On the Map again .... we are now in Hua, pronounced 'Way'
The next day was rainy. We had wonderful weather-karma in Indonesia and the Philippines, but Vietnam has not been so accommodating. No downpours, nor all-day rains… but lots of ‘Michigan days’ with gray skies and drizzle. Glad i bought and brought a rain jacket! And our first full day in Hue was one of those.
But several of us decided to take a tour in spite of the rain. There were a lot of choices, but i said that i wanted to do the tour of the DMZ. To me, VietNam meant the VietNam War. I didn’t want to leave here without seeing and learning about the areas where it took place. Not everyone was interested, but most of us went. Our trip had a ‘local guide’ that spoke English, but we were going to pick him up on the way, after we visited …
The Lady of LaVang
In 1798 an anti-Catholic edit was declared, and many took refuge and hiding in the LaVang Forest. They were sick and starving, and gathered under a banyan tree to pray asking Our Lady to rescue them. One night, she appeared by a large Banyon Tree and answered their prayers. I don’t quite understand the metal Banyon Tree depiction.. but
She appeared several more times and has worked many miracles to those who come to pray. Still today people make a Pilgrimage to this Shrine. For those of you who know my family well, will certainly see the correlation between this Shrine and the Pilgrimages at Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio. Here, they even have a large open are with the Stations of the Cross, much like in Carey. Not quite as nice though :)
I can’t see how this has anything to do with a DMZ tour … but, it was on the way :)
Next we stopped in a village to pick up our Tour Guide. WoW.. we were so fortunate to have THIS particular Guide. He was 14yrs old when the bombing began and they had to leave their home. He was giving us first-hand thoughts and feelings about these experiences. He recalled a particular situation where an American soldier walked right to their door. He said they were all scared and just peeking out the door. He said all of the VietCong and VNA carried their guns all the time, pointing them, and never put them down. This American placed his gun against his home and quietly and respectfully walked around. Then picked up his gun and left. He was so moved by this experience.
We stopped along the side of the road in an overgrown field and walked us to this old tank from 1972 and this Historical Marker. Even though it was overgrown with brush in the middle of a field in the middle of no where
The first Memorial he showed us was on the South VietNam side, this one along the River. The ‘feathers’ are the Coconut Trees
It honored the women and children who waited 21 years for their husbands/fathers to return after the war, when the border closed to North VietNam.
Notice that the railings change color from yellow to blue … at that exact point is the dividing line.
Across the Bridge is a Museum, with a large Statue to Ho Chi Min with his hand over his heart. It says, "The South is in my Heart"
There were many photos, this one showing the deactivating of bombs and mines.
There is another Memorial that had large mosaics. I really liked this one celebrating the end of the War
Continuing to walk we came to Vinh Moc Tunnels. This is on the North VietNam side of the River. It is the most “complete and effective form of prevention; demonstrating an extraordinary energy, resilient spirit, and a unique creation of the Vietnam People’s War”.
Total length is almost 6,000 feet, with 13 entrances. 7 entrances facing the sea (to provide for ventilation from the ocean breezes), and 6 entrances facing the hills.
There are 3 levels: the first level is 26-32 feet deep, ...next level is 40-50 feet deep, ...and the deepest at 65-100 feet ….UNDER ground ! People dug into the walls to create a small ‘home’
There is also a Hall that will hold 50-60 people for meetings, arts, entertainment, maternity wards, surgery stations, toilets, and a kitchen. People lived under here for 2 YEARS !
Number 13 Entrance
These tunnels were dug entirely out of the red thick clay in this area. There is nothing supporting them.
Some of the entrances have been re-constructed because of damage, you can see the timbers in this photo. But just the entrances, not the tunnels.
I was SO curious as to what they looked like inside, i ventured a peek
But that wasn’t necessary because Tam took us inside for a very long tour. For once i was happy to be ‘short’, 2 of the guys had to quit because their back hurt :( And this would NOT be the place for anyone with claustrophobia,…it was narrow as well as short.
They had a Museum here also, with sobering photos and statistics. Remember this is in North VietNam, and from their perspective. “From 1964 to 1972 American invaders dropped more than half a million tons of bombs of all kinds.” ..(evacation , drilling, cluster and napalm bombs) making this region a dead land. “5,117 people killed, 4,200 injured, 5,656 roofs burned, 113 educational and health facilities were destroyed”. An average of 7 tons of bombs and 10 cannonballs for EACH citizen of Vihn Lihn.
It also reported that during the same period that 293 American planes were shot down (incl 7 B52s), submerge and fired 69 American and Republic of Vietnam Warships and Raiders.
It also talked about the Trench System that connected villages.
The “Vinc Mac Tunnels were one of the greatest technological achievements in the 20th century, and one of the most glorious victories of humanity in the struggle for survival”
I want to commend Julie, who braved the rainy weather with her boot and crutches. What a trouper !
This was a very interesting, worthwhile and sobering trip for me. It does make me wonder why the people of VietNam don't hate 'Americans' ... but we found none of that so far.
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