The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground labyrinth and a landmark of Vietnam. Box of letters and syllables Underground passages in Vietnam

The tunnels were first discussed in the late 1940s, when Viet Minh (Vietnam Independence League) tried to expel the French from the country. The Kuchi tunnels are excavated on four levels. This work was unbearably hard. It was necessary not only to fight poisonous snakes, scorpions and insects, but also to constantly strengthen the tunnels so that they did not collapse. At first, the tunnels served only as hiding places for storing weapons and ammunition, but soon became a place where Viet Minh fighters were hiding. Patriot detachments regularly launched attacks from here on the rear of Saigon troops and interventionists. To protect themselves from the devastating American bombing, the guerrillas dug a network of underground shelters connected by tunnels in the jungle. These structures, created with bare hands, according to some sources, stretch for almost 200 km. One of the tunnels even passed under the American military base located here. The tunnels allowed many groups of Viet Cong fighters to communicate and even penetrate Saigon. For several years, neither special forces, nor napalm, nor heavy aerial bombs could do anything with the stubborn “children of the dungeon.” The holes leading into the depths did not exceed the size of the stove damper and were easily camouflaged. The underground galleries of Kuchi were also small - 80 cm wide and 120 cm high. It was this kind of tunnel that best withstood ground shaking during bombing. The partisans actually lived underground - they cooked food, repaired weapons, sewed clothes and treated the wounded, there were schools in the tunnels, there were even theaters and a small cinema. The chimneys from the kitchens extended parallel to the surface of the earth for several meters. As a result, the smoke had time to cool down and spread across the ground, indistinguishable from fog... Special adits led to streams and supplied the “children of the dungeon” with water. The meager diet of the partisans consisted of the fruits of plants that did not require special care and grew everywhere - tapioca, peanuts, etc.

Craters from 110-kilogram bombs overgrown with bushes are still found in abundance in the surrounding jungle. Some bombs and shells did not explode. The partisans neutralized them and used explosives to make homemade grenades and mines. The lack of weapons forced the Viet Cong to invent various kinds of traps. The gallery of such devices is one of the most impressive attractions of the Cu Chi Tunnel Museum. Infernal devices are laid out against the backdrop of paintings depicting GIs with signs of Down's disease, falling into wolf pits studded with stakes...

More than 12,000 people died here during the Vietnam War, but the Tet Offensive, the plans for which were discussed in these tunnels, may have made Americans realize that they would never win this war.

Now in Kuchi you can see the military inventions of the partisans, shoot with military weapons at the shooting range, and most importantly, go down to one of the underground galleries. Here you can fully understand what difficulties and hardships the Vietnamese patriots had to endure for the sake of victory. The shooting range features a variety of small arms, from pistols to heavy machine guns. Shooting will be quite expensive: at a price of 20,000 VND per shot, the owners do not sell less than 10 rounds of ammunition. Moreover, all weapons at the firing line are tightly attached to the parapet, designed for the height of the average Vietnamese. The galleries open to the public stretch for about 100 m. Pitch darkness and unbearable stuffiness reign underground. You can only crawl forward. On the way to the finish line, two “emergency exits” are made for those who cannot bear to stay in the depths. Not far from the exit there is a very thoughtful washbasin, and even further away tourists are offered to try the everyday dish of the Vietnamese partisans - boiled tapioca seasoned with crushed peanuts.

One-day excursion as part of a group (8.30-18.00) with a visit to the Cao Dai shrine and the Cu Chi guerrilla tunnels can be purchased at any travel agency in Ho Chi Minh City for 5 USD. In Tay Nin, the group is taken for lunch, which costs an additional 40-50 thousand dong.

When planning our trip to Vietnam, we decided to visit several very different, in my opinion, corners of this interesting country. We are on the island of Phu Quoc and the next stop was one of the largest cities in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City is a very noisy and vibrant city with its own very interesting history, but I will tell you more about this in another article. And now I want to talk about the Kuti tunnels. For any traveler who wants to get to know the history of the country better, I advise you to definitely visit this place on your own or with a tour. This will be especially interesting for fans of military history.

The Cu Chi Tunnels are not just a landmark, they are part of Vietnam’s military past, and to this day many residents of the older generation remember with a shudder those terrible years of the war with the United States.

We planned to stay in Ho Chi Minh City for only a couple of days and therefore we had to immediately decide on the time - where and when we would go. As for travel agencies where you can buy tours, there are not so many of them here as in Nha Trang. We purchased a tour at the one closest to our hotel, so that later, if something happened, we wouldn’t have to run far for clarification. We negotiated the purchase of the tour practically on our fingers, because they did not understand our English, and we did not understand theirs.

The tour indicated to expect a bus at 8.00 near the hotel entrance. As a result, we waited for him for about an hour and didn’t know what to think. To our question to the tour sellers, we received only one answer: that the bus would arrive soon. There was nothing to do and we had to wait patiently. Having waited, we finally hit the road.

The tour cost us $20 per person. Duration: half a day.

How to get there

Cu Chi Tunnels (some call them Cu Chi Tunnels) are located in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City, at a distance of 50-55 km from the city center.

My advice to you: if you decide to get there on your own, it is better to do it by taxi. Agree on a fixed payment rather than by meter, it will be much cheaper.

There is no direct bus to your destination; you will have to make transfers and this will greatly lengthen your journey.

Sea transport is also long and problematic.

And in any case, it is better to plan your trip in the morning, there will be less traffic jams.

The journey takes about two hours one way.

Wear comfortable sportswear and sneakers. Do not take bags or heavy backpacks with you. Then you will have to carry all this with you.

