Davesy enjoy a long sleep – we wake up around 10am and have coffees with some Brooklyn Nine-Nine on the telly

Eventually, we get ready and head out the door just after 12pm; we head to Bánh Mì Bà Huynh (Madam Win) to grab a couple of “big bread”s that we’ll have on the road

Our ride is a bit late but then we’re picked up by our guide for today, Phung

Today’s activities surround where the US used dangerous chemical warfare… it takes about 1.5 hours to reach Cu Chi

On the way, Phung tells us that HCMC has about 7 million bikes in the city – that’s almost one per person of the population!

Also, we have a brief pitstop at SƠN MÀI QUANG MINH where we learn about the process of making lacquerware artwork by those who are handicapped from Agent Orange – they can’t work like others so make art

Back to the van, we make it to Ben Dinh War Tunnels, part of the extensive Cu Chi Tunnels

Tunnel entrances are not easy to find – usually under something inconspicuous, like a bathroom floor or kitchen table

US technically employed the side they supported because the tunnels were so small – they themselves were too big so provided human needs, like food, water and salary, to the Vietnamese so that they would go and fight them

We are first shown an animal trap – the exact same design was used for war on the enemy

Then, we’re walked to a circle of leaves and shown a key principle of the Vietnamese soldiers: surprise and hiding

It turns out there’s an entrance to the intricate network of tunnels here and we have the opportunity to get in and hide ourselves

There are a couple bunkers you can see into and then a large mound – this is is a termite nest and they used it as air ventilation for the tunnels

The US would use dogs to smell people out and the Vietnamese would use cigarettes and clothes from dead US soldiers to cover the termite nests so they couldn’t find them

Further on is the remnants of a US M41 tank; it’s abandoned as it was too heavy to take away – the same reason is why there’s several spots over HCMC that they have war memorabilia about

They have a gallery here of the many traps they used which show how they work

Finally, there’s the chance to shoot a gun yourself; it’s a minimum of £20 per person so we opt not to

After the people from our tour who wanted to do it have done, we’re guided to an area with a bunch of hutted entrances

This is our time to be able to venture down about 100 metres of the tunnels ourselves – they have been modified to make it even possible for non-Vietnamese people to go down but still a tight squeeze for both of us!

We’re shown a map of the warzone and a guide to where the tunnels are

Next to it also shows an example of what the extent of tunnels included – this being a kitchen, bedrooms, meeting rooms – and how they were organised

This puts us right near the exit so we get out and start our way back to the city

Again, it’s very hot all the time so we have a shower before venturing out for dinner

We go for a safe bet with Ben Nghe Street Food Market; first course is our typical Thai order, of Thai green curry and pad Thai

Next course is tacos and more beers

After dinner, we head back to the walking street and end up opposite Waikiki – it’s got live music on, but the drinks at the bar opposite are about a quarter the price

We start upstairs until seats are free on the edge of the street; we see fire breathers, clowns, Pythons and Monkeys pass by whilst watching the music over the street

We end up chatting to loads of people, but a couple blokes next to us we chat to for a few hours over many drinks!

They are in Vietnam for the weekend, one from Australia and the other a Brit from Singapore – they met in New Guinea decades ago

A few gallons of beer and cocktails later, we call it a night, about 3am, and head home for our long bus ride!