Cu Chi Tunnels

Located in the Cu Chi district of Saigon, the Cu Chi Tunnels are a large network of underground tunnels which played a significant role in Vietnam’s tumultuous history.

The 75 mile network of tunnels is a site of preservation and has been turned into a war memorial by the government. The tunnels are a huge tourist attraction, and many visitors crawl through the tunnels trying to imagine lives of locals during the war.

Some tunnels have actually been expanded so larger western tourists can enter the complex. Low power lights have also been added to allow easier navigation. Visitors can enter conference rooms where campaigns were planned and sample the simple meals the fighters would have eaten, which mainly consisted of rice.

Other facilities inside the tunnels included mess halls, accommodation, hospitals, an operating theatre and even a cinema. The soil on top of the tunnels was three to four metres thick, so heavy vehicles such as the 50 ton tanks used, could drive over the tunnels without causing any damage.

The Viet Cong guerrillas would emerge from a series of concealed trapdoors to fight and wear down the will of American and French armies. They put up a powerful fight and eventually won. However with limited air, food and water, and infestations of spiders, mosquitoes and poisonous centipedes, life in the tunnels was hellish.

During the war, US officials were aware of the tunnels and launched various campaigns to locate and destroy the underground system. However, their efforts were largely unsuccessful as the tunnels were well designed and resisted the various onslaughts.