More tunnels and religion!

On our second morning in Ho Chi Minh City, we woke up bright and early to beat the crowds to the Cu Chi Tunnel. This extensive tunnel system was built by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. We had the opportunity to go into one of the tunnel systems, and it was an experience; you had to crouch the whole time in the tunnel. We got to see booby traps that the Viet Cong had set up in order to trick and keep the enemy out.  In addition to seeing how the soldiers lived, we also got to see how they made weapons. It was very different from the tunnels in Vinh Moc. After the tunnels, we went to Tay Ninh to visit a Cao Dai temple. Cao Dai is a fairly new religion that was started in Vietnam. There are currently three million followers of Cao Dai, and one million of them live in Tay Ninh. Cao Daists believe that there is one God and all religions are related.  The major teachers (Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, etc) in religions came to teach at certain times in history. Its a very interesting religion, and many students expressed interest in researching it more once they are home. The temple was beautiful. We were able to observe a prayer service at the temple, which was extremely exciting.  It was also interesting to learn that people like Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, William Shakespeare, Sun Yat-sen, and Nguyen Binh Khiem are viewed as saints in this religion.  learning about the different religions and visiting the various temples has been a great part of this trip. 

Today was a special day; Thu's graduation ceremony was today in Hanoi! Instead of flying back early to attend the ceremony, however, Thu stayed with us. To celebrate her. If day, we surprised her with a beautiful cake and card that everyone signed. CONGRATULATIONS THU! We're all so proud of you! We're also thankful that we got to spend more time with you! We really have become a family on this trip.