Goodnight Saigon

Apologies for the title, but it was our last night in Saigon, so it had to be done.

Another fascinating day, which started with a speedboat trip down the Saigon river for an hour or so to the site of the Cu Chi tunnels. Originally built for the war against the French, they're best known for their role in the Vietnam War (or the American War, as it's called here).

The extent of the tunnel system is mind-boggling, with about 75 miles of tunnels around Cu Chi village, which is just part of a much, much bigger network. But while the length of the tunnels may be impressive, the diameter certainly isn't. I couldn't fit through the 100m section made safe (and especially enlarged!) for tourists. 

Though, in my defence, apparently most Vietnamese now won't fit through the original tunnels either, such are the effects of a modern diet. Bear in mind that the 12-year-old girl child is bigger than nearly all adults we've met here, and you get an idea of how tiny the 1960s tunnels must have been. Perhaps a six-year-old European could comfortably get through them, but that'd be about it.

(Extra pic is of a very skinny tour guide demonstrating how the Viet Cong soldiers would enter the tunnels. Then, for good measure, a pic of what the forest floor looked like when he'd pulled the lid shut over the tunnel. Good luck spotting that if you're an American soldier...)

Our final evening in Saigon was spent with a trip up to the cafe on the 50th floor of the Bitexco Tower for a bird's eye view of the city, followed by drinks at a nearby Australian-themed bar and restaurant, listening to a Vietnamese band do covers of UK and US chart hits. So it was a multi-cultural kind of evening.

The pic, by the way, isn't the Bitexco Tower. It's one of the main buildings lining Times Square, which becomes pedestrianised and a bit of a hot-spot on Sunday evenings. Saigon has been full of surprises...