Google coordinates: 11.144455, 106.464276

Entry price

We were taken to a forested area, then we got off the bus and waited while our guide purchased tickets for our group.

The prices are very cheap:

• For an adult 3.5 dollars.
• For a child 1 dollar.

What are these tunnels?

We then proceeded to the tent where we were shown a 20 minute documentary film telling the story of its creation. Everything on site is as close as possible to a real military atmosphere.

The Kuchi Tunnels are underground labyrinths dug by partisans during the war, 200 km long and up to 10 meters deep. Almost all residents took part in the construction of the tunnels, including women and children. They dug with the help of available materials, mainly with hoes. Thanks to this resourcefulness of the Vietnamese, thousands of lives were saved.

There is also a model of the entire multi-level tunnel system installed here. Now you will be surprised at the skill and hard work, as well as the love for your homeland. The first level - a depth of about 3 meters - these are various rooms (kitchen, hospital, rest room, etc.), on this level they practically lived, on the second level 6 meters - they hid during American bombings, and then went back up to the first level (on the second there was not enough oxygen and it was possible to hold out only for a short time) and the third, deepest level about 12 meters - here people hid from gas attacks.

Deep wells were dug to obtain water. The ventilation system is thought out thoroughly. For a long time, the Americans were unaware of the existence of partisan tunnels.

Start of the excursion

We were met by people in uniform and throughout the entire excursion there was a guy with us who showed and told us everything.

There is no one around and thinking that all this is not just models, but military history, you really feel uneasy and terribly interesting. Looking around, I realized that it was better not to lag behind. Otherwise it is very easy to get lost.

At first they tell how the tunnels were dug and strengthened, how difficult it all was, but still the Vietnamese are resourceful people and they succeeded.

Also on display were various military shells and bombs of that time.

Then we saw a real bomb crater. Of course, you can’t say for sure whether it’s true or whether they dug it specifically for tourists, but it’s still impressive.

We're inside

Having walked a little further, we were shown the descent into a tunnel, it was impossible to see anything there, complete darkness. It is so narrow that you simply don’t understand how it is possible for an adult to crawl through there. This was a version of a real military tunnel. Currently, all other tunnels have been specially expanded for tourists, otherwise it would simply be impossible.

Then we had to descend into the next tunnel. The guy who works there was the first to go and demonstrate. It was more like a short and very low underground passage. We bent down slightly and passed it in a few seconds. I was disappointed, so to speak, that all subsequent ones will be like that. As soon as I thought, we had a longer stay underground.

We went down underground and walked bent over. Here we were shown an underground well. Despite the fact that we were underground, there was no shortage of air.

I was overwhelmed with emotions, it was scary and interesting at the same time. The presence of bats and spiders adds to the reality of what is happening. A terrible and disgusting sight. Being in such a place really makes you perceive reality differently. Having climbed the steps and found yourself at the top, you catch yourself thinking how glad you are for the sunshine. It is impossible to imagine the nightmare these partisans experienced during the war. Having stayed below for only 5 minutes, you already want to quickly get to the surface.

Description of the tunnels

Everything is so carefully thought out to the smallest detail, everything is carefully disguised that an ignorant person will never really find where the beginning and where the end of the tunnel is. It turns out that some tunnels had exits to local reservoirs.

We were shown how the Vietnamese during the war watched the enemy, looking through a small crack that came to the surface. The guy went down into the tunnel from one side and while we were wondering how long he would stay there, he, unnoticed by everyone, ended up behind our back and came out from the other side.

We were also shown a ditch for enemies with sharp iron tips; if the enemy got there, death would occur instantly. Then, after walking a few steps, we went down into the tunnel again, here we saw a very small room underground, with two beds and a table, very similar to a rest room, then we had to walk through the tunnel again in a half-bent state.

This time he was lower than the previous one and we had to walk with bent knees, after which we ended up in a military hospital. Here is a picture of the operation, all the models are made in life size, and taking into account the low lighting with small flashlights, it generally gives the impression that you are present at real events, it becomes even more creepy.

Yes, I forgot to say, the Vietnamese equipped all the tunnels with small flashlights for visitors, and even under such tourist conditions it is still not pleasant to be there. Now imagine that during the war the partisans crawled in complete darkness, and the tunnels were so narrow that they had to push off with their hands to crawl and they could not see the light for many days.

At the exit from the tunnel, there is a model of two partisans carrying a wounded man on a stretcher.

And of course, when you move forward, no one warns you what will happen next and the element of surprise makes the picture come alive.

For camouflage, all descents into the tunnels are hidden under a thatched roof.

The steepest narrow tunnel

And again we had to descend down, to make what was happening believable, speakers with the sounds of a military roar were built in in this tunnel, our legs were already aching quite a bit, but the most interesting thing was waiting for us ahead. The Vietnamese made the last tunnel the closest to reality for tourists, it was lower than all the previous ones, here we already had to walk in a half-squat, after a minute of travel (although time passes much slower underground than in reality) we found ourselves in a room with 4 partisans at a large long table, inside the tunnel was divided into two paths to the right and left. We were faced with a choice of where to go, people from our group were in both directions, but which one was correct was not clear. We chose the path to the left.

We walked half-squatted, then the tunnel narrowed even more and we had to crawl on our haunches. The air in the tunnel was humid and stuffy. Moving forward, we did not see the end of the tunnel and even from afar the light on the surface was not visible, and then two girls in front of us stop and ask if we are going the right way and where is the exit. And then I started to panic, it didn’t last long, a few seconds. But even knowing that there was a way back and that we were very close to the surface, I was overcome with fear, and I do not suffer from claustrophobia. We crawled back and took a different path and ended up on the surface.

