Today we embarked on a journey to the Cu Chi Tunnels to learn more about the Vietnam War and how they lived during this time. It was fascinating to see how these Vietnamese people adapted to the conditions by building incredibly small underground tunnels. We watched demonstrations on how the Vietnamese would outsmart the Americans by setting well hidden traps to kill or injure their enemies. The sound of the guns from the firing range really gave you a sense of how loud and scary the war would have actually been. Going down into the tunnels was very different from what I thought – it was so small, dark and confronting. The tunnels cover 200 square kilometres and connect to different areas in South Vietnam. Crawling only 20 metres was enough for me as I felt trapped and was amazed by how people could live in the tunnels. After walking around we settled by the river to enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch, which usually includes rice, meats and vegetables.
After a long bus trip we then arrived at the Thien Phuoc Orphanage where we were greeted by Miss Kim who is the manageress of the orphanage. Altogether there were about 60 children and each had a disability. This was confronting at first but when you saw the kids smiling you couldn’t help but smile yourself. Upon first entering the orphanage we didn’t have an idea about how moving this experience would be, but after we settled in time flew and we didn’t want to leave. 
I can assure you that every St Leonard’s student bonded and connected with these kids – even though they could not communicate they understood our facial expressions and gestures. After two hours there it was time to say goodbye and we left presents with Miss Kim to give to the children. We then headed back for dinner and refreshments in small groups around Ho Chi Minh City, followed by a quick shop at the night market, which was lively and busy as usual.
Phoebe J and Paddy S
Tomorrow we head to a village (with no internet access) in the Mekong Delta for 4 days. We will be in touch again after that. Until then….