Cu Chi Tunnels, Ho Chi Minh
 The
Cu Chi Tunnels were pivotal to the Communist's victory over the
Americans and the South Vietnamese Armies as they allowed the Viet
Cong to control a large rural area around Saigon. At its height,
the tunnel system, parts of which were several levels deep, stretched
over 200kms from Saigon to the Cambodian border.
The area of Cu Chi was one of the most pro-communist districts
in the far south; indeed the VC used the tunnels to organize the
1968 Tet Offensive. During the American War the entire area of Cu
Chi was designated a free fire zone and was heavily bombarded: you
can still see numerous craters caused by 500 pound B52bombs.
 It
was this persistent bombing campaign that drove many of the residents
of Cu Chi together with the Viet Cong underground. Originally the
tunnels had been created as far back as 1948 to help combat the
French. Now they were rapidly expanded to include innumerable trap
doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons
factories, field hospitals, command centres kitchens and even schools.
Today the remaining tunnels of this intricate network have been
widened to accommodate the larger western frame and have now become
a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience
of what underground life in the American war must have been like
and a deep appreciation of the courage and ingenuity of the Vietnamese
people.
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