During these 5-10 minutes underground, we really felt as close to reality as possible. When you are underground, and even in such a narrow space, it becomes really scary and your greatest desire is to leave this place quickly.

Having come to the surface, I no longer wanted to go underground.

We continue to be amazed at the skill of the Vietnamese

At the end of all the crawling, we were offered to try the food of the partisans. It was boiled cassava root and some kind of seasoning, poured separately into a plate. Some people tried, but we had no desire to try.

The next thing we saw was a small gazebo with various traps. The Vietnamese heroically defended their country without having special weapons for this.

One can only be amazed at their sophistication. Looking at them you understand that you shouldn’t get involved. The Vietnamese are a very proud and cheerful people.

On the way to the exit you can see the life of the partisans, various workshops are shown, how the partisans made shoes from tires and neutralized mines.

Photos of exhibition copies

Among the various attractions of Vietnam, several particularly popular ones stand out. Therefore, if you are not far from Ho Chi Minh City, be sure to purchase an excursion tour to the Cu Chi tunnels - you will not regret it.

What are they and what is their interest?

The Vietnamese are an amazingly enterprising people, and this is not at all because they have learned to skillfully fool tourists without even blinking an eye, but only by smiling sweetly and brazenly. No, of course they are jacks of all trades and born artists, but what they came up with is even more sophisticated than these little things.

It’s no secret that Vietnam has had to go through quite a few upheavals, just like any other country with a centuries-old history behind it that has left a murky historical legacy. Such a murky heritage, literally and figuratively, can be called a special invention, creation and masterpiece of guerrilla slippery thought - the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam, some of which have survived to this day, albeit in a very “cut down” form, because out of 250 kilometers of tunnels, only fifty meters is accessible Ben Din tunnel is 1.2 meters high and 80 centimeters wide. One part of the tunnel runs near the village of Bendin, the other part in the vicinity of the village of Benzyok.

The first tunnel was built during a bloody war with American troops, who mercilessly burned out entire cities with napalm shells that showered the ground, thrown out by planes cutting the crimson red evening sky. For the US Army, just one report was enough that partisans were spotted in a particular village and the entire village, including civilians, was buried in a haze of fire a few hours later. It is almost impossible for anything living to escape from napalm (by the way, this weapon is now banned). This is a powerful weapon, which, in addition to other chemical weapons used, completely burned out everything that came in its way. But napalm is not the last thing that was used by the US Army to destroy the Viet Cong, those very members of a special military-political organization that supports the communist policies of South Vietnam.

The second type of sophisticated destruction of an entire people was to use the so-called “Agent Orange”. This is nothing more than a chemical weapon, which is a mixture of especially dangerous chemicals, among which a certain ingredient stands out - dioxin TCDD. This chemical was able to get such an interesting name due to the fact that it was delivered to the war zone in containers that were marked with an orange stripe...

This orange killer was sprayed on the ground in 10% of cases, it was delivered by watercraft, the remaining 90% was sprinkled on the ground from C123 aircraft and helicopters. During the entire war, it is unknown how much chemical spilled onto the soil of Vietnam, but according to the US Army, about 72 million liters were definitely sprayed by the military on 10% of the territory of South Vietnam. It is difficult to judge the veracity of these data, because the United States is still trying to renounce any mention of chemical weapons and does not fully admit its guilt. So, it is likely that much more chemical weapons were used...

The orange agent affected not only the Vietnamese people, the US military itself also suffered from its effects, because the chemical components of the substance, 10 minutes after spraying, left all the trees in the area without any hint of foliage, and if people fell under the orange rain, then they received chemical burns. Their subsequent offspring suffered from various injuries and deformities, and from birth their children were disabled.

Scary, isn't it?

Destroying entire forests, crops, harvests and civilians, the military still could not defeat the Vietnamese, whose only salvation was to wage their own special guerrilla, hidden war, which turned out to be much more effective and humane than all-destructive chemical weapons. They were forced to take refuge under the bowels of the earth. It was the layer of earth that became their true protection. While digging winding tunnels, the partisans thought through everything literally down to the smallest detail: a special system of ventilation, offensive passages and manholes; underground hospitals, infirmaries; rest rooms; storage and weapons premises; dining rooms and kitchens. Waging a hidden underground war, the partisans also hid local residents in the premises, many of whom survived only thanks to them.

The opponents did not even suspect that their base or camp was located directly above a strategic Vietnamese facility. The partisans skillfully camouflaged the hatches and entrances to the underground city so that overnight they could set up a lot of homemade traps in the enemy camp or completely deprive the US Army of a full-fledged military detachment. Due to this sneak attack, the territory of South Vietnam and parts of Cambodian territory is still dangerous, because the forests are full of unexploded shells or booby-trapped bombs, which are still fully functional weapons. They blithely pushed them aside at every step in order to protect the US military from the partisans, who rarely moved on the ground, preferring to hide underground.

Knowing at least a small part of history and having the same scanty idea, one can understand and imagine the situation in which the Vietnamese people found themselves and what they did for their own survival. When communicating with veterans of that war, you understand that there is nothing more terrible than a war that is waged for the sake of peace, for the sake of “good goals.” This is scary, this is creepy...

You feel the same eerie, wild, oppressive state when you simply look into one of the Kucha tunnels, into which those who wish can even climb to see for themselves what it is like in such an excessively narrow passage...

Tunnel beauty was the name given to the desperate thugs of the US Army who were sent into the tunnel to help destroy the Vietnamese partisans.

