Good Morning Vietnam – The Củ Chi Tunnels

May 2, 2017
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A university break came around in May and I had the chance to explore the south of Vietnam for a few days. The country is amazing. Its people are resilient and positive, bouncing back from the tremendous destruction of the Vietnam War to become an increasingly popular tourist destination. Here is one of the highlights – the Củ Chi Tunnels. 

 

The Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnel Historical Site

50 years ago, the Củ Chi Tunnels were the last place in the world you wanted to be. Overhead, US B-52 aircraft relentlessly carpet bombed the tunnels and disease ran rampant. 

The tunnels occupied by North Vietnamese guerrilla forces who were attempting to overthrow the South Vietnamese government. The tunnels are part of a huge network that allowed the fighters to avoid open battles and instead ambush US, Australian and South Vietnamese patrols.

 

Delightful Dora

I went to the tunnels on a tour group, led by a lovely Vietnamese lady called Dora. Softly spoken and dressed in a red and white poker-dot dress with pink hat. With the persona of a primary school teacher, she was someone who everyone instantly loved.

 

Don’t mess with Dora

When our group arrived at the historical site, the site staff demonstrated an assortment of booby-traps that the guerrilla fighters had used. They weren’t pleasant. Mostly they involved hidden holes in the ground with spikes to injure and trap a member of a patrol, rigged up to a delayed explosive to take out everyone who came to their help.

 

As our tour group became increasingly disturbed by the brutality of these traps, one person became more and more enthusiastic about explaining how the traps would kill soldiers and insisting on demonstrating a trap with a spike that swung into the chest of a person opening the booby-trapped door.

 

Ah yes, it was clear that Delightful Dora was not to be crossed. I decided that it was best I give her a decent tip, or my travels might come to an abrupt end.

 

Taking a shot

Confidently missing 8 shots of 10.

The Củ Chi Tunnel complex has a firing range. But its weapons have a bit more firepower than most. I went up to fire a few rounds of an AK-47. It is fair to say that my Battlefront 2 PC experience did not prepare me for how difficult firing a gun in real life is (2 hits from 10 shots is less than impressive). Nor did it prepare me for the ringing in my ears and intense kickback of the gun after each shot.

I could only imagine what it would be like relying on a weapon like that to keep you alive. After 5 minutes on the range, I was ready to leave the weapons and war to the experts (and Dora).

 

Descending into the tunnels

Conditions of entry – “You should not go down the tunnel in the following cases…. Visitors got drunk on alcohol or beer.”

The historical site includes a small length of the tunnels that tourists can try. It is about 4 metres underground. The tunnel was narrow and claustrophobic. Once I entered it, the only thing that kept me going was the fact I couldn’t turn around. After 5 minutes, I emerged from the underground, sweaty, hot and resolved never to join a clandestine guerrilla fighting force.

 

 

 

 

 

The takeaway

The Củ Chi Tunnels left me with a glimpse of what an absolute hell the Vietnamese war must have been for everyone involved. But they also gave me perspective on how quickly the world can change. 50 years ago, the Củ Chi Tunnels harboured forces that were killing US and Australian troops. They were the enemy lurking out of sight. Fast-forward to today and Vietnam and these tunnels are tourist hotspot. Time, goodwill and cooperation has healed many of the deep divisions that once existed.

 

Vietnam