March 24, 2016
As the sun was rising over the Saigon River, the students received a wake-up call from Ms. Cook at 5:30 am. It was the start of the first day of their adventures in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. After tantalizing their taste-buds on the exotic variety of fruits and other breakfast foods, the students embarked on a 2 hour journey to the Cu Chi tunnels, the Original Vietnam war fields. The tunnels are composed of three different levels. The first level of tunnels is 3 meters deep, the second level of tunnels is 6 meters deep and the third level of tunnels is 9-10 meters deep. The tunnels were used by the Viet Cong (VC) during the war as an underground civilization with bunkers for dining, cooking, meeting and health care. They would live in these tunnels for years at a time and they got the opportunity to go inside them on the first level. It’s difficult to imagine how the Viet Cong lived an entire life in a 1 meter by 1 meter tunnel as the students struggled to make their way through only 20 meters of the tunnels! Also they got to see weapons from both sides of the War. They got to see the spiked bamboo traps that the Viet Cong used and also a tank used by the United States soldiers during the war. They also got to have photos taken going down into the tunnel, which proved to be problematic for some as Jessica’s sunglasses dropped into the tunnel entrance and Aglae slipped down into the tunnel entrance after losing her footing.
As they left the Cu Chi tunnels, on the bus they watched a short documentary about the Vietnam war and the fighting that occurred in the Cu Chi tunnels in particular. They then went back into Ho Chi Minh City to eat lunch. They ate lunch at Hoi An and all enjoyed the experience of trying new food. After lunch they went to the Vietnam War Remnants Museum for an hour to see the various displays. It offered an alternate and interesting perspective on the Vietnam war and the American involvement in assisting the Saigon government against the Viet Cong. Through this they all learned something new about the Vietnam war and they all gained a better appreciation for living in our peaceful society of Bermuda. After this they went on the bus to see the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and stopped briefly at the Saigon Central Post Office that was built by Gustave Eiffel.
After this they went back to the hotel for a short break from the heat. Some went swimming in the rooftop pool while others chose to simply relax. After they all freshened up, they headed to dinner at Vietnam House, trying new Vietnamese cuisine for the second time today. After finishing dinner they headed to the Ben Thanh Night Market to do some bargaining and shopping for various different items such as clothes and souvenirs. All in all, so far they are infatuated with the interesting Vietnamese culture and are excited to experience more in days to come.
Emma and Shanyce
