Crawling Through History: Our Visit To The Cu Chi Tunnels

Yesterday we took a guided tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and we all learned so much! The Cu Chi Tunnels are a massive underground tunnel network used during the Vietnam War. The tunnels are located in the Cu Chi District, which is about 37 miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, and a little over 60 miles from the Cambodia border. With the crazy traffic here, it took us over two hours to go the short distance to the tunnels. The tour was extremely informative, eye opening, and both physically and emotionally exhausting. Braxton is currently working on a research paper about the tunnels. He was able to get a lot of great information as well as personal perspective!

Military Equipment Artifacts

During our ride there, our tour guide spent a lot of time giving us background information about the war and the tunnels. The tunnels were mostly used by the Viet Cong (Vietnamese communist guerrilla fighters). The Viet Cong used the tunnels to hide and plan surprise attacks against their enemy. They were also used by local civilians living in the Cu Chi District, to hide from bombing and provide support to the Viet Cong. The tour started with a display of actual equipment used during the war and empty bomb casings that had been collected. It was interesting to see the true size!

An Underground City

The rest of the tour focused on the tunnel system and what life was like for those using the tunnels during the Vietnam War. The tunnel system started in the 1940’s during resistance against France, but was massively expanded during the Vietnam War. At its peak the tunnels spanned roughly 155 miles. They went as deep as 10-14 feet and often consisted of three different layers. This display shows a replica of the tunnels.

The tunnel system was dug completely by hand, using the tools our tour guide is holding here. They had various rooms within the tunnel dedicated to specific tasks. There was a kitchen, meeting rooms, sleeping quarters, a hospital and weapon factory. They had special holes for ventilation and to distribute the smoke from cooking so they would not be detected.

During the worst periods of the war, it is estimated that some people stayed underground for weeks to several months at a time. They would only come out briefly at night. While not mentioned on our tour, there are sources about entire families living in the tunnels for extended periods of time and even women giving birth!

Exploring The Tunnels

During our tour we got to explore some of the actual remaining tunnels. They have been widened from their original size (to fit Western tourists) and reinforced with concrete. They were still shockingly small!

The original entrances to the tunnels were strategically camouflaged. U.S. Forces and the South Vietnamese Army tried desperately to find and destroy the tunnels, but it was extremely difficult. The tunnels were very narrow and most U.S. soldiers would not fit. Also, the tunnel system was vast and confusing. We went through a long stretch of the tunnel that spanned a distance of 260 feet. We went down into one tiny hole in the ground and emerged from another. It was intense! Our thighs were burning from crouching by the end and I felt slightly panicked at times. Braxton immediately asked if we could do it again!

After our thigh master through the tunnels, we got to sample cassava. This is a root vegetable that was a staple in the Vietnamese diet during the war. It tasted a lot like a potato. Our tour guide talked about how little food supply there was and that an estimated two million people died from starvation. The staggering devastation is hard to wrap your head around.

Clever Traps and Using Local Resources

The last part of our tour showed us the various booby traps that the Viet Cong used as a fighting tactic. They set up traps within the tunnel system, but also throughout the jungle. The traps sometimes included sharpened bamboo spears and even snake pits. They had a display of the different types of traps and our guide explained how each one worked.

When History Opens Your Eyes

This tour was so informative and has given us a lot to think about. Learning how the Viet Cong used their local resources to their advantage during the war was extremely interesting. Through clever engineering and local knowledge of the landscape they were able to fight against a much more powerful military. The thing that I kept thinking while we were there was how incredibly resilient the Vietnamese people had to be.

As the kids learn about this war, we’ve had many family discussions about the massive devastation it caused both in Vietnam and in America. Thinking about people starving and living in tiny tunnels to survive is beyond anything we have ever endured. I hope we can hold onto this experience. Next time I’m complaining about the food being hard during our travels, I want to remind myself we have more than enough.