4th April
I really do hate cities - and this one being a particularly manic one - I was glad of the distraction of these trips to take me out of the 'hell hole'
And as I waited at the 'pick up' point it amused me to see this man, playing the saxophone, on the street corner - barely audible above the din of the traffic - performing under the hammer & sickle - I couldn't resist filming
This time, I was the last to be collected, and got to sit in the front seat of the bus while the tour guide, Tinh, told us about our day.....although, in this clip, I'm not sure what he was talking about....
This was a tour of the tunnels, built and used by the Viet Cong during the 'Vietnam War' but it was so much more than that, and interesting to hear from the Vietnamese perspective, it being 'The American War' to them.
The war began in 1954, after only just gaining Independence from France. The US bombing started in 1962, 'a war on communism'?.....perhaps, which ran on until 1975.
As in all wars.....there are no real winners.......only losers.
It wasn't until 1994 that the first talks with America began and in 2002 the embargo on Vietnam was fully lifted.
Today, there are only 4 communist countries, Vietnam, Laos, China and Cuba.
The guide called the Viet Cong or VC the 'Liberty Fighters'
They were defending their homes and their right to their way of life.
They would leave no trace. Like ghosts, they were invisible. They were everywhere and nowhere.
They thought of anyone who fought with them as a friend but if they betrayed them, they would be their enemy. "If I survive, you survive, if I die, you die" - often in hand to hand combat, they would fight to the death.
The extensive bombing, as in Laos, left a dramatic effect, with large areas known as the 'Death land' to the Americans or the 'Iron land' to the Vietnamese, due to so much metal 'raining' from the sky. And the effects are still being seen today from the 'agent orange' that has caused mutations and deformities in subsequent generations.
Our first stop, in fact was to a factory where most of the workers have disabilities caused by the chemicals. No room for Politically Correct terms here!
If you look closely, and count this lady's fingers, you can see she has two thumbs on her right hand.
Here they make all sorts of decorated products for souvenirs, and of course our only real reason for being there was to hopefully purchase something. At least the money was for a good cause.
We left for the rest of the journey, 2 hours north of the city.
We arrived to the area, which was once a thick jungle and the battleground area. It took 15 years to clear this area and make it safe for tourists.
We were shown examples of 'booby traps' The spikes - bamboo or re-purposed metal - were often laden with dirt and poison to cause infection.
A tunnel entrance and disguised ventilation. The smallest American soldiers would be sent down these, and were called 'tunnel rats'
Those in the green uniform were the Communist/freedom fighters and those in black were local people or civilians who often became fighters too......very often women.
(note. I find this so contentious....you will see later - when I write about the war museum - the terrible 'war crimes' displayed. How civilians were shot by the American soldiers - women and children. In some situations this would have been unforgivable but in the 'heat of the moment'.....being run at by a lady and in a split second, it's you or her.........)
More traps:
The VC would use the old bombs and metal to make new ones, testing them first by pouring water over then to see if they were already spent. They would make Molotov cocktails to throw at the tanks.
There was a shooting range at the centre. I found this a bit odd but I suppose it was purely a good way to make money. There was a choice to fire AK 47's etc. This was not included in the tour and I sort of found it a little disturbing and also the noise was awful.
We were shown these reversible sandals, used to make 'trick' footprints in the mud.
and how a bomb crater could be used to place the excess soil from digging out the tunnels.
and finally, we got to go inside a tunnel. This one was 1.5 m in height. There were some that were only 1m but I found this too claustrophobic to try.
although I did have a go at the camouflaged tunnel
After we returned to the city, there was an opportunity to be dropped at the War Remnants Museum.
.......sometimes words are not enough......it was kind of 'fun and games' at the tunnels but here - it was extremely emotional.....and harrowing....the animalistic side to human nature that people can be pushed to or have easily inside of them
Pfc. Paul Meadlo (the 1st platoon):
"Well, there was about 40, 45 people gathered in the center of the village...We made them squat down, and Lieutenant Calley came over and said, you know what to do with them, don't you? And I said Yes. So I took it for granted that he just wanted us to watch them. And he left, and came back about 10 or 15 minutes later, and said, how come you ain't killed them, yet? And I told him that I didn't think you wanted us to kill them, that you just wanted us to guard them. He said, no, I want them dead.....and so he stepped back , about 10, 15 feet, and he started shooting them. And he told me to start shooting. So I started shooting, I poured about four clips into the group.
