17 Apr 2024
I was blessed to have the extremely knowledge elder statesmen of the tour guides Mr Tam; having lived through the end of French colonialism and the war he was able to share not just facts learnt from a history book but also he shared his personal experiences and anecdotes - I could listen to Mr Tam all day; an amazing septuagenarian.
Our driver Mr Tom was also excellent - collecting me from my hotel at 8am and returning me just after 6pm so it was a long day.
Khe San FOB is now a tranquil place and it was hard to believe that only a few years ago it was the scene of a fierce battle and home to 1000s of US marines - i enjoyed exploring the trench system.
After making our back down the hills it was time for lunch which tasty and cheap.
Vinh Moc tunnels was an eye opening experience and totally different from the cu chi system in the south - I only needed to stoop and crawl. The system is ventilated by tunnels that lead to sea and served as an air raid shelter for locals so there were family compartments and even a maternity cave dug out of the tunnel wall - I’m told that they even had film shows down there.
Our final port of call was the brigade spanning the 17th parallel - an historically significant place.
As a former soldier and lover of history it was a worthwhile and fantastic day out