Tuesday was a chill day, in which I ran 16 miles and then Patton and I got dinner with David. Wednesday we did another tour, this time a half day one to the Cu Chi tunnels north of Ho Chi Minh City. We ended up with the same guide, Jack, somewhat by design. Then we got dinner with him and said goodbye!

Tuesday, August 6

Tuesday afternoon I committed to a slightly longer run around Saigon. I roughly planned the route on CityStrides, but relied on my phone instead of a printout since I didn’t have a printer of course. I ended up doing a slow 16 miles in the 90+ degree heat, taking about 3 hours and 45 minutes. I started getting a small blister by the end, but it went fine except for a trek through some gross water.

Meanwhile Patton would get food on his own and work on finishing a research paper he was doing with some folks from IBM, where he recently stopped working.

Out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

I probably should have turned back at this point when I saw the dirt road was flooded, but because I was trying to stick to a certain number of miles on a preplanned route, I just stuck with it. The next option would have involved a mile of backtracking. Well, it only got grosser. My old Luna Sandals were terrible when wet due to the top surface becoming super smooth over time. And I realized the water was soaking garbage all along the road, and it was hot. It was probably a bacterial stew, but I forged on. I did try to dry my feet immediately at the other side, and took a shower when I got back home.

While out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam, I ended up in an area where the dirt streets were flooded with kind of gross water, and it was HOT! The air temperature was around 95 F, so I'm sure the shallow water was hotter. I ran through it with my sandals but wished I didn't after.

While out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam, I ended up in an area where the dirt streets were flooded with kind of gross water, and it was HOT! The air temperature was around 95 F, so I'm sure the shallow water was hotter. I ran through it with my sandals but wished I didn't after.

These appear to be random graves out in a field? Spotted while out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

Once I got back into the city-city, I ran along a river for a distance and saw some interesting things. I loved how people slept on their bikes or next to trees.

Man lying down on top of his motorbike in Saigon, Vietnam.

Out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

Fish being dried in the sun next to the river, spotted while out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

Out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

Out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

Two things that are pretty terrible running in cities in Vietnam are the fumes and the lack of space on sidewalks. I had to constantly duck on and off the sidewalks due to motorbikes parked everywhere, inconsistencies in the sidewalk and vendors. Then the roads were crowded with motorbikes and vehicles spewing fumes and smelling like gasoline and diesel. I probably should have worn a mask, but remembered how annoying it was to run with a mask back when COVID was at its scary height. I figured I would be OK for just a few runs. But my throat and lungs seemed to hurt a bit by the time I got back.

Out for a run in Saigon, Vietnam.

I was not feeling up to trying to buy food at a local restaurant, so opted to just get some stuff at the small Win grocery store below our apartment. It was good enough till dinner! Patton left soon after I got back, to go to a botox place.

I got a quick bite to eat from the convenience store below our apartment after running in Saigon, Vietnam.

I spent the late afternoon relaxing and recovering, and talking to Quân about relationships and the tattoos we wanted to get. He got in touch with a place that had availability the next two nights.

Then later at night, Patton and I went with David to get dinner at a place called Pizza 4P’s nearby. Their last order time was 22:30 and we got there just in time. Not many other diners were still there, but they didn’t rush us at all, and we ordered quite a bit. It was a somewhat fancier place for a pizza joint, and they served nice salads and pasta dishes as well. We tried some of everything! We also got some cocktails and I got a beer.

Patton and I got dinner with his cousin David nearby the apartment at Pizza 4P's Saigon Pearl, a pizza chain they both love. It was somewhat fancy for a pizza place.

Patton and I got dinner with his cousin David nearby the apartment at Pizza 4P's Saigon Pearl, a pizza chain they both love. It was somewhat fancy for a pizza place.

We had a really nice time! And David, who is straight, told us he’d love to go with us to the gay drag party we hoped to go to Saturday night. That made me very happy, if only because I figured I’d have someone to talk to when Patton was off dancing his pants off!

When we got back, we talked about festivals and Burning Man. I was also chatting with our tour guide Jack about possibly getting into his tour group for the Cu Chi tunnels the next day. It was not a sure thing, but he said he would try to make it happen.

Wednesday, August 7

We did another tour, this time a half day one, Wednesday. And this time I booked it, also on GetYourGuide. We would go to the Cu Chi tunnels, a location of great significance to the Vietnamese-American War. They were the Viet Cong‘s base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.

There was some conflicting information about when we needed to meet between the email and the website and what Jack texted me. But he said to get there at 12:05. Patton and I first took a ride to Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa to get a sandwich for Jack and for us for the road. That ended up being a questionable idea, as there was a long line. I ran over to the tour start location while Patton waited, hoping we would leave later than 12:05. But Jack said we needed to go then! I told him Patton was on the way, so we had the whole bus wait for about 10 minutes. Then I saw on Google Maps Patton was not in fact moving yet. So Jack told the driver to start picking up people, and we swung back over to meet Patton as the last stop at 12:30 before heading north. How nice!

