The time of war was over since 1975 but the remnants of it still remain. Lots of the war’s left overs have become famous historical sites for tourist from over the world. One of these sites is Cu Chi Tunnels. Located in the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, the tunnels of Cu Chi are an extremely large network of underground tunnels.
A Complicated System of Tunnels
Originally, these tunnels were built in the time of the French. With the American presence, the tunnels were expanded and enlarged to facilitate all the underground activities. The tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War. Used by Viet Cong soldiers, the tunnels played many roles, from a hiding spots during combat to communication and supply routes.
A Community Area
There were also hospitals, food and weapon caches, and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. It is crucial for Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces and their counter the growing American military effort.
A Meeting Room
The secret tunnels joined village to village and often passed beneath American bases. These tunnels were not only fortifications for Viet Cong guerillas but also the center of community life. Hidden beneath the destroyed villages, many places were created to meet people’s basic needs. They included schools for children to learn, public places where couples were married and private places where lover met each other. Despite the fact that it was a hard time, there were hospitals where children were born and surgery was performed on the injured of war.
A Hospital
Although it is supposed that the space was not much, there were even theaters where performers entertained with songs and dance and traditional stories. During the war in Vietnam, thousands of people of Cu Chi Province lived in a complicated system of underground tunnels. When the Americans began bombing the villages of Cu Chi, the survivors rush to the underground hideout where they remained for the duration of the war.
An Entrance Leading to the Underground Tunnels
A trap door on the jungle floor leads down into the Cu Chi tunnels. Closed and camouflaged, it is almost undetectable.
The camouflaged trap door, now open
With the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was so difficult. Air, food, and water were all scarce and the tunnels were infested by ants, poisonous centipedes, scorpions, spiders, and vermin. Due to war, soldiers would spend most of their time in the tunnels to work or rest. They only came out at night to find suppliers, tend crops, or even engage the enemies in battle. Sometimes, when the Americans heavily bombed, Vietnamese people must remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was transferred from person to person and it spread quickly. Take malaria as an example, it was one of the most dangerous diseases at that time and also the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds. In the war against the Americans, simple weapons played an important role in downgrading the spirit of the invaders. These weapons were all self-made ones and greatly contributed to the death toll of the enemies.
A Booby Trap with Bamboo Spikes
A Clipping Armpit Trap
A See-saw Trap
A Vietnamese Souvenir Trap
A Window Trap
A Fish Trap
Today, the tunnels have been preserved and operated by the government as a war memorial park with two different tunnel display sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction and visitor will have a chance to crawl around in the safe parts of the tunnel system. These parts are the safest tunnels which have been carefully considered to bring the visitors the most exciting moment while being under protection from all damages. The Ben Duoc site contains parts of the original tunnel system, while the Ben Dinh site has been reconstructed to make Western tourists can get through easier.
A Low-Power Light System
In both sites, there is a low-power light system which facilitate visitor to discover the tunnels and different kinds of booby traps are displayed there. Visitors can enjoy a simple meal of food that Viet Cong fighter would have been eaten.
Shooting Area
On the surface of the memorial site, there are many vendors selling souvenirs, and a shooting range where visitors can fire a number of assault rifles, such as M16 rifle or AK-47, even light machine gun M60.
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