Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City - BK & Sophia Z Kovachevich

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City better known as Saigon (population of around 10 million in 2023). As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnam provinces and municipalities, contributing around a quarter of the country's total GDP.

The area was occupied by Champa from 2nd century AD to around the 19th century. After the fall of the Citadel of Saigon, the city became the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902, and again from 1945 until its cessation in 1954. Following the partition of French Indochina, it became the capital of South Vietnam until it was captured by North Vietnam, who renamed the city after their former leader Hồ Chí Minh.

Beginning in the 1990s, the city underwent rapid expansion and modernization, which contributed to Vietnam's post-war economic recovery and helped revive its international trade hub status.

Ho Chi Minh City has a long tradition of being one of the centres of economy, entertainment and education in Vietnam. As such, the city is also the busiest international transport hub in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is also a tourist attraction.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is facing increasing threats of sea level rise and flooding as well as heavy strains on public infrastructures.

Ho Ši Min Siti

Ho Ši Min, poznatiji kao Sajgon (populacija od oko 10 miliona u 2023. godini). Kao najveći finansijski centar u Vijetnamu, Ho Chi Minh Citi ima najveći bruto regionalni domaći proizvod od svih vijetnamskih provincija i opština, doprinoseći oko četvrtini ukupnog BDP-a zemlje.

Područje je okupirao Champa od 2. veka nove ere do oko 19. veka. Nakon pada Citadele u Sajgonu, grad je postao glavni grad Francuske Indokine od 1887. do 1902. godine, i ponovo od 1945. do kraja 1954. godine. Nakon podele Francuske Indokine, postao je glavni grad Južnog Vijetnama sve dok ga nije zauzeo Severni Vijetnam, koji je preimenovao grad po svom bivšem lideru Hồ Chi Minh-u.

Počevši od 1990-ih, grad je prošao kroz brzu ekspanziju i modernizaciju, što je doprinelo posleratnom ekonomskom oporavku Vijetnama i pomoglo oživljavanju statusa međunarodnog trgovinskog čvorišta.

Ho Ši Min ima dugu tradiciju kao jedan od centara ekonomije, zabave i obrazovanja u Vijetnamu. Kao takav, grad je ujedno i najprometniji međunarodni transportni čvor u Vijetnamu. Ho Ši Min je takođe turistička atrakcija.

Trenutno, Ho Ši Min se suočava sa sve većim pretnjama porasta nivoa mora i poplava, kao i velikim naporima na javnoj infrastrukturi.

Cu Chi Tunnels

The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American and ARVN forces.

The tunnels contained various bamboo traps made by the Viet Cong to injure and potentially kill South Vietnam's Tunnel Rats if they breached the tunnels. The tunnels also contained ventilation shafts to release smoke from fire and any poisonous gases pumped into the tunnels by the American G.I.s.

American soldiers used the term "Black Echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food, and water were scarce, and the tunnels were infested with ants, venomous centipedes, snakes, scorpions, spiders, and rodents. Most of the time, soldiers would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops, or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time.

In the 1960s, the tunnel system was massively expanded until it ended up with a total length of about 200 kilometres and spread over three levels. The top level was about 3 to 4 meters underground. The second floor was 6 meters underground and served as a shelter for children, the elderly and injured soldiers. The lowest level was 8 to 10 meters underground and housed hospitals. The underground buildings were connected by tunnels of approx. 80 cm height and 60 cm wide. Originally, the tunnels were dug so narrowly that no non-Vietnamese could pass through.

The entrances to the tunnels were ground holes camouflaged with grass cover and foliage. In some cases, the entrances were also secured by simple but effective traps such as bamboo skewers.

Cu Chi Tuneli

Tuneli Củ Chi su ogromna mreža tunela medjusobno povezanih, koji se nalaze u Củ Chi okrugu Ho Chi Citi (Sajgon), Vijetnam, i deo su mnogo veće mreže tunela koji leže u osnovi većeg dela zemlje. Tuneli Củ Chi bili su lokacija nekoliko vojnih kampanja tokom rata u Vijetnamu, i bili su baza operacija Viet Conga za ofanzivu Tết 1968. godine.

Tunele su koristili vojnici Viet Conga kao skrovišta tokom borbe, kao i komunikacijske i snabdevačke rute, bolnice, skladista hrane i oružja i stambene prostore za brojne severovijetnamske borce. Tunelski sistemi su bili od velikog značaja za Viet Cong u njihovom otporu američkim i ARVN snagama.

Tuneli su sadržavali razne zamke od bambusa koje je Viet Cong napravio da povredi i potencijalno ubije izdajnike Južnog Vijetnama ako su provalili tunele. Tuneli su takođe imali ventilacione kanale za oslobađanje dima od vatre i bilo kakvih otrovnih gasova upumpanih u tunele od strane američkih GI.

Američki vojnici su koristili izraz "Black Echo" da opišu uslove unutar tunela. Za Vijetkong, život u tunelima je bio težak. Vazduh, hrana i voda su bili oskudni, a tuneli su bili zaraženi mravima, otrovnim stonogama, zmijama, škorpionima, paucima i glodarima. Većinu vremena, vojnici bi proveli danju u tunelima radeći ili odmarajući se i izlazili samo noću da traže hranu, brinu o svojim usevima ili ucestvuju u borbi. Ponekad, tokom perioda teškog bombardovanja ili kretanja američkih trupa, oni bi bili primorani da ostanu pod zemljom vise dana.

Šezdesetih godina prošlog veka, sistem tunela je znacajno proširen sve dok nije završio sa ukupnom dužinom od oko 200 kilometara i proširio se na tri nivoa. Gornji nivo je bio oko 3 do 4 metra pod zemljom. Drugi sprat je bio 6 metara pod zemljom i služio je kao sklonište za decu, starije i povređene vojnike. Najniži nivo bio je 8 do 10 metara pod zemljom i u njemu su uglavnom bile smeštene bolnice. Podzemna sklonista su bila povezana tunelima visine oko 80 cm i širine 60 cm. Prvobitno, tuneli su iskopani tako usko da nijedan ne-Vijetnamac nije mogao da prođe.

Ulazi u tunele bile su rupe kamuflirane travnatim pokrivačem i lišćem. U nekim slučajevima, ulazi su takođe bili obezbeđeni jednostavnim, ali efikasnim zamkama kao što su siljci od bambusa.