Built during the French occupation of Vietnam, the Cu Chi Tunnels served as underground safe houses for the Vietnamese. After the French left, and the United States came in for the Vietnam war, these tunnels were put back to use once again. Many Viet Cong soldiers lived completely underground in these tunnels, and only went outside to ambush American soldiers. Their underground homes were also very helpful when the United States bombed the surrounding area. They were usually untouched by the bombings and were able to easily continue their guerilla tactics.
The tunnels entrances were cleverly disguised so American troops had no idea where the Vietcong were. The tunnels had very small entrances, with the thought that Americans were bigger than the Vietnamese, so they wouldn’t be able to fit. They also had air vents disguised as termite mounds, so nobody would be suspicious. Underground, the tunnels could house many people, had room for ammunition and other weapons, and had kitchens where the soldiers could cook food.
There were also many traps close to the tunnels, making it very hazardous to walk near them. There were traps that had grass covering a manhole with spikes, and venomous snakes in manholes. They even set up traps within their own tunnels. This was after U.S. soldiers found out about the tunnels and sent in people to find and kill the Vietcong. The tunnels were very deadly for those who couldn’t navigate them easily.
These tunnels were once secret hideouts for the Vietcong, but today are now tourist locations. People can go visit and see the harsh living conditions of those who stayed underground, and how they were able to hide for so long from the American soldiers.
This was such an interesting post and really well researched. These tunnels seems so intricate and well planned out and I'm surprised I've never heard about them before. I wonder how long these tunnels managed to remain unknown?
ReplyDeleteI was amazed to learn about how intricate these tunnels are. Im surprised more of them didn't collapse or fill with rain by now. Apparently at its peak, the network for tunnels was over 155 miles long!
ReplyDeleteSource
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/cu-chi-tunnels
These are really interesting! I never knew to what extent the Vietcong hid themselves and how they were able to go about undetected. You mentioned that they had traps for the American soldiers in these tunnels. How effective were they? How effective was this set up in general? How long did they last?
ReplyDeleteThis post was very informative and it is always interesting to learn about different techniques employed in war. One thing that interested me about Cu Chi tunnels was that Allied forces tried to develop "tunnel warfare" in order to combat the Vietcong tunnels. These specialists, known as tunnel rats, were "armed only with a gun, a knife, a flashlight and a piece of string" and searched the tunnels for booby traps. It is interesting that these tunnel rats suffered many afflictions from chemical weapons, such as Agent Orange, that left their effect in the ground.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_rat