Making your way through the tunnels is incredibly difficult due to their size, darkness and wild stuffiness; in some places you have to literally crawl through the next few meters. Even if you do not suffer from claustrophobia, then in these tunnels you will feel a clear urge to immediately get to the surface, which is also difficult to do, because there is simply no room for maneuver - only forward, only to the end, until you find yourself in a special room, from where you will move back . Usually tourists go back much more willingly and faster than forward. They are accelerated by the desire to get out of here as quickly as possible.

While you are crawling through the tunnel, the thought suddenly comes to you that these passages were specially expanded for tourists; before that they were narrower and the average American soldier could not fit here, much less get inside the underground city. To reveal the plans of the partisans, they first had to discover an underground passage, the approaches to which were always protected by various traps, and find a very small, thin soldier so that he could squeeze into the tunnel. In order to get through there, it is necessary to completely disarm him; in military unloading, he would not have fit there, and without weapons he was facing 100% death. The only way out was to destroy the hole, and the Vietnamese had dozens of such moves and exits. This automatically made the war a losing game...

Entrance to one of the expanded tunnels

Now it seems unsurprising to hear the stories of American veterans that Vietnamese partisans literally disappeared before our eyes, hid from persecution and disappeared as if through the ground, which is what they did in the literal sense of the word. But it also seems quite reasonable that due to a lack of food, the Vietnamese ate literally everything that crawled under their feet: snakes, mice, rats, dogs, other domestic animals, grasshoppers and other insects, birds, etc. Even now, a favorite dish of local Vietnamese children is fried locust or wood mouse baked on coals. For us this is wildness, this is exotic, but for them the norm and quite edible food is no worse than our chicken, pork or beef.

Feeling the fresh air that burns your whole body with sticky heat, you realize that even on the hottest Vietnamese day it is much more pleasant to be in the air than in a dark tunnel.

At this stage, there are enough sensations pressing on the brain; it is better to move on and look at the exhibitions, which clearly demonstrate the skill and sophistication of partisan inventions. When you see and understand how simple and effective the traps they invented are, it becomes almost as scary as in the tunnel. What do they care about your bombs, grenades, napalm, machine guns, tanks and bombers... The jungle itself is already one continuous trap for those who cross its borders...

As if for fun, the guide will then take you to the shooting range, where you can take a breather and recharge yourself with a new batch of thrills and shoot with real weapons. Among other things, the Kalashnikov assault rifle is especially popular, just pay for the cartridges and shoot the weapon to your heart’s content.

Not far from the Cu Chi tunnels there is a cafeteria; the food here is not the worst, but several times more expensive than in the city. This is understandable.

Some tourists hang out at souvenir shops, where surprisingly practical, cute little things, clothes, shoes and souvenirs are made from all sorts of unnecessary junk to be thrown away.

Be sure to visit this excursion, you will gain impressions for the year ahead!

Of course, it’s much better to go here on your own on a rented bike (there’s plenty of time, no one is pushing you or urging you on). This is especially true for those who know a lot about and do not need to listen to a memorized text that local guides spit out worse than a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Although, we got carried away, their boring texts are boring, but some guides are especially chatty and their stories are very interesting and revealing, because while viewing the exhibitions they clearly demonstrate the action of the traps. No, they don’t throw themselves into a pit with a spinner of stakes (“meat grinder”), no... Although, it would be interesting... Of course, this is a cruel joke. The author is in a wildly cheerful mood, but this is only because he is still impressed by what he saw. The poor fellow has not yet come to his senses, he can be forgiven.

But we digress from the topic, so we come here on our own and arm ourselves with patience - this is the first thing, and secondly, before you go on an excursion, be sure to check your backpacks for drinking water and wet wipes. By the time you get to the place you will be thirsty, while you climb through the tunnel you will get dirty.

Take plenty of water. If you grab a light snack, that's fine too. We got hungry while exploring the entire territory, and tourists with children were forced to walk along the excursion to pleasant music for the ears of any parent - children's crying. The excursion is interesting, but it is quite difficult to withstand all this in the wild heat.

Sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes are mandatory attributes for tourists in Vietnam. If you don’t like sneakers, then at least comfortable sandals with tight fastenings that secure the foot. No heels, flip-flops, flip-flops or other underwear. It's better to walk around barefoot then.

And finally, dress in comfortable, light clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

Where are the Kuchi Tunnels and how to get to them

It is better to go here directly on a rented bike, otherwise you will only get by bus to the village of Kuti, and from there it is another 15 km by taxi, on a bike, or you will have to pedal until you... reach the tunnels.

Moreover, you will have to pedal hard, because the operating time of the “attraction” is limited.

To enter the tunnel area in Bendin we are preparing a symbolic sum of 3 dollars; in Benzyok they will ask for 4 dollars. The local population enters the territory completely free of charge.

The cost of an excursion tour in one of the shops in Ho Chi Minh City starts from 100,000 VND (about $5 or 250 Russian rubles).

You can find the Kuchi Tunnels at.

Visit Ho Chi Minh City and it would be unforgivable to pass by one of the bloody sights of the war years. On the second day in the morning, having bought a tour, we went to the Kochi Tunnels, located 70 kilometers northwest of Ho Chi Minh City.

A round trip transfer to the village cost $3.5, and on the bus we were charged another 120,000 dong for entering the tunnels themselves.

- “Wolf pits” or as the Viet Cong called them “Tiger Trap”, studded pits with sharpened bamboo stakes, were sprinkled with leaves on top or covered with turf. The soldier, advancing, fell down, his whole body on sharp stakes. If death did not occur instantly, then the fighter died in hellish agony. There were almost always camouflaged loopholes nearby; if the Yankees ran to the rescue of a friend, they were immediately shot from cover.

