Coming to Cu Chi Tunnel, visitors will experience the underground secret tunnel system, the battle dock system, the system of shovels, homemade mines, the Hoang Cam kitchen - hiding smoke when cooking, visiting Ben Duoc temple - a place where the heroes of the nation in the anti-colonial and imperialist era are remembered.
The history of Cu Chi tunnels is associated with the resistance war against the French, in the period of 1946 – 1948. The project was carried out by the troops 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 tunnel, however, due to the need to travel, so they connected with each other to create a continuous system. The current Cu Chi tunnel project connects 6 communes in the north of the Cu Chi tunnel. From this project, the military can easily contact, hide forces, and discuss revolutionary plans.
This tourist attraction has a total length of up to 250km, has 3 different depths, the highest floor is about 3m from the ground, the middle floor is 6m from the ground and the deepest layer is up to 12m. This is one of the 6 famous man-made works in the world today. Besides, Cu Chi tunnel tourist area is also in the top 7 strangest destinations in Southeast Asia.
The tunnel system has been dug since 1946 and has been going on for more than 20 years. The tunnel is dug on a clay area mixed with bee rock, so it is highly durable, less prone to landslides. Underground tunnels and bases are 3 to 12 m deep underground; consisting of 3 floors can withstand the destructive power of many types of heavy bombs.
The actual entrance and exit of the soldiers in the tunnel is very small, only suitable for the physical condition of the Vietnamese people. When the cellar lid is closed, it is camouflaged with dry leaves, sandy soil... Air is taken into the tunnel through vents. Along it, every 10-15 m, secret vents and vents are cut above the ground, camouflaged like extruded termite mounds.
In the tunnel, it is very narrow, only one person can walk and must bend close to the ground to move. Today, the tunnels for visitors are all lit up.
The tunnels in the shape of a spine radiate long branches, short branches are interconnected, and some branches extend to the Saigon River. During the war, the enemy constantly attacked the tunnels with all kinds of means: bombs, water pumps, suffocating gas... But because the system is designed to be partially isolated, there is not much damage. Many tunnels are very small, and can only be moved by crawling inside. The roads lead to the floors with the leaders' living and working basements, medical cellars, catering, food and weapons storage, battle dens, water wells, kitchens, engineer workshops, military garment factories, etc. Today, some tunnels are opened with soil above, roofed, and inside to restore models so that visitors can easily imagine life in the basement during the war.
The Hoang Cam field kitchen bears the name of the creator, which is commonly used in tunnels. This type of stove is used to dilute the smoke emitted when cooking to avoid being detected by planes from above. Around the kitchen, there are small cellars leading to other underground bases. The engineer workshop with a model of soldiers making weapons, military equipment, military equipment, daily necessities... from fragments of bombs and bullets, tires... seized from the enemy.
In the tunnel area, there are also many aircraft, tanks, weapons, bombs and ammunition... used in war. In the Ben Duoc area, there is a martyrs' memorial temple, a liberation recreation area and a number of games such as swimming, painting shooting, boating...
Cu Chi Tunnel attracts the most visitors on weekends and Tet holidays. The entrance ticket price is 60,000 VND per person to visit the entire tunnel, each area has a guide.
Cu Chi Tunnels, a land of steel that contributed to the victory of the resistance war against the US, is named in the list of the 20 most amazing tunnels in the world, according to CNN.
Cu Chi Tunnel
Address: Ben Duoc (Phu My Hung commune) and Ben Dinh (Nhuan Duc commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City)
Website: http://diadaocuchi.com.vn/
According to VnE