Discover the Incredible The Cu Chi Tunnels


They may not be your normal tunnels, but a very complex network of tunnels which served as hospitals, living quarters, communication and provide routes, along with storage areas for the weapons and food with the Viet Cong guerrillas. These were constructed without using any sophisticated machines or tools only crude tools and human resilience. The Viet Cong guerrillas began building them in their resistant against in france they within the late 1940s. Its original purpose was for communication between villages without getting detected by the French army. In 1960, however, Vietnam's National Liberation Front began excavating and increasing the tunnels. The tunnel system was very strategic adding to the victory in the North Vietnamese Army up against the Americans.
Most of these secret tunnels were built underneath American bases. Its importance had not been only limited by military purposes but also became the hub in the Vietnamese community life because Americans burned and destroyed villages. Everything proceeded normally for your Vietnamese in these tunnels where lovers met, couples marry, children visited school, and performances were held.

All was not normal, obviously. The Vietnamese had to face troubles of living in cramped quarters where ants, scorpions, vermin, and poisonous centipedes thrive. In addition ,, they have to ration everything because food, water, as well as air were scarce. Usually, they simply got out from the tunnels in the evening to scavenge whatever would be ideal for the community whether or not they were supplies or food. When the Americans bombed and infiltrate villages, they had to remain over these claustrophobic quarters for what gave the look of endless days. Those living conditions made sickness, especially malaria, rampant. Actually, it is now the 2nd major source of death one of many Vietnamese in that time. Aside from that, the majority of the tunnel inhabitants had serious installments of intestinal parasites.
While the Cu Chi tunnels had been a haven for that Vietnamese, it became a source of frustration for the Americans. That they had tried various types of detection and infiltration which are all failing. The American troops conducted large operations burning villages, bulldozing jungles, and destroying rice paddies. They deployed planes which sprayed chemicals to defoliate the areas burning it afterwards. Through these offensive attacks, the Vietnamese guerrillas, combined with the remaining villages, remained safe and secured of their tunnels. Regardless of this, only 6,000 Vietnamese from your original 16,000 tunnel inhabitants were able to survive following the war.
For additional information about Cu Chi tunnels tours go to this popular net page.