- “Vietnamese souvenir” - a round paper platform, the top was sprinkled with leaves and did not stand out on the surface of the ground in any way, but as soon as Ji Ai’s foot stepped on the trap, the foot immediately fell to the bottom of the hole and ran into sharp pins. The ropes secured inside immediately tightened, and huge nails on four sides firmly stuck into the leg, making it impossible to pull the limb back out. This trap did not kill, but left the person disabled without a leg. The extracted pins were given to the soldier as a souvenir, hence the name of the trap.
- Bamboo trap - installed in the doors of rural houses. As soon as the soldier opened the door, a small log with sharp stakes flew out of the opening. Often traps were set in such a way that the blow would fall on the head - if triggered successfully, this would lead to severe injuries, often fatal. Sometimes such traps, but in the form of a large log with stakes, were installed on tripwires in the jungle. Where the jungle was impenetrable, the log was replaced with a heavy ball with welded spikes.

- “Punji” - the trap was installed on forest paths, near American bases, camouflaged under a thin layer of grass, leaves or under water. The size of the trap was calculated exactly to fit the foot in the boot. The stakes were always smeared with feces or carrion. Getting your foot caught in such a trap would likely cause blood poisoning and amputation. A larger version of this trap caused more serious injuries, piercing the leg up to the thigh, as well as the groin area.

- “Whip Trap” or whip trap was often set along jungle paths. A bamboo trunk with long stakes at the ends was connected to a guy wire. As soon as it was touched, a camouflaged bamboo trunk with stakes hit the area from the knees to the stomach of the careless soldier with all its strength.

“Bucket Trap” - a bucket trap with stakes or large fish hooks dug into the ground and camouflaged. The whole horror of this trap was that the stakes were firmly attached to the bucket at an angle downwards, and if you fell into such a trap, it was impossible to pull out your leg - when you tried to pull it out of the bucket, the stakes only dug deeper into your leg. Therefore, they had to dig out the bucket, and the unfortunate man, along with the bucket on his leg, was evacuated to the hospital.

Side Closing Trap - these are two boards studded with stakes, attached to each other with elastic rubber and stretched. Thin bamboo sticks were inserted between them. As soon as you fell into such a trap, the fragile branches immediately broke and the doors slammed shut at the level of the victim’s stomach. Additional stakes may also have been dug into the bottom of the pit.

Spike Board - snake board. Installed in shallow reservoirs, puddles or swamps. Ji I, stepping on the pressure plate, immediately received a blow from a board with stakes from under the water, which often led to death.

Other mutilation traps, such as the Crocodile Mouth, were also used. But, of course, the weapons of mass destruction had the maximum effect - streamers and “Pineapples” hung on trees - they turned the presence of American soldiers in the jungle into absolute hell Vietnam. To combat the tunnels, the US Army used chemical weapons - defoliants, causing large-scale chemical contamination of water and soil. And also on the basis of the 25th Infantry Division, a special unit “Tunnel Rats” was formed. It recruited short, thin, young men with a strong nervous system. The task of the "Tunnel Rats" was to penetrate the enemy's discovered underground tunnels, search for important documents and place explosive charges to blow up the tunnels.

The horrors of this war can be fully experienced by visiting the tunnels; narrow passages can sometimes only be overcome by crawling; even for me, a person of not large build, it was sometimes difficult to crawl in the dark and narrow corridor of the tunnel. Plus it's very hot there. Many underground rooms were brought to the surface and covered with thatched roofs, and the dining room was also located on the surface. We were treated to a simple lunch of ordinary Viet Cong; we were fed tapioca, which is very similar to potatoes, and peanuts.

Organize a self-guided tour to the Kuchi Tunnels.

For the first time I heard about the dungeons of the Vietnamese partisans - the Cu Chi Tunnels - from a friend who, having visited, described them as “the best excursion” he had been on, “it’s very cool there, you can climb through the tunnels and shoot with any weapon from the Vietnam War.”

After googling and reading guidebooks, it turned out that the tunnels dug by the partisans are located in different parts of Vietnam, and some of the most famous and largest (the length reaches 200 kilometers) are located at a distance of 40-50 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, where we arrive and where our journey begins in Vietnam. We planned to spend almost three full days in Ho Chi Minh City, one of which was devoted to visiting the tunnels.

It is believed that an excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels (sometimes called the Cu Chi Tunnels) is the most popular in the vicinity of Ho Chi Minh City and many travel agencies located in the city organize trips there. And one of the options to see the tunnels is to buy an organized excursion in one of them. It is not expensive, 5-10 US dollars per person, starts by bus early in the morning from the center of Ho Chi Minh City. We went our own way and decided to go to the Kuchi tunnels on our own.

There were two reasons for this:

1. not particularly fond of organized excursions
2. starts at 7:30

The time lag from Moscow to Ho Chi Minh City is 4 hours and a couple of days
This is a short time to adjust to local time and getting up so early is difficult.

Cu Chi Tunnels: how to get there

1. By ground public transport. There is no direct communication; transfers must be made.
2. By water transport. An interesting method, but it required more time to develop and implement.
3. Taxi. We settled on this option.

