You can barely see the road for all the scooters beeping their way through Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), an adrenalin-fuelled affair of streetlife, elegant hotels, cafés and culture.
It may not be the country's capital (that honour goes to Hanoi in the north), but this southern metropolis certainly feels like it is. As Vietnam’s commercial hub, it’s easy to forget this city of over 6 million residents is steeped in Vietnam War history - and not of the dusty, musty sort. This is one history lesson that you’ll want to attend.
Named after the country’s communist leader who fought for Vietnamese independence against the French, Chinese, Americans and British, the city became a hotbed for guerrilla Viet Cong fighters in the 1960s. Their fight for a unified Vietnam with their northern allies, both opposing the South Vietnamese government and American efforts to do otherwise, resulted in a drawn-out and bloody war, eventually won by the northern and guerrilla forces.
Begin at the War Remnants Museum in downtown Ho Chi Minh (District 3). It pulls no punches in its attempts to show the inglorious side of war. Alongside planes and tanks are graphic accounts of life in the bunkers and stomach-churning photos of war victims who suffered under fire or those whose grotesque birth defects were the result of American war chemicals. Clearly taking a Vietnamese perspective (it used to be called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes), it shows the bleakness of war. Other exhibits include models of cages used to house Viet Cong prisoners.
Another remarkable building is Reunification Palace, also in District 3, its modern exterior belying the ghostly atmosphere inside. The interior has remained barely unchanged since 1975 when the South Vietnamese government waited for Northern forces to take power. Used for official functions, it now has a viewing room and Ho Chi Minh statue. In the basement’s network of tunnels including a war room and telecommunications room, one tunnel leads to the Revolutionary Museum, formerly Gia Long Palace, where you’ll find exhibits about the struggle against French colonialism and American invasion, including Ho Chi Minh’s 1975 campaign to free Vietnam.
You’ll truly be fascinated when you experience the 200km of labyrinth of the Cu Chi Tunnels, around 75km northwest of the metropolis. From this underground village, Viet Cong soldiers prepared their war offensive. The main tunnel was built for Vietnamese fighters and was only 70cm wide and 90cm high. About three metres of earth on top protected them from 50-tonne tanks, heavy artillery and bomb destruction. Although much of it has collapsed, the area near Ben Duoc is now a historical attraction where you can crawl through one of the shorter tunnels (widened for western waistlines but narrow enough to scare claustrophobes ).
You can also examine Viet Cong traps such as lethal bamboo spikes and even fire an AK-47 or US-made M16 for that complete war experience. Disneyland it’s certainly not, but Cu Chi shows just how determined the Viet Cong were to deter American forces.
History lessons can be draining but this is one you won’t forget in a rush. As you explore the rest of the city and Vietnam, it’s clear that knowing the country’s past makes the journey even more satisfying.