.....We're rounding up more, and we had about seven or eight people. And we were going to throw them in the hootch.....and then we dropped a hand grenade down there with them.....And somebody.....told us to bring them over to the ravine,.....and they had about 70, 75 people, all gathered up....and Lieutenant Calley.....walked over to the people, and he started pushing them off and started shooting....so altogether we just pushed them all off, and just started using automatics on them."
effects of napalm.
And the famous images of 'napalm girl' were there. She is alive today.
The lasting effects of agent orange on veterans and Vietnamese.
The aftermaths of Agent Orange/dioxin have created significant impacts on not only Vietnamese people but also American veterans and their allies in the Viet Nam War. During the 1968 - 1970 period, there were at least 2.6 million US soldiers exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin. According to the Korean Victims of Agent Orange Veterans Association (KAOVA), 100 thousand among 300 thousand Korearn soldiers participating in the Viet Nam War were victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, and 20 thousand of them were dead..
Since the beginning of 1979, hundreds of petitions from individuals and groups on behalf of more than 2.5 million US veterans serving in the Viet Nam War and their families were submitted to the US courts to make claims against the US chemical companies having manufactured Agent Orange with dioxin.
On May 7, 1984 Brooklyn Federal Court in New York announced an amicable settlement in return for the termination of the lawsuit claimed by American veterans, in which the US chemical companies including Dow Chemical, Monsanto, accepted to finance $197 million in the Compensation Fund for US veterans affected by Agent orange.
In 1996, the US government admitted the dangers of Agent Orange to US soldiers in the Viet Nam War and declared the compensation to them.
Veterans in South Korea, New Zealand and Australia affected by Agent Orange/dioxin have been fighting for their injury compensation and gained some initial victory. On January 25, 2006, Seoul District Court passed a final verdict which requested two chemical companies Dow Chemical and Monsanto to compensate $62 million of healthcare costs for 6,800 people including Korean veterans participating in the Viet Nam War and their families. New Zealand and Australia made a public apology and promulgated policies on supporting their veterans affected by Agent Orange/Dioxin in the Viet Nam War.
Justification for the war
.....all about money & power...
Some statistics
Inspiring stories
"My life intertwined with the life of my nation, has helped me understand that seizing power and demanding national independence is extremely difficult, but maintaining power and building the country
is infinitely more difficult.
Never before has our country possessed such strength and power as it does today; many say we have a "golden opportunity." But that's life, the greater the opportunity, the greater the difficulties and challenges.
Can we overcome these challenges to achieve the goals that generations have sacrificed everything to entrust to us today? The answer lies with the comrades and brothers and sisters currently holding important responsibilities, with the people, and especially with the youth who are becoming the main force in building and defending the Fatherland.
Let us remember the valuable lessons of our 'forefathers' history, put the common good above all else, persevere in pursuing our chosen goals despite all difficulties and hardships, and bring freedom and happiness to our people. The happiness of our nation will be the happiness of our children.
I like to compare our country to a boat. After navigating through countless rapids and waterfalls, the boat of our nation has reached the open sea, with a new horizon ahead...!"
Nguyen Thi Binh
(though somehow the cynic in my head always rings with the words from Orwell's animal farm.......when the Pigs change their chant........"four legs good, two legs better" ........does power always ultimately corrupt....?......how much real 'liberty' do any people of any nation truly have?)
War Prisons
.......and more graphic tales of horrible treatment.......by now I was full up with emotion & thought and it was nearly time for the museum to close in any case.
The 'tiger cages'
somehow, this newly discovered song captures the essence of my mood after leaving that museum......perhaps not all the words ....but the sentiment.
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I ate at the little place close to the hostel again and later got chatting to a very enthusiastic girl from China and another girl I had met the day before from Myanmar who was cooking her dinner in a small portable cooker.
She insisted on sharing her dinner with me and the Chinese girl, which was sweet of her. It was very tasty.
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