How to economically get to the Kuchi (Kuchi) tunnels by taxi

Leaving the Saigon Grand Hotel where we were staying at 11:00, 30 seconds later we were already communicating with a Vinasuntaxi taxi driver who did not speak English at all. The doorman from our hotel came to our aid.
Initially, we were offered to go by the meter, but we insisted on a fixed price. The driver contacted the dispatcher, and after that an offer was made to us, which we accepted without haggling - 1,280,000 Vietnamese debts, trip duration 6 hours. Looking ahead, I’ll say that according to the meter, our trip would have cost 1,900,000 wons, that’s how much was accumulated on the taximeter, which was working the entire trip, and this is not counting the time that could have been included for the wait, which was 3 hours.

Road from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi Tunnels

The distance to the town of Cu Chi, next to which the Cu Chi tunnels are located, from the first district of Ho Chi Minh City, which is the main attraction for tourists due to the many business and shopping centers, hotels and various tourist attractions, is about 40 kilometers. From there to the tunnels, which they obviously got their name due to their proximity to this settlement, is another 15 kilometers. Thus, from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the attraction the distance is 50-55 km.
At first we wandered through the streets of Saigon, crowded with mopeds and cars; it was difficult to determine the boundary between the city and the suburbs since the city itself was replaced by urbanization with a continuous row of buildings along the highway, including residential buildings, various shops, workshops, etc. And only after an hour and a half of driving, the landscape outside the car window began to resemble a country one. The one-way journey took about two hours, although we did not make a single stop.

Tour of the Cu Chi tunnels

At the entrance to the territory where the tunnels are located, there is a booth where you can and should purchase tickets. The cost of a ticket for one adult was 70,000 debts ($3.5), a child's ticket costs 20,000 ($1).

After driving another 200 meters after the ticket office, the road came to a square where, in addition to cars, a tank, a plane and a helicopter from the Vietnam War were parked. By the way, in Vietnam this war is called the American War. Having got out of the car, we immediately went to the large gate shown in the photograph, but the man in uniform who was guarding it turned us around and directed us in the opposite direction.

Three minutes later we were already at the entrance, next to which there was such an exhibition of war artifacts. They checked our tickets and gave us further instructions, which were as follows: we need to walk 200 meters through the jungle, find a cinema and watch a movie lasting 20 minutes.

On the way to the cinema we came across this installation.

There was no one else in the cinema hall under the canopy except us, and we sat in the first row opposite a switched-off ancient TV above which was a portrait of Ho Chi Minh. A few minutes later, an employee appeared and turned on the movie. The movie turned out to be black and white and it was clear from everything that it was filmed a long time ago.

The history of the Kuchi tunnels

The film talked about how peaceful peasants lived happily, grew rambutans, bananas and rice on fertile lands, and then foreign invaders came. And the peasants had no choice but to take up the hoes with which they cultivated the rice fields, dig tunnels up to 10 meters deep and 200 kilometers long and begin to fight the adversaries.

Almost all residents of the area, including women and children, took part in the construction of tunnels, as well as in partisan warfare. They waged a heroic struggle, initially armed only with agricultural implements. Gradually, they obtained weapons from dead American soldiers and extracted explosives from unexploded bombs and made homemade mines from them. At the beginning of the fighting, the population numbered about 10,000 people, by the end no more than 2,000. At the slightest suspicion of helping the militia, the Americans destroyed entire villages.

While watching the film, the audience became much larger; about 30 people came. We decided to move on without watching the movie, so as not to go in a crowd, but the employee insistently asked us to stay. Then the realization came that the excursion would be organized. The film ended and a Vietnamese-looking man in a green uniform introduced himself as a guide and asked to approach the panorama to the left of the TV. Yes, I forgot to mention, the excursion was held in English and it was quite passable.

The Cu Chi Tunnels are an extensive system of underground passages that were dug and used by guerrillas, most of whom were local residents, to fight American troops. The entrances to the tunnels were carefully camouflaged and were extremely difficult to detect. The tunnels had an extensive system with many exits, including exits under the water of local reservoirs. The underground passages were specially made very narrow, so that it would be difficult for people with a European build to move around them.

Architecture of the Kuchi tunnels

The Kuchi tunnels have three levels, the first lies at a depth of about three meters, at this level are located most of the rooms dug underground in which headquarters, hospitals, kitchens, rest rooms, living quarters and other domestic premises were located. One could stay in these rooms for a very long time; one could practically live in them without going to the surface. Oxygen was supplied underground using ventilation systems, which were made of bamboo and, like the entrances to the tunnels, were carefully masked.

Deep wells were dug in the tunnels from which the partisans obtained water. Food was prepared in underground kitchens, including using fire. To ensure that the enemy could not detect the tunnels by the smoke emanating from underground, a special multi-level system of filters was provided, through which the smoke was so purified that it was no longer visible on the surface and the smell was not felt.

The second level of tunnels is at a level of 5-6 meters. The partisans hid in them during bombings and special operations of the American army. It was possible to spend some time at such a depth, but it was impossible to live there, since there was not enough oxygen and it was very stuffy.

The third level reaches a depth of 9-12 meters. They descended to such depths only in emergency cases when the Americans sprayed poisonous gases or during bombardments with heavy bombs. Even the most powerful bomb could not penetrate to such a depth. But it is so deep that a person could stay there for no more than a couple of hours.

With the help of such traditional agricultural tools, local residents dug many kilometers of underground tunnels.

The partisans conducted very effective combat operations, carrying out deadly attacks from them and taking refuge in them after the completion of operations.

To combat them, a special unit was created, which was called “Tunnel Rats.” Soldiers of small stature and slender build were specially selected for it so that they could move in the tunnels. A huge number of soldiers died during the operations, falling into deadly traps placed in the tunnels. They failed to achieve great success and to fight the partisans they actively used terrible chemical weapons, poisonous gases, all-burning napalm and agent orange. Due to the effects of chemical weapons, even those who managed to survive remained disabled.
The area under which the tunnels were located was repeatedly subjected to carpet bombing.

