The tunnels of Cu Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country.
The Cu Chi tunnel is located on the Northwest direction, about 70 km from Ho Chi Minh city. It was built in 1940s during the war against French colonial. Tunnels were often dug by hand, only a short distance at a time. The system of tunnel includes a lot of rooms, kitchens, clinics, stores, etc. which were used by Vietnamese communists to implement campaigns against foreign enemies.
The Cu Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped to counter the growing American military effort.
At its peak the tunnel system stretched from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border; the network, parts of which were several storeys deep, included countless trapdoors, constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapon factories, field hospitals, command centres and kitchens.
Today, the Cu Chi tunnel is a tourist attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists, for those who are interested in discovering strange and unique places and country history. The length of Cu Chi tunnel is about 200 km, some parts are narrow and dark. Foreign tourists have voted it as one of strangest destinations in Southeast Asia. Visitors to Vietnam can now crawl through some of the safer areas of the tunnels, view command centers and booby traps, fire an AK-47 rifle on a firing range and even eat a meal featuring typical foods that soldiers living in the tunnels would have eaten.
