In the morning, we will pick you up at your hotel. Leaving Ho Chi Minh City, we drive through pleasant countryside before arriving at Cu Chi. Before entering the tunnels we watch a short introductory video showing how the tunnels were constructed. We then spend the next hour exploring the maze of tunnels. Also on display are various booby traps and the remains of an American tank as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500 pound bombs dropped by B-52 bombers. We then drive back to Ho Chi Minh City at approximately 1pm.
You will have lunch at Pho 24 for some traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, then we will pick you up for the afternoon tour to discover our city.
We start by looking at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office. Built between 1877 and 1883, the Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the best examples of classical French colonial architecture. Remarkably every stone used in its creation was shipped from France to Vietnam. Her two 40m towers, topped with iron spires dominate the city’s skyline. The Old Post Office is another example of French colonial architecture and is also the country’s largest post office.
Then, we move on to see the Reunification Palace and War Museum.
The Reunification Palace: This is one of the most important buildings in the city. Here on April 30th 1975 the ‘American War’ officially ended when tank number 843 of the North Vietnamese Army crashed through the gates of what was, at the time the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam.
War Remnants Museum: Formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, this is a poignant display of the futility of war. Some of the black and white photography in the ‘Requiem’ exhibit is particularly touching, dedicated to both foreign and Vietnamese journalists and photographers who perished during the conflict. The courtyard outside contains the spoils of war, namely rusting jets, tanks and cannons captured from the American military machine.
After that we visit the ornate Taoist Jade Emperor Temple and local market before transferring you back to your hotel.