The first stop was 200 meters from the cinema. We came out into a clearing strewn with withered leaves. The guide deftly cleared the foliage in one place; under the foliage there was a hatch covering the entrance to the tunnel.

Moving 10 meters away from this place, the guide opened another camouflaged entrance.

Tourists are invited to try to go down the hatch and walk, or rather crawl, to the neighboring entrance. You can estimate the size of the entrance from the photograph; any person with normal or even overweight can climb into it without much difficulty. The guide said that the entrance to the tunnel and the tunnel itself in this place were specially expanded so that European tourists could climb into it and move around it relatively comfortably. It is more convenient to do this by raising your arms up, since the body is somewhat extended and the arms do not increase the volume in the pelvic area.

But the expanded tunnel is not equally comfortable for everyone.) But despite certain difficulties, this Malaysian lady in the body managed to descend into the tunnel.

Having squatted down, the entrance directly to the tunnel opens.

The tunnel is relatively dry, but very stuffy and hot. But we visited during the dry season and on a sunny day. I'm not sure if the situation is the same during the rainy season. The walls seem to be plastered with something, and the floor is earthen.

The tunnel is illuminated by several electric bulbs and you don’t have to move blindly. But as you understand, this was made for tourists and during the war the partisans did not have such amenities.

The length of the section along which tourists are offered to walk is about 10 meters. There are two ways to move through the tunnel - squatting in single file or on all fours. As you understand, this is not very convenient, especially if the distance is considerable, but walking 10 meters through this tunnel will not be difficult for a person in normal physical shape.

In order for you to move comfortably in the tunnels, you need to wear comfortable sportswear and one that you don’t mind getting dirty, since the probability of this tends to 100%. It is advisable to wear sports shoes, since the tunnels in flip-flops are extremely uncomfortable. They always try to fly off, especially when you start to sweat, and you start to sweat quickly and very profusely, since moving in a tunnel is a decent amount of physical activity in a hot and humid atmosphere.

About half of the tourists decided to crawl through this tunnel.

The photo below shows one of the ways to disguise the ventilation of tunnels - disguising it as a termite mound. The hole in the tubercle is the ventilation hole. You couldn’t stay in the tunnels for long without ventilation, and the ventilation had to be masked in every possible way, because enemies could use it to determine the location of underground passages.

The guide suggested finding a ventilation hole on another hill nearby. This could not be done because it was a real termite mound and there was no hole in it.)

The sign on the tree marks the crater from the explosion of bombs, which were dropped in huge quantities on these lands.
The guide said that the ground in this area is very hard, like asphalt. It became denser due to explosions from the gigantic number of bombs dropped.

One of the many modifications of the death trap that was used by the partisans.

A hospital above-ground bunker in which even surgical operations were performed.

And this is an underground bunker, which during the war apparently served as a headquarters. After examining the premises, the guide suggested going through another tunnel, but immediately warned that the task would not be as simple as in the first tunnel.

The tunnel distance is about 50 meters and there are turns. The path does not go horizontally, first it goes down and then goes up. There weren't many people willing.

Passing this tunnel became the apotheosis of this excursion for me; it turned out to be the most interesting, physically difficult and emotionally intense test! As they say, size matters, and distance certainly does too. We had to move in single file; the tunnel was hot, humid and stuffy. The air was stale. Not even halfway through, the T-shirt became wet through and sweat flowed down my forehead into my eyes. The muscles in my legs began to ache, my lower back began to ache, and each subsequent step became more and more difficult. From time to time I automatically tried to straighten up, and the ceiling immediately reminded me where I was and that I couldn’t straighten up to give my muscles a rest. And although I do not suffer from claustrophobia, at such moments you become well aware of the feelings of people who are afraid of closed spaces, and there is a great desire to leave this uncomfortable place as quickly as possible.

Movement was also complicated by the fact that I had to carry a backpack in front of me on outstretched arms, which weighed at least 5 kilograms. It was impossible to leave it behind my back, since in this case I would have to plow it along the ceiling of the tunnel.

The pulse increased greatly and felt like it went off scale at 150 beats per minute. There was a great desire to get to the exit as quickly as possible. My muscles ached quite a lot and several times I caught myself wanting to go on all fours, and only my wife, who was cheerfully moving in front, and my pride did not allow me to do this!) The end of the distance was also complicated by the fact that I had to move uphill. In the last meters, my legs practically began to beat to capacity and were close to complete disobedience. But then the light dawned, it became easier to breathe, and here was the exit from the tunnel! Having got out, it took effort to stand up straight, my legs were weak, my pulse was off the charts, and sweat was pouring out like hail. The joy of being on the surface knew no bounds! And I once again wondered what it was like for the partisans to be in the tunnels, especially when they were poisoned with all sorts of terrible chemicals.

To summarize, if you attend this excursion and want to crawl through the tunnels for a more or less significant length, you must keep in mind that it is not so easy and you need to have a certain physical preparation. It is strictly not recommended for people who have claustrophobia and do not want to get rid of it.

The end of the tour was a snack in the style of Vietnamese partisans. The treat included boiled cassava root (the guide called it tapioca) with a seasoning made from peanuts, salt, sugar and several spices. Cassava is a very nutritious fibrous plant, vaguely reminiscent of potatoes without a distinct taste. It was this plant growing in the tropics that became the main food product of the Vietnamese during the war.

