HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - Phokoso lamfuti limaboola m'nkhalango yowirira. Ndili pamanja ndi mawondo anga, ndikukwawa mumdima wapansi panthaka, ndikutuluka thukuta m'malo omwe sindimadziwa kuti ndinali ndi zotupa za thukuta.
“Pitirizani kubwera! Pitirizani kubwera! analimbikitsa bambo wina wachivietnam yemwe ali wotopa, akundigwedeza kutsogolo.
Tili mumsewu wodziwika bwino wa Cu Chi, njira zobisika za Viet Cong zomwe zidakhala ngati munga waukulu kumbali ya asitikali aku America panthawi yankhondo yaku Vietnam.
Njira ya claustrophobic - yomwe inakumbidwa ndi manja - nthawi ina inkalemera makilomita oposa 120, kuchokera kumalire a Cambodia kupita kunja kwa dziko lomwe panthawiyo linkatchedwa Saigon. Mzinda weniweni, ukonde wa ngalandezi unali kwawo kwa anthu akumidzi omwe akufuna chitetezo ku mabomba, kuphatikizapo zikwi zambiri za Viet Cong, zigawenga za kumpoto kwa Vietnamese zomwe zimamenyana ndi asilikali a ku South Vietnam ndi US. Apa, pansi pa nsapato za American GIs, ndi pamene Viet Cong adadya, kugona, kubisala ndikuyambitsa zigawenga zodzidzimutsa.
Ndipamenenso gulu losankhidwa la asitikali aku America - omwe amadziwika kuti makoswe - adachita masewera omwe akuyenera kukhala owopsa kwambiri padziko lonse lapansi obisala. Makoswe amenewa ankadutsa m’tinjira tating’ono, tamdima, n’kumayesa kupeza adaniwo asanawapeze. Chinachake choyenera kuganizira pa Tsiku la Chikumbutso ili.
Pazifukwa zodziwikiratu, si asilikali ochuluka amene ankafuna kuponda m’maenje a gehena odzala ndi misampha. Koma masiku ano, machubu a Cu Chi ndi amodzi mwa malo odziwika kwambiri ku Vietnam. Alendo pafupifupi 1,000 amakhamukira tsiku lililonse pamalowa, omwe ali pamtunda wa makilomita pafupifupi 45 kuchokera kumzinda wa Ho Chi Minh City (womwe kale unkatchedwa Saigon).
Ndi magawo ochepa okha a ngalandezi omwe akupezeka lero. Awonjezedwa pang'ono kuti agwirizane ndi matupi akulu akulu a Azungu, koma izi sizinandithandize kuti ndisavutike kuti nditsike mokwanira kuti msana wanga usagwedezeke padenga ladothi.
"Kodi muno muli njoka?" Ndikufunsa wonditsogolera waku Vietnamese, yemwe akuwoneka kuti ali womasuka m'malo otsekeredwa mopusa.
"Iyi ayi," akuyankha moseka kwambiri, ndikutsatiridwa ndi maulendo angapo a "Pitirizani Kubwera!"
Alendo amatha kudutsa magawo atatu a ngalandezo kuyambira 150 mpaka 650 m'litali. Ngati ndinu claustrophobic kapena muli ndi nsana kapena mawondo oipa, ndibwino kuti mukhale pamwamba pa nthaka - makamaka zikafika kumtunda wautali.
Ndipo musadandaule: Pali zambiri zoti muwone pamwamba. Chiwonetsero cha zosokoneza zowopsa zomwe zidabisidwa pansi pazitseko za msampha m'nkhalango, mabombe osiyidwa ndi bomba omwe adagwetsedwa kuchokera ku B-52s, akasinja osiyidwa aku US omwe mutha kukweramo, ma mannequins a asitikali aku North Vietnamese ndi zigawenga za Viet Cong - zili ngati Disneyland of Death. ndi Chiwonongeko.
Chochitika chonsecho chinandipatsa lingaliro labwino la zomwe asitikali aku America adadutsamo. Ndi chinthu chimodzi kuyima patsogolo pa chikumbutso cha nkhondo kapena chipilala; ndi chinanso kutsika ndi kudetsedwa m'mizere yamwambi, makamaka ndi phokoso loopsya la mfuti zowombera patali.
"Ngati mukufuna kuwombera mfuti - AK-47 kapena M16 - mutha kutero ... $13 kapena $14 mumagula zipolopolo 10," akutero Nguyen Cao Van, wonditsogolera woyendera alendo ku Cu Chi. “Ngati simukufuna kuwombera mfuti,” iye akuwonjezera motero, “mungagule ayisikilimu pafupi ndi nyumba yanu.”
Monga Disneyland.
Amalume ake a Nguyen anali Colonel wa gulu lankhondo la South Vietnamese. Nkhondo itatha mu 1975, amalume ake anakhala zaka zisanu ndi ziŵiri ku msasa wophunzitsanso.
"Ndipo anali wophunzira mwachangu," akutero Nguyen.
Mkazi wa Nguyen akuchokera kumpoto kwa Vietnam. Anamanga ukwati mu 2005. Maukwati apakati pa anthu ochokera Kumpoto ndi Kumwera afala kwambiri m’zaka zingapo zapitazi, akutero Nguyen, tsopano chidani chimene chili pakati pa zigawo zonse za dzikolo chayamba kutha.
Ndisanafike ku Vietnam, ndinali ndi nkhawa pang’ono kuti mwina ndingakhale ndi chidani chokhalitsa pa Nkhondo ya ku America, monga momwe amatchulira. Mukaphulitsa dziko ndikuphulitsa malo ake ndi Agent Orange, anthu amatha kukwiyira.
Koma vuto lokhalo lomwe a Yank adapeza linali lochokera kwa ogulitsa mumsewu aku Vietnam omwe akufuna kugulitsa mbale zawo zansungwi ndi tcheni zina.
“Zimene zinachitikazo zachitika,” akutero Nguyen, akumawonjezera kuti anthu ambiri ku Vietnam ndi achichepere kwambiri moti sangakumbukire nkomwe nkhondoyo. Pafupifupi 55 miliyoni mwa okhala mdziko muno 87 miliyoni adabadwa Saigon itagwa mu 1975.
“Sitimayang’ana zakale,” iye akutero. "Timayang'ana zam'tsogolo."
