Cu Chi Tunnels The restored section of Cu Chi Liberation Zone, 70km North-west from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, belongs to the complex of the historic vestige zone of Cu Chi tunnel system and Ben Duoc temple Monument-where dedicated to heroes, valiant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives to the struggle for the national reunification. The restored section of Cu Chi Liberation Zone is the place which shows the circumstance of livings, actives, fighting of Cu Chi people before and during the resistance against American for saving the country. The section is divided into many areas, such as: liberation area, conflicting (competing) area, temporarily- occupied area (strategic hamlet)… which show lively the pre-war scenes of Cu Chi village with luxuriant vegetation full of fruits in all seasons; the scenes of the area devastated by American bombs; the model of strategic hamlet applied by American and their agents for controlling people; and the activities of boys and girls enlisting in the army with zeal for fighting the aggressors. Visitors to the restored section of Cu Chi Liberation Zone understand fully not only an area standing a lot of losses and sacrifice in the war, but also the patriotism, and Cu Chi people’s will of a vindictive deeply hatred for the aggressors. Due to this, it participates in educating the young generation in the responsibility for defending firmly our territory and building our country more and more prosperous and beautiful. Today, tourists can book a tour to Cu Chi tunnel at any hotels in Ho Chi Minh City with reasonable price. The tunnel system During the resistance war against the French colonialists (1945-1954), revolutionary fighters took refuge in secret hide-outs dug in the enemy’s rear zone and were protected by their compatriots. These hide-outs were structured according to various designs, but the main feature was their being underground, with only one mouth to serve as entrance and exit just wide enough for people to work their way through, and with apertures for fresh air. When the lids were clapped over the mouths of the hide-outs, enemies had difficulty in sensing them under their feet. Cadres living in enemy territory concealed themselves during daytime in these secret hide-outs, and went out at night to perform their duties. These hide-outs had however one defect which was, one found out, persons hiding inside fell easy preys to being controlled and arrested, since the enemy was in overwhelming numbers, and in a more advantageous situation. Hence arose the necessity to prolong and transform them into tunnels opened up with many secret gates with access to the surface. This made it possible for cadres to seek shelter and counter-attack the enemy, and when it is necessary, to escape from dangerous areas to safer ones. Since, then, the tunnel system has come into being, and had a highly meaningful significance with regard to combat activities, organizational work targeted at cadres, combatants and people living in the areas adjoining the Saigon – Cholon zone. In Cu Chi, the tunnel system was built earliest in 1948, in the two villages Tan Phu Trung and Phuoc Vinh An. There were I the beginning short and primitively – structured sections used to conceal documents and weapons, and to shield cadres operating in the enemy’s rear zone. It was later expanded to many other villages. From 1961 to 1965, the guerilla war of Cu Chi inhabitants spread out quickly. It provoked great losses to the enemy, and took part in defeating the strategy “Special War” of Americans. Five villages in the north of Cu Chi District completed the backbone “tunnel. Afterwards, administrative services and military units-built ramifications which linked to it. Thus, they helped shape an uninterrupted system of tunnel. Later, during the resistance war against American aggressors, the “Cu Chi Tunnel” system experienced great development, especially at the beginning of 1966 when Americans deployed the elite infantry division Number I “BIG RED ONE” to launch a large-scale operation named CRIMP to attack and mop up the base zone. This operation was followed by the dispatching of the 25 division “Tropical Lightning” to establish the DONG DU base from where continuous savage raids and mopping up assaults against local revolutionary forces were launched. To cope with such violent attacks of Americans and quisling troops and with their barbaric war of destruction, the Party Committees of Saigon- Giadinh zone and of Cu Chi District led the people and the armed forces to hold on to the land, to annihilate the invaders, to defend the fatherland and the base zone. With the motto “not to move one step away, not to take one pace backward”, troops, people’s militias, guerillas, political and civilian services and people of Cu Chi emulated