We started our day with a visit to the Fulbright University of Vietnam for a lecture from Dr. Nguyen Thanh Trung entitled “Vietnam’s Culture, History & Economy: From ancient roots to modernity.” He provided us with a huge amount of context for understanding Vietnam. He covered a lot of ground and was candid about the strengths and challenges facing this country. We also had the opportunity to speak with university students from the International Student Club. They shared about their lives and allowed us to ask questions about all sorts of topics. They got to practice their English – it was a great exchange.

We then boarded our bus and headed to Cu Chi tunnels. We stopped for lunch and were fed incredible food in a beautiful environment.

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a connecting network of tunnels in the Cu Chi district near Saigon. These tunnels were used by the Viet Cong during the war in resistance to American and the South Vietnamese. The Viet Cong used this network as their base to engage in gorilla warfare. Viet Cong soldiers lived and worked from this sophisticated series of underground living quarters, meeting rooms, ammunition supply rooms and medical centres. They were designed to be well hidden so that the Viet Cong could surprise and ambush their enemies. We viewed traps, entrances and different bunkers that remain in the area.

Visiting this site reinforced all the stories I’ve heard about how horrible the war was for everyone. While the Viet Cong were ambushing, setting traps and doing what they could to resist, they were being bombed by B52 bombers, set on fire with Napalm and devastated by horrible living conditions. The land has still not recovered. While the jungle has grown back, the soil is still poisoned and fruit growing in the area can’t be eaten.

The reality of the site also emphasized how horrible it was for the American soldiers trying to survive in hot, humid, dense jungle conditions. They did not know the environment and didn’t know their enemy well. Terror must have been a daily condition for everyone.

It was a draining day and the bus ride back to our hotel was subdued. We went to the rooftop bar in our hotel for a drink before heading out for food. The Main Street was closed to vehicles Saturday night and we felt comfortable walking around. We only had to cross one street (twice) and we survived both times.

We were off just after the crack of dawn to catch our flight to Ho Chi Min City (AKA Saigon). The trip was uneventful until we landed. What a crush of people all trying to get through customs. We had to have visas for each of the countries we have visited on this tour and we were warned that Vietnam was uniquely specific about having all data consistent and accurate for all visas. One of our tour mates had a glitch that made us anxious about his ability to continue with us, but all was well and we were able to start our exploration of Saigon.

It was a long bus ride to our hotel in the city centre . We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and experienced delicious spring rolls and Pho.

We checked into the Grand Hotel Saigon, built in the 1930’s with a definite European flavour.

Without much of a break, we went off on a walking tour of Saigon. We noticed the opera house, post office, city hall and other sites before heading to the roof top bar of the Rex Hotel. This was the watering hole for American journalists during the Vietnam war. Correspondents would meet daily for the “5 o’clock follies” when the allies broadcast the news of the day. They were called the follies because the official statements were often too optimistic and didn’t match the reality of the war.

We wandered through the city until we found food (which was delicious) and finally found our way to bed. More exploration of Saigon and area tomorrow.

Our alarm rang at 4 am so that we could be on the bus by 5:15 am. The goal for this morning was to first see the sun rise over Angkor Wat and then tour the site.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious complex in the world. It was built between 1113 – 1150 CE and covers over 400 acres. This was slightly before Notre Dame in Paris was built (1163). The temples were dedicated to Vishnu and a lot of the carvings reflect Hindu deities and teachings. There are 5 towers in the inner complex which are meant to reflect the 5 central peaks of Mt. Meru (the Hindu dwelling place of the gods) and the 4 directions. The moat around the temple is meant to represent the ocean at the edge of the world. Over time, the temple was rededicated and became a Buddhist temple and by the 15th C it was largely abandoned. However, Theravda Buddhist monks maintained the temple and it remained a pilgrimage site. Europeans “rediscovered” the temple in 1863 and restoration work began. Restoration work stopped during the Khmer Rouge years but has continued since. Angkor Wat was declared a UNESCO Heritage site in 1992. It is now one of the most visited sites in South East Asia.

We walked around and into the temple, climbing the steep steps to the central tower. It was worth the effort.

We left Angkor Wat for Angkor Thom, a temple built by the same king. It was smaller but still interesting.

The gate to Angkor Thom (which means big city) was powerful. 80% of the city is still jungle. Inside it were many buildings that have been identified by LiDAR but not recovered yet. One of the temples that has been discovered is Bayon. It had many depictions of everyday life carved into its walls.

We left this site for something very different. Our next stop was the Angkor Wildlife Aquarium project. This facility is focused on protecting and preserving the the fish and wildlife in the Tonle Sap lake and Mekong river. They also had a mandate to educate Cambodians about the resources in their environment. It was great to look at the fish and see all the species they are trying to save. The lake and river system are under pressure due to upstream activities such as damns and demands on water.

After a delicious lunch at the aquarium we headed out for a boat tour of the lake.

People live on the water year-round. They form a floating community of fisherfolk whose lifestyle revolves around the rivers and lakes. There is significant poverty here but a resiliency to survive and maintain a water-based lifestyle.

This was a jam-packed day and we all piled into the bus for a quiet ride back to the hotel. It was an early night as we were leaving the next morning for Vietnam.