Explore the underground resistance base

(PLVN) - Cu Chi Tunnels is a resistance base, with a system of tunnels located deep underground, built in a sophisticated and complex manner, fully functional for living and fighting as well as withstanding the destructive power of modern war vehicles at that time. Cu Chi Tunnels today is not only a destination with historical and cultural value but also an attractive tourist destination associated with famous military works in Vietnam that contributed to the great victory of the spring of 1975, unifying the country.

Unique military art wonder

The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground defense system in Cu Chi District, 69 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The system was dug by the Viet Minh resistance army and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam during the Indochina War and the Vietnam War.

The project was carried out by the army and people of Tan Phu Trung commune and Phuoc Vinh An commune to hide and store weapons and military equipment. Initially, each village here had its own base, however, due to the need for travel, they connected with each other to create a complete system. The Cu Chi tunnel project connects 6 communes north of the Cu Chi tunnel. From this project, it is easy to communicate, hide forces, and discuss revolutionary plans. From 1961 to 1965, this project was developed into many interconnected branches. During the war, facing the enemy's continuous sweep, the army and people of Cu Chi created many forms of defense, including spike fields, nail holes, bell tunnels, and minefields to prevent the enemy's advance, serving the fight of our army and people.

The Cu Chi Tunnels include a network of underground tunnels, earthen bunkers, underground bases, warehouses, offices, kitchens and infirmaries. By 1965, the army and people of Cu Chi had dug more than 200km of underground tunnels, combined with about 500km of trenches and fortifications above ground. The tunnels are often low and narrow, dug by hand with rudimentary tools. The entire structure is located on laterite clay soil, which is highly durable and less prone to landslides. The tunnels and underground bases are 3 to 12m deep, with 3 floors, capable of withstanding the destructive power of many types of heavy bombs. The tunnels spread out "like a spider web". From the "backbone" of the tunnels spread out many tunnels of different lengths, some leading all the way to the Saigon River. Air was taken into the tunnels through vents. Every 10 - 15m along the tunnel, holes are drilled to take in air from the ground, the hole mouths are camouflaged to look like termite mounds.

The secret bunker is one of the special structures in the Cu Chi tunnel system, cleverly camouflaged underground or inside simple thatched houses. From the outside, the bunker leaves no trace, but inside there can be enough space for many people to take shelter, hold meetings or hide documents and weapons. The tunnel system demonstrates the ingenuity and creativity of the Cu Chi army and people in fierce war conditions.

The army and people of Nhuan Duc commune, Cu Chi dug tunnels between 1946 and 1968. (Photo: Archive)

The US military carried out more than 5,000 sweep operations in this area, using about 500,000 tons of bombs and ammunition (on average, each person here suffered about 1.5 tons of bombs) and 480 tons of toxic chemicals, but still could not destroy this tunnel area. Cu Chi tunnels were a solid base of the Military Region Party Committee and the Saigon - Gia Dinh Command, contributing significantly to the unification of the country.

It can be said that Cu Chi tunnels are a unique military art wonder of Vietnam, demonstrating the indomitable will of the people of the "steel land", one of the symbols of revolutionary heroism.

Legends of Heroes

“Tunnels: Sun in the Dark” is creating a “fever” in the Vietnamese cinema industry in recent days. After only 6 days of showing, the revenue from the film has reached the 100 billion VND mark, according to data from Box Office Vietnam. The spread of the film is considered one of the levers that makes the tour to explore the steel land of Cu Chi more bustling than ever. After watching “Tunnels: Sun in the Dark”, have you ever wondered: Would you dare to survive underground… even for just 5 minutes?

No longer a movie scene, right in Cu Chi, visitors can touch the place that used to be “an underground battlefield. The air is stifling. The cold from the ground penetrates the skin. The path is only wide enough for one person… deep, dark, and narrow. But right there, each meter of the tunnel is the most authentic slice of the courage and sacrifice of our ancestors”. The “Legend of Heroes” tour, which just won a high prize in the tourism product design contest launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, is very attractive to visitors.

According to a representative of the Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site, the number of visitors in April increased by 30% compared to normal days and increased by 50% or more during the upcoming April 30 holiday, thanks to the effects of a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of national reunification and the film "Tunnels: Sun in the Dark".

Visitors can admire the tunnels - where our army and people operated during the war. The tunnel is 120m long with 2 tunnels, many of which are very narrow, only enough for one person to crawl or have to bend low, even close to the ground to be able to move. Today, the tunnels open to visitors have been equipped with lighting, but are not recommended for people with claustrophobia or a history of asthma or heart disease.

The Cu Chi liberated zone recreation area is an important part of the tunnel tour experience. This is a space built on an area of ​​38.5 hectares to recreate the landscape and life in the Cu Chi area after being liberated from the American army. Coming here, visitors will be able to watch documentary films about the glorious fighting years, the life and activities of our army and people from 1961 - 1972. The project is divided into 3 spaces: Recreating the war period in the years 1961 - 1964. Introducing the fighting life, living, working and studying of the people, officers and soldiers operating in the Cu Chi liberated zone through vivid models; Recreating the devastated countryside and the painful life of the people during the war when they were devastated by bombs and bullets in the years 1965 - 1968; Re-enacting the land of Cu Chi in the years 1969 - 1972, where the enemy dropped hundreds of tons of toxic chemicals and bombs to destroy the place, turning it into a desolate white land, with no life on the ground, only bomb shells, plane wrecks, and tanks left; forcing people and soldiers to live underground.

Tourists inside the Cu Chi Tunnels.

During the journey to explore the tunnels, there is the Hoang Cam field kitchen. This type of kitchen is designed to thin out the smoke when cooking, avoiding detection by aircraft from above. Around the kitchen are small tunnels leading to other underground bases. Here, visitors can enjoy steamed cassava with coconut milk, dipped in sesame salt, a rustic dish of the "steel land".

In addition, in Cu Chi there are night experience tours, battlefield simulation tours and even the challenge of living in a tunnel for 10 minutes. The tour recreates the night life of Cu Chi people living in the liberated zone with activities such as digging tunnels, weaving under the moonlight, young people signing up to join the army to fight the enemy, milling rice, pounding rice, boys and girls calling each other in the fields, holding markets, performing arts for soldiers, guerrillas and people mixed with the sounds of bombs, artillery, and enemy planes patrolling.

When history is not only told, but also touched, felt and recalled - that is when the past comes alive. At Cu Chi tunnels, domestic and international tourists clearly feel the revolutionary heroism, patriotism, willingness to sacrifice but always yearning for love inside every Vietnamese citizen and soldier.

After the war, the Cu Chi Tunnels became a national historical site. In 2015, the Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site received the title of Hero of Labor for its outstanding achievements in labor and creativity. On February 12, 2016, the Site received the Certificate of Special National Monument.

Cu Chi Tunnels was once voted in the Top 25 iconic destinations in Asia by TripAdvisor users; Top 7 world-famous tunnel tours by South China Morning Post and included in the Top underground destinations of the world by CNN.

Currently, the Department of Culture is carrying out procedures to submit Cu Chi tunnels to UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage Site.

Thuy Duong

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/kham-pha-can-cu-khang-chien-trong-long-dat-post545850.html