Underground War: Cu Chi Tunnels, Saigon, Vietnam

About an hour and a half from Saigon are the well-preserved remains of the Cu Chi Tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. These underground networks stretched over 200 miles and were used to hide people and weapons, as well as acting as hospitals and supply routes for the Viet Cong throughout the conflict.

Naturally, the tunnels had to be carefully concealed. When I visited, I was shown a well-camouflaged entrance and a demonstration of how one entered and replaced the covering so that it stayed hidden, looking like part of the jungle floor. Considerable resourcefulness was employed to ensure that operations kept running from the tunnels and remained undetected. Humps outside were made to look like termite mounds to ensure people stayed away, but these in fact provided air holes for the tunnels below. Smoke from cooking in the underground kitchens was channelled to an opening so that it dispersed rather than reveal itself as a column to the enemy. In case of discovery, the tunnels were also filled with traps for the unwary. My guide explained that the traps, found above and below ground and many of which are exhibited at the site of the tunnels today, were designed not only to maim but also as a means of psychological warfare, since seeing your fellow soldiers suffering and impaled as you tried to help them would have a more profound effect than merely shooting them. Also, if several people tried to help, it effectively took them out of the action as well as the wounded man.

above, and next two photos: Now you see me, now you don't. A demonstration of entering a tunnel swiftly and covering your tracks.

above: A termite mound that isn't. You can see the air holes into the tunnel below. 

Ingenious though these subterranean networks were, especially when you consider the superior air power of the US forces, even without the risk of enemy infiltration, they were unpleasant places to be. They were, of course, dark, with poor air quality and lots of bugs, and the risk of disease was quite high. They weren’t for the claustrophobic, that’s for sure. I’m pretty short, but even I had to bend double to walk along one of the tunnels. I didn’t like it much and couldn’t wait to get out. Many American soldiers would have been unable to venture in, and only those who were small in stature got the unenviable job of becoming a ‘tunnel rat’, as those who were tasked with locating and clearing the tunnels were unofficially known.

above: From this opening, kitchen smoke was allowed to disperse so as not to be noticed.

above, and next five photos: Some of the diverse and inventive traps created for unwelcome visitors.

above: This might greet you as you burst through a door.

above: Where food was cooked.

above: Light at the end of the tunnel.

The Cu Chi tunnels were both simple and complex in their invention, ingenious and deadly, inspiring in me mixed feelings of admiration and horror when I visited. It would be nice to think such things will never be needed or used again, yet we must not be naïve. Like the guerrillas of the Viet Cong and the American GIs who fought them, we live in interesting times. 

For more information: History & facts about Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City