away with his hands, they managed to get his shoes off his feet.  In the meantime, a young Vietnamese uni student sat down next to me to practice his English.  We were having a lovely chat until I became aware of a commotion.  I looked up and there was Michael surrounded by three shoe cleaners who wanted payment of VND 500,000 (AUD23). After much discussion and involving two police/security officers it was settled at VND 200,000. On the bright side his sandals have never looked cleaner, but he has been avoiding them like monks since. Found the only cache in Saigon though – take that Whitby Scouter!

We went off to the Unification Palace to see where the tanks rolled in and looked around the building, which has been kept for conferences and well maintained. Then a general wander around Saigon and, as it is the wet season, the ponchos were out with Michael suggesting that we looked like locals. Nice try fail as he is towering over them by at least 2 feet.

 

Starting to drink the coffee here, which is as thick as Turkish coffee, but the base is condensed milk so it is black and sweet like Sabre.

Monday booked a trip to Long Tan Battlefield that Michael wanted to do. All day event with a long drive to Long Tan seeing the former Nui Dat Task Force Base (Nui Dat SS Hill). All that is left is 2 broken pillars, areas of the encampment and helipad fields. 

 

 

Then off to a kindergarten that the 6 RAR association has assisted in setting up, lots of cute kids which Michael would not let me take any home.

 

Then to the Long Tan Cross Memorial where our guide, a South Vietnamese person called Chien, invited another tour group to join us and conducted an impromptu service of remembrance with the last post, the ode and the national anthem all on a Nokia phone. 

It was a moving little service and the other group of tourists were Australian also, with one member whose brother had served and were appreciative of Chien’s invitation and were quite teary.

It seemed ironic that a Vietnamese person was conducting the service, but talking to Chien, he was born in Da Lat City and his father was a police commander of the area. The family was well off until 1975 and then things changed with the family having to go through re-education and losing all their possessions. One of his sisters tried to escape Vietnam by boat but the boat capsized off the coast of Malaysia and she drowned. The family suffered hardship for the next 10 years. Despite all of this he is very positive about the country and has one sister in Canberra and another in Belgium.

Due to Chien’s ability to speak and read English, he became a tour guide and since he knew the areas of Long Tan he works with the Long Tan Association and 6 RAR association in running tours to Long Tan. He showed us photos of the various dignitaries he has meet. I think that Little Pattie is the favourite, even after meeting Quentin Bryce and other Australian officials.

We then went on to the Ming Dam secret zone were the NVA and VC hid out from the Australians and a temple had been erected in their honour. There are no monuments for the South Vietnamese Army in the country.

Lovely lunch at Long Hai on the beach and on to Long Phuoc Tunnels which had been used as cover from the Australians and which have now been widened to fit big Aussies. Michael went in and looked around for 100m or so with a bat as company.

Then headed back to Saigon with Chien discussing life in Vietnam and how things have changed. It certainly shows the other side of the boat people story.

Headed off to Bitexco Financial Tower the tallest building in Saigon - the taxi driver could not find it! Once we got there we headed up to level 50 to have and excellent drink as the sun set over the city. It is a very modern city and you would forget it is communist with all the advertising and activity.

Well off to Da Lat to cool down.