Chapter 28. : South and Central Vietnam

I´m starting off my visit in Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh City, former Saigon. Named after the former leader Ho Chi Minh it's the biggest city in Vietnam with over 7 million inhabitants. Like any other big city in Asia there is mopeds and motorcycles everywhere. With hardly no traffic lights it´s a bit chaotic. There are however some pedestrian crossing but don´t think they will stop for you becouse of that. The only thing to do is as quickly as possible learn how to cross the street Vietnamies style. You simply start to walk slowly and then try to predict how the next incoming motorbike will turn. In front of you or at the back. Couse the will try to not run in to you. By keeping a slow pace and not make any sudden stop or move the drivers have time to turn.

To make it even more disorganized they also drive on the sidewalk.

Vietnam has a dark and gruesome past with many decades of war. I can write page after page about the war with China, with France during the colonization, with Cambodia and the Khmer Rogue and not to forget, the Civil war in the 70s. But war is a terrible thing and I choose to focus on the positiv things Vietnam has to offers. With that said, I just can´t write about Ho Chi Minh City with out mention the Cho ci tunnles. Placed south west of Ho Chi Minh City towards the Cambodian border, with over 250 km tunnles in three levels, it was the fundation of the guerrilla warfare by north Vietnam against the south and the Americans. It was like a small society with rooms for sleeping, cooking, storing and rooms for fighting.

If navigating in the small tunnels wasn´t hard enought, it was also full of horrifying spike traps Indiana Jones-style. It was a nightmare for the south vietnamese and american soldiers. The tunnels are as deep as to 10 meters under ground and by using bumbu trees they could provide air to the tunnels. Today a small part is open for visitors with an improved ventilation and only by walking/crewling the 120 meters I sweat a lot. Having that in mind, the Viet Cong soldiers spend weeks, moths and even years in the tunnles with only limited time above ground. Absolutly unbelivible. Enough writing, more pics.

I´m taking my first night bus/Sleeper bus to Mui Ne. It´s a pretty comfortable way to travel longer distance and especially during the night to save time and money.

Mui Ne, a sleepy coast resort with good waves for windsurfin, kaytsurfing. But im here for another reason. In the middle of bushland, 30 minuts from the city, mother nature decided to create a small desert. Here can you drive ATV on the sand dunes or just stroll around in the fine-graind white sand and thank higher power you´re not lost in the middle of the Sahara desert.

My next stop is Dalat in the Central Highlands where I do a two day "Easy Rider" motorcycle trip. It´s very popular and a great way to travel through the countryside of Vietnam. You´re riding a motorbike with a local guide who show you the surroundings and talk about Vietnam, the food, their agriculture and culture. My guide was Huy, a guy with a great smile and a lot of interesting stories.