Long before Chaco and Teva sandals came into fashion, there was the Ho Chi Minh Sandals. What is it? It is actually a symbol of the Vietcong Revolution in South Vietnam. More interestingly, it is an example of how the Americans inadvertently funded the Vietcong Revolution.
What? Ok, here is how it happened.
According to the guides at the Cu Chi Tunnels (a network of intricately connected tunnels up to three stories down built to fight the French and expanded during the American War) in Vietnam, the American G.I.s brought a lot of military jeeps with very sturdy tires. When the VC's got hold of these jeeps, they recycled the tires as sandals and issued out to the peasant soldiers. They were great camouflage for the footprints made from them were directionally confusing.
At the Cu Chi Tunnels one can now see how they recycle the tires to the now iconic Ho Chi Minh Sandals.
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| The raw material. |
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| Cut to parts. |
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| All sizes. |
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| Revolutionary fashion statement. |
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| More materials for the straps and heels. |
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| Excess rubber after the soles are cut. |
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| Using simple hand tools. |
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