Reactions of the tour guides at the Ben Dinh, Cu Chi Tunnels
On Saturday the 20th of September, the Lewis & Clark Vietnam program went on a half day tour at the Ben Dinh Cu Chi Tunnels recreational park. This district was a significant area during the “Vietnam War”, or what the Vietnamese refer to the “American War”. It was an area where the Viet Cong built tunnels to escape from the onslaught of bombing the Americans practiced during the war. We were able to visit the more authentic of the two parks(Ben Dinh and Ben Douc) according to many travel brochures and anthropologists such as Christina Schwenkel.
I first wanted to observe the reactions and actions of the western tourist throughout the excursions; however, the lack of tourists and strict schedule the tour guides planned for us prevented the ability to conduct my original study. I wanted to see the responses of the tourists to the memorabilia and different hands on activities. The separation of the domestic tourists and international tourists from our group was the problem. So instead of observing the western tourist, I decided to observe the actions of the different tour guides. I observed how they interacted with the customer, their reactions with certain mementos, and overall enjoyment of their occupation.
All of the tour guides had little to none interactions with our group except for Mama Vu and Professor Coe. This is because of both the comfort of communicating with those who speak their language and simply not knowing the English language. In order to attract an array of customers from around the world, not speaking one of the most spoken languages in the western world would hinder that ability. You could argue that the westerner undergoing the tour would be receiving the “authentic” experience, but I don’t that the inability of the tour guide speaking English would attract the western sightseer. I felt disconnected from the tour by having our own translator and not hearing the story directly from the tour guide.
Our first tour guide that showed us through most of the complexes that showed the typical town of Cu Chi during the war showed a lot of pride when showing off some of the fake relics. There was one Viet Cong trap that he really enjoyed showing off to us. It consisted of fake ground that when stepped on would plummet you down into a deep hole filled with spikes.
Another time where the same tour guide felt what it seemed like gratification was during Vu’s translation of a Vietnamese Propaganda poem the locals used during the war. When Vu read it in Vietnamese, the tour guide chuckled and gave a smirk of delight. He then confirmed that one of the last lines translated to, “When westerner comes, he doesn’t leave” unless by helicopter. Meaning that any westerner that stumbles onto their land will die. The tour guide really emphasized the word “die” when explaining the translation of the poem. It’s great that he shows pride in his work; however, it honestly raised a few hairs on neck when he reiterated it. And I wouldn’t think that any other western tourist, specifically American, would find that amusing let alone comfortable.
Out of the three tour guides that showed us around the historic facility, only one of the three seemed to enjoy their occupation. The first tour guide was an older man, second was a younger to middle-aged woman, and last was a younger man probably in his mid-to-late twenties. The first guide was more interested and excited in the relics and historic atmosphere, but the younger two tour guides seemed less interested in the historical stories. The younger tour guides resembled bored teenagers who were handed these jobs by a friend or relative to gain a little money. The elder tour guide seemed genuinely interested in the matter at hand. He looked old enough to be a part of the war, so maybe it could be a nostalgic experience for him.
Thoughts:
Many internet travel guides and Christina Schwenkel explain how the Ben Dinh Cu Chi Tunnels are more authentic than the other Cu Chi Tunnels travel destination at Ben Duoc. Schwenkel states, “In the case of Cu Chi, the preference of tour agencies for Ben Dinh over Ben Duoc is largely a response to international demands for historical authenticity”(14). I can’t argue that Ben Duoc is the more historically authentic park because I haven’t been there; but, the tour guides didn’t do the best job in creating the authentic experience for the international traveler. The disconnection of the tour guide with the international tourist by means of the language barrier make it difficult to concentrate with the information at hand. From reading many travel brochures and seeing pictures of the difference between Ben Dinh and Ben Douc, I agree that Ben Dinh has more historical flare, but I would hesitate to say that one park has more focus for the international tourist. The tourist may want to see the more historical park; however, I don’t think that Ben Dinh is more focused for the international tourist. Other than our group, I didn’t see any other international tourists during our tour. The tour guides inability to speak the English language limits the amount of information we could receive, so therefore the tour is more focused for the Vietnamese tourist.