I think that today was definitely one of the most memorable days of the trip so far (evidenced by the fact that I took over 100 photos). We first visited a factory where those affected by the Agent Orange used in the Vietnam/American War are employed to make art with duck eggshells, mother of pearl, and lacquer tree sap. Every aspect of this production process seems so innovative and I loved being able to see both the process and the end product. All of the designs are gorgeous and the mother of pearl and eggshell additions make them even more eye-catching. I even wound up bought a few of these designs, as souvenirs for both my parents and myself. There was a little coffee shop connected to the factory, from which I got a super tasty iced milk coffee.
We then traveled to the Cu Chi tunnels, where we learned about the history and function of the tunnels, as well as explored some of them. The tunnels have three layers: the top one was allocated for hospitals and cooking, the middle was for resting and passage, and the bottom was for emergency/bomb shelter. These tunnels, along with so many other Vietnamese strategies/methods were insanely clever and well-thought out. Our guide, Tuan, told us that the Vietcong would mark their traps by sticking a plant stem through a plant leaf, so that their colleagues would know that there is a trap there and thus avoid stepping into it. To deal with the steam that came from their cooking, the Vietnamese dug special tunnels for the steam so that it would come out of the surface a few hundred kilometers away and it would come out gradually so that it would not be spotted by enemy soldiers. Another method for ventilation used by the Vietnamese was to use termite mounds – this made their ventilation look very inconspicuous, it prevented gas poisoning(from gas that the US would throw into the tunnel), and it helped with dissipating any giveaway scents that the US canines would’ve otherwise detected. The Vietnamese also used bamboo booby traps that were originally intended for hunting animals, and used them in various forms for the US/enemy soldiers; they had some on level ground, and they had some in their tunnels in case there were tunnel rats(American, Australian, New Zealand, and South Vietnamese soldiers who ventured into the tunnels in attempt to destroy missions). The rubber sandals worn by the Vietcong were also incredible ideas – they made the bottom of the sandal special so when it left a footprint, it appeared to be going in the opposite direction of where the foot is actually going. Towards the end of the tour, we tried some tapioca, which is one of the simple foods commonly eaten by Vietcong soldiers during the wartime.
All of these methods listed above would have definitely outsmarted me. Never put me in a war against the Vietnamese(or any war, for that matter). While there’s many perspectives to consider when looking at the war, I think that it is most crucial to consider the Vietnamese people’s. They did not want this war – they did not want to fight their government’s war against people/a country that they did not hate. This war was forced onto them while they were trying to farm and go about their daily lives. But even in this situation, they fought their hardest, thought everything out, and they won. I think that this resilience, this passion, and this dedication is something that really stands out, even beyond this war – just considering Vietnam’s extensive history of being exploited by and dictated by imperialist countries – and is the truest victory(or at least part of the truest victory) that the people could’ve won, and it is something that everyone should remember when they think of Vietnam.
