Our bus pulled into Ho Chi Minch around 7AM and we were both knackered to say the least. Before heading off to find accommodation we sat on a street corner and had a iced coffee. It hit the spot perfectly and helped remove some of the mentally scarring bus ride.

We soon found a small hotel run by a very cool guy named "Chan". This lovely man saw how tired we were and immediately fed us fresh baguettes and juice. He then pestered the house keepers consistently to get our room ready earlier. It was, after all, only 8AM!

After dropping off our packs and a quick freshen up we gathered ourselves and headed across an open park were locals played badminton with their families and did various exercises. We where heading towards the main war museum in Ho Chi Minh. The museum was surrounded by an impressive collection of old American planes, tanks and artillery. We walked amongst these old war machines for hours looking at how they were put together and what made them so deadly. Old bullet holes could still be seen on some of them and one couldn't help but imagine how it must of felt for the soldiers who had to operate these, very, unfriendly giants. One of the artillery guns had a range of 15km and a blast radius of 500m. The devastation was in comprehendible, however the Vietnamese still managed to prevail. The rest of the museum was filled with a very "one sided" perspective on the Vietnam war, and I did at one stage feel very sorry for any American tourists. It was extremely sad to see the role that the children played in the war and how families were affected. Even worse was how so many families are still having birth defects from all the Dioxin which America dropped on Vietnam during the war. All in all, it was a eye opening experience and one which must be endured when visiting Ho Chi Minh.

That night we had an early dinner of rice pancakes with spring onions, bean sprouts and prawns. It wasn't long after dinner that we called it a night and headed back to Chan's place.

The next morning we were on a boat by 09:30 and headed up the Mekong towards the Cu Chi tunnels. Cu Chi was a Viet Cong (part of the north Vietnamese army opposing America) dominated area and tells an incredible story of endurance, perseverance and just plain HARDCORE behaviour. It's an area covering around 250 square kilometres and was once a lush jungle inhabited by local farmers and general Vietnamese seeking some peaceful time away from the city. The fighting in this area lasted for over a decade. To say it mildly, America bombed the life out of this place! The strange thing was that the Vietnamese didn't retreat. They responded by digging three layers of tunnels underneath the battlefield which stretched for over 250km. A network of mind boggling and claustrophobic patterns which weren't even planned or carefully designed. They were basically built by feel and guess work. We spent the entire day climbing into tunnels which took the air out of your lungs due to their pure restrictive nature. On your hands and knees in the darkness crawling on and on until you can feel the sides of the tunnel narrow down onto your ribcage. Our guide told us harrowing stories of American soldiers heading into the tunnels to sneak up on the "unsuspecting" Viet Cong, only to get completely disorientated 10m underground and eventually perish. What made the day even more intense was the 40 degree weather and the relentless sound of the automatic guns being let loose on the firing range. We really wanted to get a feeling for what it must have been like for these poor soldiers so we bought some AK47 bullets and, with the help of an instructor, fired them 100m towards a target. After only firing off five rounds my face was covered in sweat and my heart racing like a lab rat on red bull. Dora then took aim and fired an array of bullets which hit everything except the target. This must have been hell on earth.

After walking around for another few hours and discovering more atrocities and man at his worst, we boarded our bus back to Ho Chi Minh. As incredibly informative and interesting the day had been we both can't help but think of the lives this war had destroyed. War truly has no winner......... Tomorrow we head to Cambodia where some of the worst crimes on Humanity have ever been committed, but apparently theres a lot of good stuff going on over there these days. Vietnam has been a roller coaster of good times and bad. Terrible transport, beautiful beaches, delicious food, crazy cities, new friends made and the majestic limestone formations of Halong Bay. The most unforgettable aspect of Vietnam are the people. Stern, stubborn but extremely loving towards their families and a nation which truly appreciates the value of peace. Well done Vietnam. Same same but different.............