From the outside, it looks like any other doorway on the street, but 287/70 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Street houses a secret.  A massive arms stash.

When I enter the building, the first thing I find myself admiring is the nice red-and-white chequerboard flooring.  Something similar would look nice in my kitchen. 

It is something of a surprise when, suddenly, a small section of the flooring is drawn back and a man’s head emerges in its place, quickly followed by his shoulders and the rest of his body.

I am invited to take his place in the void.

It is quite a small hatch.  Two floor tiles by three floor tiles.  Below are concrete steps.  Where do they lead?  Well, since I hadn’t turned up at this hole in the floor completely by accident, I happen to know they lead to the Secret Weapons Bunker.

It is a cellar, built by the Viet Cong in 1966, to conceal weapons during the Vietnam War, which were used during the Tet Offensive.

Nowadays, it is an interesting, small museum, and a cool and quiet diversion from the noisy bustle of street traders and angry buzz of mopeds outside in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City.

I never can resist an opportunity to go underground.  Although I find that most of the factual history of the place is lost to me amidst seeing the bizarre spectacle of a pile of machine guns stored in the basement of a 2-up, 2-down Saigon terrace. In my cellar, there are just a couple of bottles of red wine and the fuse box.

© E. C. Glendenny

E. C. Glendenny gets all her kitchen redecoration tips from the Viet Cong.