Cu Chi Tunnels

 
About 65 kilometres northwest of Ho Chi Minh City lies the suburban district of Cu Chi, a small area with an important history in the Vietnam wars against the French and the Americans. Cu Chi is famous for its 250-kilometer network of underground tunnels built by the communist guerrillas here. The district's villages and wards are interconnected by this network of tunnels with secret  openings. The main tunnel is between 60 - 70 cm wide and 80 - 100 cm high and has either a delta shape or vaulted ceiling.

 

The tunnel roof is a layer of hard earth of about 3 - 4 m thick that could withstand the weight of a 60 tontank or heavy artillery and the impact of bombs weighing up to 100 kg. The axis tunnel with its zigzag arms leads to deeper layers to numerous shelters and rooms. Visitors are welcomed to Cu Chi Tunnels to see and admire this legendary work of the Vietnamese people who with the most rudimentary tools could manage to dig down 4 - 12 meters in Cu Chi's rock-like soil, and to experience how life underground is.