Goodnight Cambodia, Good Morning Vietnam!

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Took the cheap option of USD6 bus ticket from Phnom Penh to Saigon.  This entailed us having to take a bus to the border at Moc Bai then walk through the two border controls and meet a new bus to take us the final 2 hours to Ho Chi Minh City (I will refer to this as Saigon from now on as it's easier to spell!).  We toyed with the idea of booking the USD12 one bus option where the bus actually drives you through the border and continues to Saigon, but we are now well and true cheapskates and took the cheaper option.  It actually worked out really well and both buses were less than half full so we could spreadout and relax.

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We arrived into Saigon around 2pm which gave us lots of time to find a nice GH before dark.  After viewing about 4 different GH we went back to the first one we saw and took the room.  Its really nice and has a fridge, TV, ensuite, Aircon and a balcony (what luxury!).

shots were deafening. You can just imagine how loud and terrifying it must have been during the war.

We visited the Cu Chi tunnels just outside of Saigon (USD4pp for a 1/2 day tour)which were used as an underground 'city' during the Vietnam War.  The people from Cu Chi village basically built these tunnels to evade capture by the GI forces.  They had an entrance which was very small and would only fit the build of the local vietnamise people.  The western soldiers would be too big to fit down the hole.  In the tunnels they had kitchens, dining areas and rest places plus a whole array of hiding tunnels.  The area was bombed very heavily during the vietnam war and the tunnels were destroyed so the tunnels we see today are mostly reconstucted.  Still very interesting to see the various entrances and some examples of the kitchens and dining areas.  Plus you can go down some tunnels which are the same dimentions as the original.  I don't mind telling you that if you have any fears of confined spaces whatsoever, don't even comtemplate going down.  I am normally fine but still had a mild panic once I was inside as its pitch black and even crawling along on your hands and knees your head still hits the roof.  Crawled along on our hands and knees for what must have been around 30 metres but felt like 30km before surfacing up to the surface - needed a stiff drink after that experience.

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You can also fire a bonefide rifle or whatever takes your fancy for a set amount per bullet - not our cup of tea but others done it and the shots were deafening.  You can just imagine how loud and terrifying it must have been during the war.

Another good place to visit in Saigon is the War Museum which tells the story of the Vietnam War from the Vietnam prespective.  Obviously you need to look beyond the propaganda but after thinking of the war from the American prespective all these years it was heartbreaking to hear the tragic stories of the innocent civilians caught up in the middle of the conflict and the agent orange attacks.  Even years later, there are still children being born with terrible birth defects due to the exposure their parent(s) had to agent orange.  It really does focus your mind on the terrible things that have happened both in the past and still happening in parts of the world today.