HCMC Saigon - Vietnam

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at dusk and within a couple of hours we had worked out what we were doing for the next 3 days, how we were going to get across the border into Cambodia, and had handed our passports in to get a new visa. If we didn't have a few days to arrange our visa here, we could have gotten in at the border without any fuss. (tip) We went to the War Remnants Museum. It had a lot of horrible black and white, in your face photos, of the fighting, the torture, and the aftermath. Not very nice at all! We went and saw the Reunification Palace, which you could quite easily take it or leave it. We took motorbike taxi's to Dam Sen Park which was really crap, so leave this one. We went on a roller coaster ride (there was only 4 of us), soon to realise that it went upside down (my first time), and our bodies were in need to some reailgment afterwards. We took a morning tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels, which are 70kms north west of the city. These are a must see! You can crawl through some of it, but it is really small, hot and difficult. There are actually 200kms of tunnels that were used by the Viet Cong to fight against the Americans, and South Vietnamese. We went to the tunnels in the North of Vietnam which were actually my height. There is a great book entitled the Cu Chi Tunnels written by two English journalists who interviewed American, Vietnamese soldiers, and Guerilla's. It gives an amazing insight into what it was like for all involved. The Americans and all their weapons didn't make much of a dint against an enemy they could not see, and for such a long time, did not know where they were. Even when they discovered some tunnels, they didn't know how to fight them, and many that tried were killed by traps. The tunnels had hospitals, women gave birth to babies, they had air holes to the surface, and numerous layers of tunnels with hidden trap doors. They even had U bends in the tunnels filled with water that prevented poisinous gases getting past. Everything was primitive but highly effective. The Vietnamese even made their own hand granades from American bombs that hadn't exploded, and tin cans left as rubbish. I suggest you read the book! We took a 3 day Mekong Delta tour that also helped us cross the border into Cambodia. Tip - a one day tour would have been a little disappointing. This river has its source starting in Tibet, and runs through China, Laos and Cambodia and finishes in Vietnam. We took buses, boats, saw floating markets, rice paper making, pigs, a crocodile farm and ate snake (which was quite meaty). We spent the first night in Can Tho, and the second night in Chau Doc, near the border. We spent some time with a NZ lad called Mike (whom we had actually met in Mei Ne - a couple of towns back) and continued to into Cambodia. Ian went with him and another guy out to a disco one night and have some interesting stories about very young girl's being pimped, which Ian couldn't believe, as he has a 13 year old sister. We chose to take the slow boat across the border, which was less crowed than the fast one, and obvsioulsy less expensive. Although it took all day it was relaxing and we didn't have any problems at the border.