[Throwback] Visting Vietnam

I had a business trip to Ho Chi Minh many years ago. At that point, I had never been to Vietnam so I thought it would be a good idea to fly there at the start of the weekend (my business trip would officially start on Monday) so I would have more time to go around the city a bit more. My friend Duncan was assigned in Ho Chi Minh during that time and he had a spare room at his place so he kindly agreed to host me over the weekend. I arrived on Saturday and Duncan took me around. We passed by some establishments that offered day trips and I looked at some of their packages. I really wanted to see the Cu Chi Tunnels and I found a tour would take me there and also to the Cao Dai Temple. I booked this day tour and took it the next day, Sunday.

Cu Chi Tunnels

Our first stop was the Cao Dai Temple. Caodaism is a religion in Vietnam that combines other religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and even Christianity. We got there around noon and when we arrived, a mass was ongoing and there were lots of people inside. Despite that, we were still allowed to go in (although I think we had to stay away from the prayer area while worship was ongoing). Visitors also have to leave their shoes at the entrance.

Cao Dai Temple

We spent maybe an hour or so at the temple. You can find a lot of very good information about it in this link from Local Insider (https://local-insider.com/cao-dai-temple-tour-a-journey-to-explore-the-most-mysterious-religion-in-vietnam/). At the altar area is a large globe with the Divine Eye, the symbol of Caodaism.

Inside the Cao Dai Temple

We then left the temple and headed to the Cu Chi Tunnels. When I was a kid, my mom told me that the Viet Cong built these tunnels during the Vietnam War as a way to protect themselves against, and to ambush, American troops. They are now a tourist attraction and since I was familiar with their historical significance, I wanted to see them.

Our guide shared information about the Cu Chi tunnels with us and took us around the grounds where we got to see booby traps...

Booby traps built by the Viet Cong

...and even broken tanks.

The highlight however was actually being able to go into the tunnels. We were told that it would be dark and hot and that people who are claustrophobic might have some difficulty. There were two tunnels, a shorter tunnel that would require people to crouch as they passed through, and a longer one that might require people to crawl and be on their elbows. I tried the first one but what I didn't expect was how hot it would be inside. Despite it being a short tunnel and only requiring me to crouch to get through, I ended up being drenched in sweat by the time I got out. (Of course, I still needed to have a photo op while there haha).

Me inside the tunnel

I originally wanted to go through the second tunnel as well but I was already absolutely soaked and I didn't have a spare shirt nor a towel with me. I thought that going through the second, narrower tunnel would cause me to get even more drenched and I was worried that if I got in our air conditioned tour bus in wet clothes, I would get sick (which wouldn't be ideal since my business trip would start the next day). As such, I skipped it. If I get to revisit the Cu Chi Tunnels, I would surely bring a towel and a spare shirt.

The rest of my stay in Vietnam went well. Since we were kicking off a project there, we even had a team-building activity at a beach at the end of the week. While I didn't get to see too many places during my business trip, it still allowed me to see some really interesting sights, have some pretty cool experiences,  and meet some great people. Hopefully, I get to visit Vietnam again.