Cu Chi Tunnels ; Will of the Vietnamese People; Tunnel Heroes

Briefing on the facts of history and the estimated locations of the tunnels - very eye opening

On 2nd June 2009, I had some time off and had a never - to - be - forgotten experience. We went to Cu Chi,home of the largest complex of tunnels in Vietnam during the Vietnam war from 1959 - 1975.Located about 2 hours or 100 km north of Ho Chi Minh, I had an 'awakening' of sorts when the video presented the Vietnamese side of the 16 year war which saw 50,000 American troops killed or Missing in Action and over 3 Million Vietnamese killed. The greatest injustice is how one sided Hollywood had presented the War with the Vietnamese who just wanted self-rule albeit through Communist ideals made to look like villians and thieves. Many American troops committed atrocities to the simple villagers such as raping young children and women and killing indiscriminately either for revenge or suspected that the villagers were Vietcong in disguise or hiding Vietcong in certain locations. The truth of the matter was that the villagers were villagers in the day and Vietcong or sympathisers of the Vietcong at night. It was a case of fighting a 2 faced enemy / friend.


Our tour guide Mr. Tam briefing us at the entrance of the tunnel (!) See guide in green standing at the back.

The first tunnel was within 2 feet from me and I could not believe that it was even there ! Our experienced guide,Mr. Tam gave us a briefing on how long they had to dig the tunnels (it started during the short conflict with the French in the 1950s and carried on during the American invlovement) plus how they endured all kinds of hardship to get rid of the earth dug out as well as how many rooms and levels each tunnel was created for. It was indeed fascinating to see the demonstration by the guide who was standing by the tree.


Lift up the cover and down he goes !

The guide, dressed in green fatigues lifted up the wooden cover full of leaves and there was the smallest of entrances, probably 2 feet wide by 1 and a half feet depth. It could barely fit him in ! Once inside, he would get on all fours and start crawling into the tunnel which was pitch black and guided only by his flashlight, make his way along the tunnel. He would stay in the tunnel moving on all fours to get to the rooms below which housed a kitchen, small clinic and sleeping dormitories.


Up pops the hidden entrance cover and in he goes !

Living in a tunnel is some people's version of Hell but with no choice except this or be killed or maimed, the hardy Vietnamese people took to the underground like Rats to the Holes. The Americans had their volunteer soldiers who opted to go and seek out and kill these Vietcong and they were nicknamed the 'Tunnel Rats'. Many were borderline mad people or very immune to human suffering as their missions were either kill or be killed with either option very possible. Very few prisoners were taken alive on these missions.


Tunnel hidden from plain sight ; tunnel complexes in Cu Chi run into the kilometres in length !



Multi-layer Tunnel System with Living Quarters,Kitchen,even an underground Hospital !

People with phobias for dark and enclosed spaces would be terrified to be in here, but for many thousands of these Tunnel Heroes, these provided the many families and even entire communities who lived vritually underground for days and even weeks on end. The Americans may have conquered the land with their consistent carpet bombing, chemical weapons and " "Scorched Earth" where they bombed the land with all kinds of chemicals most notably Agent Orange and caused alot of untold suffering and creating hundreds of thousands or even millions of maimed civilians.

I have changed my mind about the history presented on the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese people are the true heroes and liberated themselves over a deadly Imperialist superpower who used their military superiority and money to overwhelm their enemies. Ultimately the Americans lost mainly due to their weaker fighting spirit and no will to win. Vietnamese resilience,mental strength and cohesiveness won the war. Not military might. The one biggest enemy the Americans couldn't win over was their own minds.

Ho Chih Minh Sights - 1

The Church of Madonna in District 3,modelled after the Notre Dame
Basillica Cathedral in Paris, France.

After a packed day of customer visit and discussions,my friend and I made our way down to the city centre,where we viewed the magnificent Church of Madonna, which is modelled after the Notre Dame in Paris.It is also called the Notre Dame Basillica Cathedral of Saigon (old name of Ho Chi Minh).The Vietnamese are free to worship and religion is dominated by Buddhists (60%), Catholics (20%) and the Christian Protestants. Many Vietnamese originate from China Guangzhou and other Southern provinces from the 1700s onwards. The Church in the picture was restored by the Government and there are about 10 small churches in various parts of Ho Chih Minh.


