“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

A well-known system of war-time tunnels located in an outlying district in Ho Chi Minh City offers tourists enlightening, intriguing experiences.
July 28, 2015 | 22:30

(VNF)- A well-known system of war-time tunnels located in an outlying district in Ho Chi Minh City offers tourists enlightening, intriguing experiences.

The Cu Chi Tunnels, situated in Cu Chi District, served as a defensive system of strategic importance during the Indochinese War (1946-1954) and the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975.

The tunnels comprise secret underground passageways linking one village with another and mostly run beneath the U.S.’s then military bases.

The system offered safe shelter to Vietnamese guerillas and made perfect workplace for Vietnamese voluntary troops. It also boasted schools, clinics, kitchens, warehouses, and even cinemas and communal recreation areas.

Dug above a clay area, the tunnels are of high durability and are less prone to sinking. The system could withstand devastation of the U.S. troops’ largest bombs.

Different sections could be isolated when need arose.

The 200-kilometer tunnels are well camouflaged from above and well ventilated. Other highlights were pits riddled with nails, bamboo spikes and traps, which made American soldiers’ penetration painfully difficult.

The U.S. troops repeatedly tried to locate and destroy the tunnels, to little avail.

The remaining 120-kilometer Cu Chi Tunnels have grown into an appealing tourist attraction.

The site receives a large number of domestic and foreign visitors every day, particularly on weekends and holidays.

A number of passageways are enlarged to fit Western visitors. Most of them are now illuminated to facilitate visitors’ movements.

Tourists can try out simple meals and military tasks which are replicas of what Vietnamese soldiers and residents underwent during the war time.

The Cu Chi Tunnels were once scored 4.5 out of 5 by voters on TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

Tourists are seen trying to sneak their way into narrow passageways inside the Cu Chi Tunnels.

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

A tourist enjoys his experience inside the tunnels.

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

A pit of spikes set as a death trap to deter the enemy from raiding the tunnels.

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

“Suffocating” experiences in Ho Chi Minh City tunnels (photos)

Revolutionary officers' and residents' activities are vividly re-created with lifelike wax statues.

by VNF- Photo: Zing, Amusing Planet

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