day in day out to dig runnels, for the purpose of building “fighting villages and hamlets” and “the belt for wiping out American aggressors”. These works made up a firm position to encircle and annihilate the enemy. The movement of Tunnel dugouts was picking up momentum every day and everywhere. Old and young, men and women vied with one another to participate in the construction of the tunnel system to fight the enemy. The strength of human will be had overcome difficulties. It was with only with rudimentary means and tools as the hoe blade and the bamboo basket that Cu Chi people and troops had erected this impressive work with hundreds of kilometers of tunnels zigzagging below ground, linking villages and hamlets into a spectacular “underground village”. The mere hauling of earth to another place to keep the system secret constituted in itself a hard and extremely careful task. Someone may ask about the ways to conceal that enormous volume of earth, the answer is there were many ways: To fill lots of bomb craters with earth, to heap up earth to form termite’s mound, to pour it down into the rice fields, to plant agricultural products on it. Families residing on the “belt”, all and everyone, dug inter-related tunnels, trenches, thus creating a continuous secession of tunnel which rendered them possible to hold on, to engage in production, and also to fight to defend their villages. Each citizen was a combatant and there was a fighting fort at the end of the Tunnel. Just one year after the CRIMP operation, on January 8th, 1967 Americans launched a large-scale operation named “Cedar Falls” into the “Iron Triangle” zone, with the aim to raze the base and to annihilate the revolutionary force. At this time the tunnel system had reached a total length of over 200 kilometers. It was not just defensive but offensive. Together with the minefield on the ground, they become a constant threat to the enemy throughout the war. Structure of the tunnel system The tunnel network zigzagged underground from the “backbone path” (main path) to a multitude of short and long ramifications, some of which were independent, some cut off in length according to geographical conditions. There were ramifications with mouths having access to the Saigon river. These mouths allowed hiding persons to cross the river to Ben Cat Base Zone (in Binh Duong Province), when the situation was critical. The tunnel was not dug deep, but still were resistant to canon shells and to the heavy weight of tanks and armored cars. Some deep sections of which were capable of protection even against small scale bombs. There were sections structured from two to three storeys (the upper storey called “upper” and the lower “submerged”), equipped with lids over secret mouths leading to tunnels that connected the storeys. In the tunnel system there wert also block –points at sensitive spots to obstruct the way of enemy or to stop the toxic chemicals sprayed by them. There were also narrow sections that only light and thin persons could work their way through. Along the tunnels there were carefully-disguised shafts for fresh air, connected to the surface face by multiple secret openings. Numerous mouths were designed to serve as fighting nests which caused utter surprise to the enemy. Pitfalls, nail and spike traps were set at critical points of the system… Around tunnel entrances and exits were also laid nail and spike traps, land mines (called deathly ground) as well as antitank high explosive mines and anti-helicopter grenade launching machines to prevent helicopters from swooping down and the enemy from approaching. Inter–related to the system were broad trenches for rest after combat where hammocks could be hung up. There were reserves of weapons, food, water, smoke- tight Hoang Cam kitchens, meeting rooms for leaders and commanders, dispensary facilities for surgery, living quarter for wounded and convalescing combatants, letter– A quarters for sheltering women, old people and children. Large will-ventilated and roofed trenches served as room for meetings, film showings, theatrical performances… All this underground world was elaborately concealed overhead. Throughout the entire period when the enemy conducted devasting attacks, all activities of people and combatants alike were “buried” (misused) below ground. Cu Chi people still try to lead a normal life in hard condition. In spite of the earth above being continuously combed to lead a normal life…Actual living conditions in the tunnel system were undoubtedly harsh, but this was unfortunately unavoidable. In order to protect resistance forces for a protracted war, every hardship had to be endured, at times beyond human endurance. Since darkness pervaded the low narrow tunnels, it was difficult to walk upright and people had to hunch their back and crawl most of the time.