Stanley Wong outside the Catholic Church of Madonna

Crossing roads in Ho Chi Minh is very dicey if you new at it. Traffic at road junctions especially small ones are dangerous because the motorists DON'T STOP. They will slow down and dodge past you. It is especially crazy during RUSH HOUR when there are easily thousands of motorcyclists revving their engines and swerving all over the place.


Children playing on the swings,the slide,parallel bars and sand pit ; even in the evening !

The sight of a packed playground caught my eye. I have NEVER seen a playground where every single play station is occupied at every time of day ! We were walking back to our hotel at 9pm at night when I noticed that the playground was still FULL OF PEOPLE ! This reflected to me that the people are so starved of children's play areas in the city that they will spend a good half day traveling to the park and spend a few hours for their children or grandchildren to enjoy themselves before spending another few hours travelling home - home may be in the outskirts of Ho Chih Minh which can be 2 - 3 hours away.


The playground in the main park in Ho Chih Min is packed day and night !

We living in Malaysia and Singapore MUST BE most appreciative and grateful for our Governments with providing the following :

a) excellent infrastructure such as roads,traffic lights and highways
b) parks ,playgrounds and basic amenities such as shops and supermarkets in most housing estates - GOOD TOWN PLANNING
c) SAFE (especially Singapore) environment to bring up our children and families

Ho Chih Minh Vietnam First Impressions

Ho Chih Minh posters and statues are very practically everywhere,along streets and the town square

On my very first visit to Vietnam, Ho Chih Minh city, I am struck by the sheer amount of motorcycles jamming literally every street and road leading from the airport. Once you get out of the airport vicinity, the jam is omnipresent and is made much worse during 'rush hour' which happens everyday from 5pm to 7pm. I am there on a business trip with Stanley Wong, a business associate and friend and my first impressions are normally the lasting ones of a new city or country.The 1975 'victory' or pull out by the Americans has not dampened the spirit of the Vietnamese who are very proud of this fact.


Street vendor selling laptop coverings in all colours, something pretty common in Ho Chih Minh

Visiting my customer in one of the industrial parks in the outskirts of HCM, I hear that the Vietnamese are very independent minded and unlike the peoples of Malaysia and Singapore who are more cooperative and compliant. The fact that they liberated themselves by an armed struggle with the leadership of the much loved Ho Chih Minh must surely be one of the causes of this mentality. They have problems following rules and respecting heirarchy,according to an American chiropractor who has lived in Ho Chih Minh for 5 years.


Strainer made of aluminium (or stainless steel) to ensure finess of the coffee.

Having a coffee in mid morning is a pleasure which, I find unique only to Vietnam. Plenty of Vitnamese working people are in these coffee houses and restaurants at all times of day leading me to believe they can afford to take things leisurely.
The strong black coffe is presented with a strainer made of either aluminium or stainless steel and is VERY STRONG. Its robustness is apparent when you drink it and there is condensed milk to sweeten it as well as a cup of jasmine tea to drown out any aftertaste. Strongly recommended for coffee lovers !!


Original Vietnamese Coffee, double espresso, with condensed milk to sweeten the robustness and acidity


Hundreds upon hundreds of Motorbikes, causing untold damage to the environment in carbon monoxide pollution and health

The traffic here is chaotic and crossing the road even at traffic junctions is a test of your sanity and courage. The motorbikers come in ALL DIRECTIONS and there is no respect for traffic crossing or lights even at some major interesctions.
Cross at your own peril but DONT RUN. The motorcyclists have a way of avoiding you at every corner or main road.


Motorcycles everywhere, even spilling on the walkways during rush hour

Another observation I made is there is no spitting by the people, who are friendly. No beggers, no sleaze and everyone has a sense of decorum and dignity. They may be poor but they have respect and honesty to every visitor. Yes the Communists won here and they are the REAL DEAL, what the West (read America and her allies) had done in the past and wants the rest of the world is in my mind politically motivated.

Albert Hammond Free Electric Band

This Song by Albert Hammond is a favourite of my friend,Stanley Wong

Ahh to Ski Again

Doctor and Head Injury Patient,Me

Its over a year since I hit the slopes of any certified ski resort and the wait has in my opinion, whetted my appetite to one day put on the ski-boots and just go for it. As we age, several things start deteriorating all at the same time, so things like the sense of balance, coordination and good common sense (joking) which start to go once a person hits around the age of 35.



