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US Helicopter
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Close-up view of US Helicopter
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Artillery
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Car Park Area
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Walking a small trail to the entrance of Cu Chi Tunnel
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Entrance of Cu Chi Tunnel
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Rules for Visitng Cu Chi Tunnel
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Female soldiers were part of Viet Cong
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Rocket launcher and cluster bomb
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Hut where the documentary video was played
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Cu Chi Tunnel System
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Cu Chi Trenches
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Cu Chi Tunnel Map
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Military Workshop
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Entrance to Underground Water Well
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Underground Water Well
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Exploring the tunnel
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Air ventillation for the tunnel
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Military health bunker
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Commanding Headquarter meeting numker
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Meeting Room ~ Can you guess which is a real human?
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Heading for the exit
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Exit
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Our tour guides
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Punji trap filled with bamboo spikes
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Fish Trap
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Klipping Aronnit Trap
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Window Trap
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Different types of booby traps with spikes

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Vietnam

Exploring Cu Chi Tunnel like a Viet Cong Guerrilla

Cu Chi Tunnel System
Cu Chi Tunnel System

The sophisticated Cu Chi tunnel system is one of the few historic sites situated in South of Vietnam which helped the Viet Cong guerrillas to achieve crucial military success. The Cu Chi tunnels were built extensively in the late 1940s, during the war against the French, for over a period of 25 years. After which, it was represented as a stronghold of the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Due to the massive aerial bombings by the US B-52 bombers, Viet Cong guerrillas have no choice but to stay underground in order to remain alive and fight with the American soldiers through the use of guerrilla tactics. This tunnel system allowed the Viet Cong guerrillas to throw surprise attacks and disappeared quickly through any one of the trapdoors.

“This is how I see humanity.
When enemies come to your country,
destroy the countryside and your village,
kill your countrymen,
your comrades and the defenseless wounded,
you have to kill them and defend your compatriots;
that is true humanity.”
~ Tom Mangold, The Tunnels of Cu Chi

Punji trap filled with bamboo spikes
Punji trap filled with bamboo spikes

Numerous booby traps were planted around the tunnel entrance to prevent the entry of American soldiers and South Vietnamese infantrymen. These booby traps consisted a variety of traps and spikes, often tainted with the faeces discharged from the wounded so as to spread infections to the enemies. The Viet Cong will also cover the trapdoors with dried leaves and add chili pepper so as to prevent the sniffing dogs from picking up any human smell. It was mentioned that at least 45,000 Vietnamese men and women have died defending the Cu Chi tunnels over the course of the Vietnam War.

Our tour guides
Our tour guides

There are two sites for Cu Chi Tunnel, namely the Ben Duoc and Ben Dinh. Most of the tours package will bring you to Ben Dinh which is a more touristy site and most of its tunnels have been enlarged/reconstructed to accommodate bigger tourists’ size. On the other hand, Ben Duoc is more natural in its own settings. Ben Duoc is only 30 minutes’ drive further up the road away from Saigon. I do not like the idea of having big groups of tourists which always resulting lesser time for exploration, so decided to sign up for a private tour trip instead. Luckily a jovial and knowledgeable tour guide was assigned to bring us to this war memorial park. At the first sight, I thought that he resembled the renowned Alibaba founder Jack Ma. He filled the whole trip with his jokes.

 

Going down the entrance of Cu Chi Tunnel
Going down the entrance of Cu Chi Tunnel

This tour had taught me the true definition of feeling claustrophobic even though most of the tunnels have now modified to accommodate the bigger-size tourists. But this tiny crawling space (ranged around 0.5 to 1-meter-wide) still provides restrictions in maneuverability in the tunnel.

Heading for the exit
Heading for the exit
Rules for Visitng Cu Chi Tunnel
Rules for Visitng Cu Chi Tunnel
Hut where the documentary video was played
Hut where the documentary video was played

Upon arriving at the first hut, a documentary video was played presenting the war histories that happened in the tunnels used by the Viet Cong guerrillas. This 200km wriggling long tunnel system consists of several rooms or sections meant for living quarters, weapon holding areas, hospitals, meeting rooms, communication and supply routes, kitchens, schools, fake rooms for trap enemies.

Cu Chi Tunnel System
Cu Chi Tunnel System
Air ventillation for the tunnel
Air ventillation for the tunnel

Indeed, it was a powerful and effective maze but imagine the living conditions that these people were residing in. It was a stuffy, hot and humid environment, which encouraged ideal infestations of the rats, mosquitoes, poisonous scorpions and centipedes, posing health issues of Vietnamese getting ill and diseases. And their mental emotions were being challenged constantly as they had to worry about the American soldiers finding their tunnel entrance and kill everyone inside. Air, food and water were also scarce, the Viet Cong can only come out at night to hunt for food and farm their corps. They can only cook their food in the early morning so that the smoke can be mistaken as the morning mist and hence go unnoticed without revealing their location.

Tried the staple food that Viet Cong ate during war time where food was scarce. It is simply a boiled cassava dipped into a bowl of peanut-salt seasonings to give its taste.

AK-47 Fired
AK-47 Fired

There is a shooting range nearby, known as the National Defence Sport Shooting Range, where visitors can have the opportunity to fire real rifles used by the American and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. And of course the old school AK-47 is chosen.

Cu Chi Tunnel Map
Cu Chi Tunnel Map

“No one has ever demonstrated more ability to hide his installations than the Viet Cong; they were human moles.”
~ US General William Westmoreland

Width of the Cu Chi tunnel
Width of the Cu Chi tunnel

Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels has taught me the importance of strong resilience and determination which the Viet Cong have portrayed in the Vietnam war. Will power and tactical strategies are crucial requisites to win in life.

Location: Vietnam

Accommodation: An Lam Saigon River

Useful Notes: Opt for a private tour with private guide so that you get to explore and learn more about the Vietnam War. And also request visit to the Ben Duoc (natural settings of its own) instead of Ben Dinh.

Recommended Guidebook: The Tunnels of Cu Chi: A Remarkable Story of War in Vietnam

Suggested Reading: The Tunnels of Cu Chi: A Harrowing Account of America’s Tunnel Rats in the Underground Battlefields of Vietnam

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