HCMC Day 2

We took a day tour first to the Cao Dai temple, had lunch at a local restaurant (great Pho) and then to the famous Cu Chi tunnels used during the Vietnam War.

Cao Đài is a relatively new, syncretist, monotheistic religion, officially established in Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam, in 1926. The term Cao Đài literally means "high place." Figuratively, it means that highest place where God reigns. It is also the abbreviated name for God, the creator of the universe, whose full title is Cao Đài Tiên Ông Đại Bồ Tát Ma-ha-tát - Within the title are representations of the Three Teachings: Saint, Sage and Buddha.

Caodaiists credit God as the religion's founder. They believe the teachings, symbolism and organization were communicated directly from God. Cao Đài's first disciples claimed to have received direct communications from God, who gave them explicit instructions for establishing a new religion that would commence the Third Era of Religious Amnesty.

Adherents engage in ethical practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the minimum goal of rejoining God the Father in Heaven and the ultimate goal of freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Estimates of the number of Cao Đài adherents in Vietnam vary, but most sources give two to three million. Some estimates are as high as eight million adherents in Vietnam. An additional 30,000 (primarily ethnic Vietnamese) live in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

We were able to view a ceremony take place from the balcony at the temple (2nd picture) This was very interesting to see how it was conducted and how the rituals were carried out.

The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War. The tunnels were used by the Viet Cong as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance in resisting American operations and protracting the war, eventually persuading the weary Americans into withdrawal.

Seeing the tunnels was very interesting, but definitely hit a soft spot when hearing/seeing the videos of Vietnamese that were praised for killing Americans. The American Pride took over and I was finished seeing the tunnels after the first few. Overall, it showed how terrible war is and can be, no matter what side you are on.





This entry into the tunnels was only big enough for a Vietnamese person. There is little chance an average-sized American could fit in it.

Trip to Ho Chi Minh City

Hotel: Liberty 1 Saigon
Price: $60 USD/night inclusive of breakfast
Transportation: Lots of walking & Taxi -->avg ride = $2 USD

We landed in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday night and did some exploring, but were caught in the rain and headed back to our hotel to rest up for the next day. We spent all day Saturday walking around the city to visit the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Ben Thanh Market.

The War Remnants Museum is a war museum thatprimarily contains exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War, and is a major tourist attraction.

Operated by the Vietnamese government, the museum was opened in September 1975 as the "The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government[of South Vietnam]." Later it was known as the Museum of American War Crimes, then as the War Crimes Museum until as recently as 1993. Its current name follows liberalization in Vietnam and the normalization of relations with the United States, but the museum does not attempt to be politically balanced. The museum comprises a series of eight themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment located within a walled yard. The military equipment include a UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, an F-5A fighter, a BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bomb, M48 Patton tank, and an A-1 attack bomber.

Reunification Palace, formerly known as Independence Palace, built on the site of the former Norodom Palace, is a historic landmark in Ho Chi Minh City. It was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu as the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and the site of the official handover of power during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. It was then known as Independence Palace, and an NVA tank crashed through its gates.

The Ben Thanh market was a great market for shopping. Cheap house decor (the same as what you can get at Pier 1) and your usual knock-offs: handbags, jewelry, clothes, and shoes. Kaes and I were able to both find "NorthFace" rain jackets for $30 USD a piece...beats the $300 USD you pay back in the states :)

There are TONS of motorbikes everywhere here and to be able to cross the street, you must start walking right in the middle of the traffic. Luckily the riders of motorbikes are cautious of pedestrians and do a good job of driving around them to avoid any accidents. We are heading to Cu Chi tomorrow to see the elaborate tunnel system used during the Vietnam war.

Mabul, Sipadan, and Kepalai

Hotel: Seafest Hotel
Price: $ 30 USD/night inclusive of breakfast for 2
Duration: 6 days/5 nights
Transportation: Walking 5 mins. to Scuba Junkie, then diving!

Kaes and I took a trip to the islands of Mabul, Sipadan, and Kepalai to dive and get our Advanced Open Water Dive Certification. Sipadan is one of the top dive destinations in the world.

Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 2,000 feet or 600m from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea east of the major town of Tawau and off the coast of East Malaysia on the Island of Borneo. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem.

Normally rare diving scenes are frequently seen in the waters around Sipadan: schools of greenback turtles and hawksbill turtles nesting and mating, schools of barracuda & big-eye trevally in tornado-like formations, pelagic species such as manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale sharks.

A mysterious turtle tomb lies underneath the column of the island, formed by an underwater limestone cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that contain many skeletal remains of turtles that have become lost and drown before finding the surface.