Another Fun Day in Vietnam. And I got a job selling coconuts!..
Vietnam Day #2 Recap
It was another fun-filled day here in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We started the day on foot where we set out to see the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, Saigon Central Post Office, and the Jade Emperor Pagoda. According to Google Maps this should've been a quick 30 minute walk. But when you factor in the number of motorbikes to contend with, the blistering heat, and these traveler's tired feet, it was more like an hour... but totally worth it.
Next it was time for a little food before heading off on our tour of the Củ Chi tunnels. We Googled places to eat and found a place with great reviews nearby. Some of the reviews said this place was a little pricey, so we weren't really sure what to expect as far as that went. But we decided to try it out.
On the way I came across a guy selling coconuts. He asked if I wanted to try it out...
How could I say no?.. lol. Okay on to the restaurant!
The food was delicious as usual. I got the soft fried noodles with vegetables and Kristen got a vegetable curry soup. Unfortunately I didn't snap a pic of her food. The funny thing is it only cost us $11 USD for both of our meals and drinks. This is why you have to be careful when reading reviews.
Củ Chi tunnels
Next on our list of things to do was to take a tour of the Củ Chi tunnels which is an underground tunnel network that stretched over 250km across Vietnam. But these tunnels started in Củ Chi District during the French War. That's where we got to explore the tunnels and learn the art of guerilla warfare.
When our tour was complete the tour guide looked at us and asked, "Would you want to shoot an AK47 or M16?" All I could think was, uhhh... yeah! So we headed down to a shooting range in the woods and I fired off a few rounds at some targets. How many times in my life will I get the opportunity to shoot a military rifle in the jungles of Vietnam?
Anyways, that was pretty much our adventures for the day. Tomorrow we'll be taking a full day tour to the Mekong Delta. I'm not sure what all that will entail but I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. And of course I'll share it all with you guys!
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That looks like a great day!
I absolutely would jump at the chance to try out the guns. And you look like a good coconut seller.
My husband and I used to work with a man who'd been stationed in Saigon during the war. He got to know the daughter of the police chief and got married, then ended up navigating his wife to the hospital on the back of a motorcycle to give birth near the end of the war when Saigon was under blackout restrictions. He always loved the country and his wife's family, giving me the first glimpse into Vietnam as something except a war zone in the recent history books.
Lol, I didn't have any takers for the coconuts. I'll have to try again later LOL
I'm glad you got to learn about Vietnam from a local with first-hand experience. One thing I've noticed here is that the people are really open to talking about the American conflict and sharing stories about their families. It's been really nice to get their take on everything.
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Wow! Thank you!
I will definitely pass on the thanks. @ironshield still has a few witness votes left and is always looking for a good place to put them.
Would love to shoot those guns!
Wow this looks like you had a great journey there!
i loved all the places, the architecture is so beautiful, this is a city we all should visit one day.
i also loved your style of writing, it engage the public to go there!
Thanks for your comments, @malos10. There's so much history here and so much to see. Definitely recommend it. :)
Looks like you’re having a blast. Stay cool, don’t overheat. Watch out for mosquitoes, too.
Yeah , we lathered up pretty good yesterday with mosquito repellent lol. I've already caught a cold from somewhere so the last thing I need is Malaria.
Wow! Looks like a great experience! Continue enjoying it!
Thanks, we're pausing a little bit today to rest up. I caught a cold somewhere along the way and need to give my body a break. Probably won't venture too far from the hotel today.
Is that a 50 Cal just for random tourists to shoot as well?
Vietnam looks amazing!
I believe it was a .50 Cal and there was a guy shooting it but couldn't get to him in time to video it. I had never shot an M16 before so I decided to give it a whirl. lol
there are many american stories about those terrible Cu Chi tunnels.
they used to called conditions in them: "Black Echo".
like in an earth coffin.
it was low on air, food and water and a lot caught malaria, especially when they had to go on for days within them.
the bombing was the first cause of death when america soldiers came out, the second was malaria.
a lot of vets said it felt like they were buried alive in those longs days under the ground.
now we can laugh about it of course... by the way... for a second it kinda looks as if they are burying you there :)
Black Echo - that sounds about right. I can only imagine what it was like in there for any length of time. We actually got to go down in the tunnels. Not much room for walking around, at least in the tunnels we went in.
You sure had fun exploring the city. That tunnel was used as an escape route during the war?
They were used for a few purposes. For the most part, it kept them hidden to enemy troops. And it also gave them an advantage when it came to fighting. They could pop up in one area and kill Americans, then go back down and the Americans would have no way to target them. Pretty clever.
Oh yeah, pretty clever! I'm glad that's just history now..
I'm curious to know: How did the coconut sales go?
LOL, not too well. I think people would rather buy from a local. :)
Truly I enjoyed the magnificent journey of Vietnam 🇻🇳 It's naturally and culturally very interesting and beautiful country.
Have you sells anything there on your job?
The techniques of guerilla warfare will be useful in life nice experience.
The splendid one is you tried your hands on shooting that's amazing and heart beat increasing job, personally I enjoyed it more as for very few times I trigger a pistol of my uncle and I love this never tried big barrel gun.
Best wishes sir and take extra care during your expeditions.
I am passionately waiting for your Mekong Delta tour experience.
Good luck.