Jack spent almost the next hour explaining the history of the Cu Chi tunnels and passing around laminated photos, probably a couple dozen in total. On the way, we stopped at a cafe and watched a demonstration of producing lacquer ware art, made with either mother of pearl or duck egg shells. We had seen these pieces at several shops already.

The tour bus stopped at a place on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City called Sơn Mài Quang Minh. They demonstrated the production of some lacquerware, and there was a shop. Apparently the prices here could be 10 times other places for the same items, per Google reviews. But some of the proceeds supposedly go toward disabled folks.

The tour bus stopped at a place on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City called Sơn Mài Quang Minh. They demonstrated the production of some lacquerware, and there was a shop. Apparently the prices here could be 10 times other places for the same items, per Google reviews. But some of the proceeds supposedly go toward disabled folks.

The tour bus stopped at a place on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City called Sơn Mài Quang Minh. They demonstrated the production of some lacquerware, and there was a shop. Apparently the prices here could be 10 times other places for the same items, per Google reviews. But some of the proceeds supposedly go toward disabled folks.

Then we have another 55 minute drive to the tunnels. We talked with Jack about school and hometowns and learning English. He is B2 level and said the cost to take the next test is 5 million Dong and the full course is 100 million, quite unaffordable.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Jack led us on the tour around the grounds, and it appeared other people were being guided by soldiers who worked there. First we watched a video that was old and a little hard to hear with the communist viewpoint about the gentle villagers and killing Americans.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Then we looked at some booby trap hatch door contraptions and mounds that were made to look like termite mounds but actually disguised the air ventilation for the tunnels below.

Bamboo trap door demonstration at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Climbing into a hole before putting a lid over the top disguised as leaves on the forest floor at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

This is me, hiding in a hole disguised as leaves on the forest floor at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

This is me, hiding in a hole disguised as leaves on the forest floor at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

This was a model of an air vent to tunnels below, disguised as a termite mound, at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Examples of various types of boobie traps at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Examples of various types of boobie traps at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Then we shot AK-47s, 10 rounds each for 600,000 dong, about $24. Patton has a bias toward the high end of the target — as in I don’t think he ever hit it. I’m not sure but I think I did a little better. No one gave me a prize in any case!

The gun shooting range at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

The gun shooting range at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

The gun shooting range at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Spent casings at the gun shooting range at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

The gun shooting range at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Our tour guide Jack explaining how sandals were made from tires during the war, at the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Then we got to crawl through about 100 meters of tunnel, which was quite interesting. It went quite deep with several levels, and was pretty claustrophobic and very hot in the middle. Thankfully there were escape routes every 20 or so meters in case anyone got into a panic. I mostly was able to walk on my feet crouching but had to go on my knees at one point or two. It was 12 meters deep apparently. And we were told the tunnel we crawled through was actually modified to be larger and taller to accommodate tourists.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

We got to eat something like a potato that Jack said was cassava, also called manioc or yuca.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

And then we had juice at a cafe, and then I bought a beer on the way out, and we were very, very sweaty even though I didn’t feel that hot.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

Touring the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.

I loved how most of the controlled intersections in Vietnam have countdown timers next to each signal.

We ended up being the last people on the bus, and asked Jack if he wanted to get dinner. He said sure! We just had to wait for him to finish some work at the Vietnam Adventure Tours office, and then we walked over to a place called Pho 24. We had some good conversation there about Jack’s goals, and the pho was good, too!

On the Vietnam Adventure Tours bus back to Saigon from the Cu Chi Tunnels.

After the Cu Chi Tunnels tour, Patton and I got dinner with Jack, our tour guide, at Pho 24 Pasteur St in Saigon.

After the Cu Chi Tunnels tour, Patton and I got dinner with Jack, our tour guide, at Pho 24 Pasteur St in Saigon.

Oh boy and then Patton and I went back out to the bar from the other night. Quân was already there when we got there, and later Collin joined as well.

We went back to Thi Bar Saigon and met with Matthew and Collin again.

We found out Collin actually lives in the building next door to David’s apartment, so we all went back together and spent some time admiring the view. Apparently Collin’s place looks out into one of the other buildings, so he enjoyed seeing this perspective.

View from our apartment after a night at the bars, at Vinhomes Central Park, Saigon, Vietnam.

Entries in this series

1. Touring Phú Quốc, Vietnam, by motorbike! (July 31-August 3)
2. Saigon shopping and nightlife (August 3-4)
3. Touring the Mekong Delta, Vĩnh Tràng Temple, Saigon Skydeck (August 5)
4. The Củ Chi tunnels and a messy Saigon run (August 6-7)
5. My first tattoo, in Saigon, and a gay party (August 8-11)
6. Biking, boating in Tam Coc, climbing Mua Cave (August 12)
7. My first X-ray, in Hanoi (August 11-13)