Day 12 - Cu Chi Tunnel

16th March 2011

My last two days in Vietnam was spent in Saigon. I think it is the chaotic and frenetic energy along with warm weather that makes me prefer this place over Hanoi. The end of my journey to Vietnam was fast approaching so it was time for one last tour, this time to the Cu Chi Tunnel, about 50km west from the city. The network of tunnels (which stretched over 200km) was a key part of guerrilla warfare during the Vietnam War and was vital in defeating the American soldiers. It is a great piece of history which captures the spirit and craftiness of the Vietnamese. I booked a half day tour of the Cu Chi tunnel with TDK travel for $5 which included transport and an excellent and knowledgeable guide. The drive there was about two hours. Upon arrival to the tunnels we had to pay an 80,000 VND ($4) entry fee.

Our guide gave us a brief history of the Cu Chi district and led us to a video hall, where a short black and white propaganda documentary titled Cu Chi Guerrillas was shown. It describes the resourcefulness of the soldiers living in these tunnels and how they beat the Americans. There was one part in the film which I found strangely amusing…how a Vietnamese women soldier was rewarded the honourable title of "Top American Hero Killer" for her high kill count. The tour guide also showed us a miniature cross section model of the tunnels. It had multi-levels complete with hospital wings, kitchens, weapon storages, sleeping areas, meeting spaces, areas to hide from enemies and exits to the river.

  

We then walked through the forest trail and stopped at some key sites such as dirt mounds which acted as ventilation and difference types of entrances into the tunnels. The first tunnel entrance shown was very well concealed under foliage and there was a demonstration of how it worked. Then the group was invited to take turns going in and posing for photos. When it was my turn the tour guide suggested I go under and crawl my way to the other side of the tunnel. The opening was very tiny, but I did manage to get in. As I entered the tunnel and crawled a few metres in, I could feel something above my head. It was pitch black so I couldn't see anything. I got my phone out for some light and realise there were bats hanging on top the tunnels. Bats! I immediately turned back and bailed out.

The next section was an area where the tour guide demonstrated the different types of booby traps used by the guerrilla fighters. We got to see a demonstration of each one. One of the traps shown was known as the souvenir box (made from recycled metal). It would be hidden in the ground for an unsuspecting American troop and upon standing on the trap, the soldier’s foot would become impaled and the soldier would effectively have to take it away with him, hence the name souvenir. The rest of the photos and with some imagination on your part will give you an idea on how the traps work.

As we walk further into the jungle, I saw a destroyed American tank that the Vietnamese proudly put on display and many bomb craters on the ground from the B52 bombing missions. According to travel books the area is "the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and generally devastated area in the history of warfare." There was also a shooting range in the area. I was given a choice of weapon and how many bullets I wanted. I actually got to shoot my first gun here, an AK-47…not sure whether that’s a good thing or not. By the way, I missed all the targets.

Then the tour group finally got to try going down in the tunnels. This was the area were most tourist usually enter as it was widened to accommodate the size for Western tourist. The tunnel was still very claustrophobic and I could not fully stand up. But it was much easier to crawl through than the first one, it at least was dimly lit and had many exits along the way and no bats.

The next tunnel the tour guide took us was the real deal. I was surprised that most of the people in my tour group refused to do it. Of the 20, only 3 people went in, including me, another Australian and a Belgian guy. This tunnel as expected was very cramped and movement was severely restrained. It was also very dark (photos were taken in flash so very misleading) and I had to rely on my camera’s flash to see the way. We slowly made our way through the tunnel and down ladders. Continuing deeper—the already unbearable heat got worse and the air became thinner and it was very hard to breath. I was also sweating profusely. After about 10 minutes, we finally reached a ladder leading up back to the surface. The rest of the tour group was waiting and applauding us for our efforts. The lack of light and air flow mad it quite a tough sweaty exercise but it was fun. I could imagine how horrible it was to spend months and years living in such condition. I was really impressed at their capacity to endure this incredible hardship.

Our last activity for the tour was to try the local tapioca. Our guide told us that the Cu Chi people didn't really eat much food, mainly these tapioca roots, so their frame was very petite, allowing them to squeeze through such a small passageway. The tapioca tasted like nothing, it was bland and didn’t really have a flavour. It was washed down with some pandan tea. Soon it was time to go. We got on the tour bus which took us back to the city where the tour ended. In all it was a very memorable, interesting and slightly uncomfortable experience going to the Cu Chi tunnel. Definitely worth a visit!