After getting to know the group I'm travelling with over a meal and some beers last night, today we visited the Chu Chi tunnels today - an area about an hour out of the city which was the site of many of the tunnels built by the Vietcong during the war with the US. It graphically demonstrated the amazing lengths that they went to, to defend and attack the Americans during the Vietnam war.

We were able to go down the tunnels and travel underground (made bigger for tourists, although I found them no problem to get through!). We saw the amazing ingenuity of the Vietcong and the extrordinary lengths they went to - building 120km long tunnels with hospitals and schools underground.

The most interesting part was how it was all articulated from the Vietnamese perspective - almost like propaganda - even going back to my school days, I can only remember being taught about this was from a western (US) perspective. There are subtle reminders everywhere that this is a communist state.

After firing a few live runds with an AK47 rifle, we headed back into the City and visited the War Memorial museum. It showed the devastating effects on the people of Agent Orange. I was genuinely shocked by the hatred that remains towards the US. Yet I could understand why this exists even today.

We leave Ho Chi Minh tonight by train - the city itself is mad - 8 million people and 4 million scooters. Got a scooter ride back from the museum...no more of them thanks! What a vibrant, energetic city this is - without the sleazy undertones that Bangkok had.

That's it for now - I'll be on the beach in the morning in Nha Trang. This train ride should be interesting......