Everybody refers to Ho Chi Minh city as Saigon, already right here there is a problem. I understand that the French always nostalgic of their colony call it still Saigon but what is the vietnamese excuse? There must have been something magical about Saigon however today is just another busy south east asian city invaded by scooters and honking noise.
We spent the day on the mekong delta that retains its beauty and charm. The river has still its own pulse: floating market, women washing rice, fishing village, men taking sand from the river bed. This river is not for tourist, there is real life.
The next day we went to visit the tunnels, it will be the most impressive part of Vietnam in terms of understanding the endurance and intelligence of this people. You clearly understand why Americans had no chance to win, probably the simplest reason is there were too big to fit in the tunnels but also because they could never believe anyone would survive by living like rats.
The other very intersting part was our guide, a vietnamese that fought on the side of the loosers and pay a high price for it. He says not to write anything about him, but in reality his story is common here both for the winners and looser. Story of pride and regret, of wasted opportunity and the feeling of being trapped by history, paying with their blood and their dreams the price for living in a rich and strategically important country. Our very knowledgeable guide will be our best insight of Vietnam.
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