Mekong Delta

Tilbage til Saigon fra Mekong Delta efter en smuk tur, hvor tiden staar stille. Det er et meget frodigt omraade og folk lever et meget simpelt liv uden nogen form for comfort. De er tilfredse med dette. De har ry for at drikke en del, hvilket vel er den eneste adspredelse, som de har.

Hele gruppen sov sammen uden for i den tropiske nat (med moskitonet). En vietnamesisk familie havde lavet sig en forretning, hvor de havde opsat feltsenge og lavede mad til overnattende turister (dog for et meget begraenset antal, saa det blev mere privat, og vi var da ogsaa de eneste).

Vi sejlede dog foerst rundt til flere af de omkring liggende oer med endnu en baad helt for os selv. Tilsidst blev vi koert gennem et tropisk lignende skov paa primitive transportmidler til indkvarteringen. Det har i det hele taget vaeret en smuk oplevelse trods de af og til luvede omgivelser og det meget affald rundt omkring.

Vi besoegte Cu Chi tunnellerne taet ved Cambodia nord for Saigon. Det var et de steder Vietcong'erne ydede staerk modstand mod amerikanerne under Vietnamkrigen, og hvor man husker det beroemte billede af den lille pige, som loeber efter at vaere braendt overalt paa kroppen af en af de mange bomber, som amerikanerne smed i omraadet.

Vietnameserne synes ikke til at baere nag trods fortidens raedsler, og de er venlige og imoedekommende. Jeg kan kun anbefale, at man tager til Vietnam, som er anderledes positivt end forventet.

Jeg skal hilse og sige, at dette omraade var hedt og fugtigt, og jeg lignede ogsaa her en roed og opsvulmet ballon i dagtimerne.

Back again to Saigon from Mekong Delta after a beautiful trip, where time seems to stand still. The area is very vigorous and people live a simpel life without any comforts. They are happy with this. It is said that they drik a lot but I guess it is the only distraction they got.

The whole group slept outside in the tropical night (with amosquito nets). A Vietnamese family made a living out of offering camp beds and cooking to tourist sleeping overnight (however a limited number making it all more private and we were the only ones).

First however we were visiting the surrounding islands by yet another boat of our own. We ended the tour to our distination on very primitive vehicles, which went through a beautiful area looking like a tropical forrest. The impression of the areas that we have seen has all together been beautiful inspite of sometimes dilapidated buildings and garbage everywhere.

We also visited the Cu Chi tunnels close to the Cambodian border and north of Saigon. This was one of the areas where the Viet Congs put up strong resistance to the Americans during the Vietnam war and the place from the photo taken of the little girl running after having been burned all over her body by one of the bombs thrown by the Americans in that area.

The Vietnamese do not however seem to have no hard feelings inspite of the horror of the past and they are friendly and obliging. I can only recommend a trip to Vietnam, which is very different in positive way.

I can tell you that this are was hot and humid too and that I have been looking like a red and swollen ballon in the daytime.