day 2: on our way to cuchi tunnel

this was the second trip out of saigon that we booked with sinh tourist. hopefully, the half day trip will be a very good experience for us, especially since our friends who have already been there highly recommends this.

we woke up early in the morning to get to the 8 o'clock meeting time at the agency's office at de tham street. as we were early for the 815 o'clock departure time, anni and i decided to get some baguette with meat across the street for our lunch. a couple of minutes later, the sandwiches were done and we were already paying when we saw the bus leaving without us! for a few minutes, it was really crazy with our tourmates calling to us from the windows and us running towards the bus! it was really embarrassing. luckily, nobody knows us and they don't know where we came from! LOL.

after the commotion was over and we were nearing the cuchi district, the guide told us about the history of vietnam. this is what i learned --

• Vietnam War lasted 20 years. Did you know that?
• Two years before the war, it was decided that Vietnam shall be divided between the north and south, with the Communist controlling the north.
• Two years after the peace treaty was signed, Ho Chi Minh decided to invade South Vietnam on the idea that there should only be one Vietnam. In South Vietnam (and their own interests, more likely), the US, France and their allies defended their territory against the Communist.
• Cuchi is located in near Saigon but those who lived there fought for the North Vietnam. 
• During the war, once a soldier brings his family in the tunnels, they automatically becomes Viet Cong.
• Those who created the tunnels were Viet Cong fighting against the Americans and French.
• After the war, when the north won, the lives of those living in the south became unbearable as they were not treated the same way as those from the north. They were forced to flee their own country. 
• Properties of those in the south were confiscated and were left with nothing. They became poorer.
• It was only fifteen years ago that the west, meaning the US, lifted their embargo of goods.

• At present, Vietnam is a growing but they cannot afford to buy a car because they charge 300% tax. 
• The main transportation for the Vietnamese are their motorcycles. However, 75% of accidents in the past year was due to motorcycle mishaps.

These short facts made me realize that, even if they won the war, the Vietnamese were still the biggest victim of what happened. Sad, but it was really enlightening.