I still have my 5 fingers

The best slopes in the world to ski with pristine snow and with proper and trained instructors are mostly found in Europe, Switzerland and Austria to name just a couple. Price for a ski holiday will set a person back easily S$6 -10,000 so for a an entire family, it may cost a small forture for 1 to 2 weeks of sheer heaven.



Photo just outside the Rest Area

Globalisation - We can't go back.Ever Onward

Photo of Worldwide Representatives outside the Weiss Factory ;
Dieter(Germany),Mark(Singapore),Dass(India),Meike(Germany),Abdullah(Turkey),Rene(France),Kannan(Malaysia),Bill(USA)


Every year or so I have the opportunity to visit the Germany factory in Giessen where our major principal,Weiss Technik is located and every year or so I leave with a slightly modified perception of the country,Germany and the continent,Europe which is in a state of constant transition. This year's completed Sales training which was held 2 weeks ago hammered home how global and interconnected the world had become whereby I had the opportunity to be served by Asian counterpeople in fastfood joints , Turkish sales cashiers in the Karstadt supermarket and young German food servers in Subway. Yes, they may be menial jobs but it is apparent that the extent of which a small town like Giessen (80,000) can be quite cosmopolitan means that there are practically hundreds of small towns and cities all over Europe and the world which are exhibiting the same colouful melting pot of races and interactions at personal, business and even politicial levels.

People want a constant in their lives, be it something familiar in the food, language or shared hobbies or experiences and when travelling,these are the 'signposts' which stick out wherever we may be. We always flock to these 'signposts' whenever we are away from home to find comfort in the familiar
tastes,language twangs or even similar looking people.So for me one constant is Food.Paradoxically,when I was in Germany for 1 week, I missed eating Subway and made a beeline for the food outlet to get a taste of the familiar Tuna 6" Sub. Not wanton noodles, not chicken rice, not mee siam, but Subway.

Another constant for me is Running.I run and make an effort to bring my runing shoes to wherever I visit if its for a short 2 day trip or a 10 day sightseeing tour. A 10km or 8km in any country based on my usual speed (5.30 to 6 minutes per km) is still 10 km. That is my Second constant.

With globalisation, we have Chinese food now prepared by true blue German chefs in a castle centuries old. Even in simple German eateries in a small town like Giessen they have every weekend "Chinishe spiesekarte" or Chinese Menu. Shocking ? A fad ? No. Well it is because the Chinese have been going to places and making their presence felt. More so, it has taken over the Japanese and Indian cuisines as the 'cuisine nouvelle' and it is fashionable to dine at authentic Chinese restaurants using the same Kikkoman soy sauces and Wasabe (green radish) all imported. There is also Chinese acupuncture and foot reflexology studios and Muay Thai kickboxing schools all in this small town of Giessen.


Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale, the Wolf and the Seven Goats

So, no continent is isolated from Globalisation or the impact of foreign cultures influencing the way we eat,drink,behave,or even think. There was a tour to Marburg where the Tour Guide was giving her take on the town which was the home for the Brothers Grimm. The Wolf and the 7 Goats, the Smart Crow etc. etc. I am sure we have heard some of the fairy tales from young.

Truly on the outside,we will look different,talk with funny accents but actually we are a big Global Family with similar problems,hobbies,ideas,values and dreams.

The days of Them and Us are truly over. Its We are the World now.

School Exams Over ; Party Time but balance of work- play important

Andrew in the Basement of our House

The School Mid Year Exams are finally over and the Boys are due their relaxation and recreation time. As many parents around Singapore heave a sigh of relief, I must place it on record that to 'simply let go' is not the way to go. Of course time off with their friends and distractions like computer games are important but the parents must draw the line and make the line clear to their youths and charges.This I mean by sticking to a 'curfew time' (time to be home) and not changing radically the free times alloted and the need to keep up to date with the homework set out by the school and tuition teachers.



Ping Pong Squash - Hitting a Ping Pong Ball against the Wall

As a father of a teenage and preteen boys, I am always challenged by what father and son activities are out there whereby we can make time to destress and bond. Sports is one excellent way to do so and while it is good to do the family holiday thing every year or two, it in my opinion only shows up a side of the person. By this I mean, when on holiday,people normally do not exhibit their true day to day selves.



Betty from Hong Kong paying Andrew a visit

In this Internet,Facebook and Twitter enabled world, while we are connected, we are also alienated by this fact that our children and friends are but a phone call away. This lulls us into a false sense of being there when we are there electronically but in reality nothing beats a face to face meeting for a meal or a drink.