SAIGON, VIETNAM: DAY 2 (CAO DAI TEMPLE & CHUCHI TUNNELS)

For Day 2 in Vietnam, we woke up early because our tour guide will fetch at 8AM. We will head to Tay Ninh, one hour from Ho Chi Minh city. Our tour guide was Luc, a nice and very knowledgeable  war veteran and with him is his very friendly driver.


During the ride, I was catching up on my sleep but from time to time, Luc would explain on the culture of Vietnamese and sources of livelihood are cocoa, coffee and rice. And yes, I became a fan of Vietnamese iced coffee when I was there. He would also point mountains with their names.


First, we made a quick stopover at the Handicap Handcraft Factory. It is a lacquer painting shop. The government of Vietnam employs handicap to make beautiful lacquer painting and other handicrafts. You will be amazed that their artistry and the lovely products they made. My parents bought three paintings. 

my sis and two TALL jars

Then we headed to the Cao Dai Temple.

The Cao Dai religion is a mixture of Christian, Buddhist, Islamic and European humanist elements. It has more than 1 million followers. They have three saints, two of which is Victor Hugo, the novelist and Sun Yat Sen. We were asked to leave our shoes outside the temple and go up the stairs to the balcony so we wont disturb the mass ceremony below. I didn't want my sandals to get lost, I kept mine inside my bag, hehe...

The ceremony lasted for 30 to 45 minutes. There is someone there that ushers you to a certain passage way as not to disturb the ceremony. You cannot also pass in front of the temple so you will have to walk around the temple to get to your shoes or van.


Then we were treated to a wonderful lunch in a nearby restaurant that looks like a big house. The tour includes lunch and we were so satisfied. It took us longer time there, chatting, laughing and enjoying the food.


We were, then, driven 45 minutes to  Cu Chi Tunnel.  It is an underground system that stretched over 75 miles. According to Wikipedia, " The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped achieve ultimate military success.


First, we were shown a short film about the life of a guerillas and there were miniature tunnels and maps displayed. Then Luc showed us the hole where you enter the tunnels. It was covered by dried leaves. You wouldn't really know it was there.

 Luc also showed us the different traps the VietCong made. Here is one:

Imagine if you slip into this... Ayayay!

Then we went to the actual tunnels. It was hard to breathe there if you are there for a long time. We took so much time taking pics, we started feeling claustrophobic, hehe.. The tunnels were remodeled to accommodate some foreigners that has a much larger built compared Vietnamese or asians for that matter.

There were a lot of dummies there hat showed how they live their lives there. I thought, it would be scary if you go there at night.. They might move... Eeek!

Before we left, my dad and brother tried firing some of the ammunition used before. They just have to pay for the bullets used.

It was a fun and educational day.... We thought it would have been nice if you can visit this place while you are learning about the longest war in Social Studies, makes learning more interesting once you see it in actual. I also couldn't help but admire what great strategists Vietnamese are... They have definitely mastered the art of war. They have earned my respect! Wow!

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