The next day, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels and the Mekong Delta area. This visit to Vietnam was a unique type of trip for us in many different ways. One particular thing was this was the first time we had traveled using a tour. This private tour included transportation to and from our Airbnb, the driver for the SUV and a local tour guide. Our guide, Lot, was very perky and playful and we learned so much about Vietnamese culture and life from her. She was eager to point out significant parts of the Tet celebration as we drove by and she answered all of our questions.
It was an eerie feeling visiting the Cu Chi tunnels where so many atrocities on both sides of the Vietnam War took place. We kept in mind that there are two sides to every story, and of course the Vietnamese present their perspective.
It is important to us to learn from others’ perspectives, and it doesn’t mean we have to agree with it. However, we can agree with what Lot said: “In war, nobody wins.” (This also goes for the War Remnants Museum that we visited the following day in Saigon. We were most enlightened by the role that photographers played in the War.)
In just a day we visited the Mekong Delta, it was evident that all life in the entire region depends on the Mekong river: from the diverse species of birds and seafood to the myriad of tropical fruits, to all of the people who facilitated our journey by boat. We got to enjoy many fruits of this area’s labor by wrapping our own fresh-caught fish into spring rolls for lunch, and later sampling Mekong’s finest tropical fruits while listening to traditional music of the region.
We finished off the night grabbing a rooftop drink with some friends also from QSI and we caught a Tet dragon dance performance back on the pedestrian street.
No products in the cart.