Sunday, April 19
Houng and I went to the airport to pick up Doris, Knud Henning and Lizzi. They were tired after a long flight. We agreed to postpone the trip to the old presidential palace (before 30 / 4-1975) to over dinner. It is an interesting museum that reminds one of a bygone era. Since we had no other plans, we went to the big market "Can Tong". Here you can buy almost anything. There is a park close by. On Sunday there will be many students there to practice how to speak English. They go in groups of 4-5 and samples if they can find some foreigners to talk to. The students we met had been tasked to find a foreigner, give him a traditional straw hat and have them write "I love Ho Chi Minh City on the hat, then had to be taken picture of all. A very modern and effective way to practice a foreign language. Houng had made a reservation for us at the restaurant. She and the family was invited to eat with us. Houng, Hop, Thang and Trang. Houng invited us to eat in their homes the next day.
Here's the tank that ran through the wall to the presidential palace 30 / 4-75. Exhibited at the old presidential palace
Same tank now with Danes in the picture
Presidential palace until 1975
From facebook Dining at the restaurant
Monday, April 20
Very early - 5:30 - Breakfast and then departure to the Cu Chi tunnels. Well we had an early start in our large taxi with air conditioning. There was in fact very few visitors when we arrived - and many when we went on. We started with a video, which was about the reason why the locals had built tunnels. Villagers were started during the French regime and had developed them under the "American War". Which is approximately 250 km tunnel. All of our generation remember the Vietnam War - American War - so it was very interesting to hear the Vietnamese angle of what happened. Guerrilla warfare are in this area was so effective that the Americans resorted to throwing "agent orange" over the area to try to defoliates it, so they better be able to anticipate where the freedom fighters stayed. Unfortunately also suffer next generation in the genetic damage that the poison caused the locals. Many children in the area are born deaf. Also among the American soldiers came home with some genetic damage. We had a tight schedule, we had to be at Tay Ninh. 12 to attend the religious ceremony - a kind of invasion - a colorful spectacle. The religion called Cao Dai and is a mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. Cai Dai is a meditation religion. After the visit to the temple / church was time for lunch. On the way to the eating place we saw many rubber plantations. On the way home we got the driver to stop at a large modern supermarket where we could buy food for the train ride. Departure by train at. 20:00. We have luxury bunks. Arrival in Da Nang pm. 14:00 - new adventure awaits!
Cu Chi
Cu Chi
Cu Chi
The believers meet every day at. 12 of Cao Dai - temple ceremony and meditation.
Tay Ninh Cao Dai
The believers meet every day at. 12 of Cao Dai - temple ceremony and meditation.
Tay Ninh Cao Dai
Cao Dai
From Facebook Great Dinner at Vân Huong Duong, who is Thuys sister.
From Facebook Great Dinner at Vân Huong Duong, who is Thuys sister.
From Facebook Great Dinner at Vân Huong Duong, who is Thuys sister.