Traditionally, the main dish of Vietnamese people is rice. But this culture requires a lot of attention and effort from the peasant. During the war, the Americans did not shy away from any methods and actively bombed rice fields, preventing peasants from cultivating them, and also burned fertile lands with fire and chemicals, making them lifeless, in order to weaken the local population. And cassava, which, unlike rice, is very unpretentious and does not require human attention for growth, became the main food product for people, did not allow them to die of hunger and served as a source of energy for partisans fighting the invaders.

By the time of lunch, I had not yet had time to really catch my breath from passing the last tunnel and ate without much appetite. But my wife liked the treat and even asked for more.)

This was the end of the excursion. On the way to the exit, the path passed by various workshops in which various things used during the war were made and installations showing the life of the inhabitants of the Kuti tunnels.

For example, in the photo below, a man is making flip-flops from rubber from tires of various vehicles.

Those interested can purchase such shoes for 80,000 VND (3.5 USD)

But these guys are hacking away at an unexploded bomb in order to get explosives out of it and make anti-personnel mines.

And this stand presents the deadly fruits of their creativity.

Right at the exit there is a shop where you can buy various souvenirs, such as a keychain made from a machine gun bullet. We collect magnets, but we didn’t find anything interesting on the subject of the Kuti tunnels; we only sold pop magnets, which are sold everywhere.

Shooting range near the Kuchi tunnels: shooting from weapons of the Vietnam War.

Then we moved towards the shooting range, which we had heard about. Immediately, leaving the tunnel tour area, we saw a billboard that indicated that the shooting range was 1.5 kilometers away. We covered this distance at a leisurely pace in 15-20 minutes. Part of the road ran along a very picturesque lake, which you see in the photographs. A Vietnamese couple from Hanoi brightened up our journey by telling us a lot of interesting things about Vietnam.

There is a catamaran station on the lake and those interested can ride on them. In the photo below, it can be seen on the right side in the distance.
To reach the shooting range, you need to turn right at a certain moment (or left, depending on which side you go around the lake) and move 150-200 meters away from the lake.

This is what the entrance looks like.

After going through this tunnel, we found ourselves in the room in which the shooting range office is located. You can shoot from 7 types of weapons presented at the stand. I asked if they had a bazooka, they said they didn’t.)

Cost of cartridges at the Kuchi Tunnels shooting range

You can see the price for one cartridge for them on the cash register window.

We purchased 30 rounds of ammunition, 10 each for the guns that were most interesting to us - the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the M-16 rifle and the M-60 light machine gun. One cartridge cost 35,000 VND (1.6 USD), and the total order was 1,050,000 VND (49 USD). I had to pay in cash, cards are not accepted! Keep this in mind.

In exchange for money, they give you a receipt that states what cartridges you purchased. You go to the shooting range with it and give it to an employee.

When going directly to the shooting range area, it is better to immediately put on the headphones that hang near the doors. When they shoot, the noise is hellish. I tried without headphones, the shot was ringing in my ears. Really very loud! But the shooting range workers, a guy in a green uniform, somehow works without them. I have a strong suspicion that they are already half-deaf.)

These guys, according to the receipt, select the cartridges, load the gun and explain how to shoot. Shooting is not a complicated science, you aim at the front sight, pull the trigger.

When we went to the shooting range, I immediately found an answer to the question that crept into my mind, what if suddenly there was a psycho in it and he started shooting at those around him?!). To do this, he will first need to tear the weapon away from the stationary stand to which it is tightly attached. Because of this, the rotation angle does not exceed 15-20 degrees left-right, and up and down no more than 5.

Shooting is carried out at targets that are located quite far away at 200-250 meters. There are no targets on them, and there are no optical instruments through which you can look at the shooting results. Therefore, this shooting range is an attraction for those who want to shoot with automatic weapons. Tourists are not offered to shoot for accuracy and hone their skills.

M-16 rifle

AK-47 assault rifle

M-60 machine gun. I probably liked shooting it the most. Caliber 7.62, powerful sound of a shot, cartridges flying out of the tape drive mechanism - class! By the way, an interesting fact: due to its appearance and shortcomings, the design of the machine gun was nicknamed the pig, which in Russian means “pig”.)) Personally, I did not notice such a similarity.

The way back: Cu Chi Tunnels - Ho Chi Minh City

After the shooting, we returned to the taxi driver and headed back to Saigon. The return journey took about an hour and a half. The total travel time was 6 hours 40 minutes. Since we agreed for 6 hours, the taxi driver asked for an additional payment of 60,000 dong. Thus, the total cost of a trip along the Saigon-Cuti-Saigon tunnels route, lasting about 7 hours, was 1,340,000 VND (63 USD). This amount was paid to the taxi driver by bank card. Vinasun taxi cars are equipped with terminals for withdrawing money from a plastic card. This is a pleasant and important option. By paying with a bank card, we save on fees for withdrawing cash from an ATM and earn Aeroflot bonus miles, which we actively use to purchase tickets.

Tour “Kuti Tunnels” and shooting range summary

We liked the “Couti Tunnels” excursion and we recommend it to all tourists who visit Saigon. There are no age restrictions, it can be interesting even for children. For those who want to climb through the tunnels, remember that this will require physical effort. People with severe claustrophobia should avoid this part of the program. It is better to wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and sports shoes (not flip-flops). Girls will be more comfortable in shorts or pants. I recommend taking wet and dry wipes. In the process of climbing through the tunnels, your hands get dirty, so you don’t have to walk until the end of the excursion with dirty hands. You can wash them only at the very end, before snacking on tapioca.

Still have questions about the Kuchi Tunnels? Feel free to ask them in the comments under this post, I will be happy to answer!