Cuu Chi Tunnel Essay

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Cu Chi Tunnels

Living in an underground world seems like a fantasy book, or even like a dream, but in the Vietnam War, this was a reality for some men. The Vietnam War started between the Viet Cong and South Vietnam in 1954(History.com Staff. "Vietnam War History"). This battle was heavy on guerrilla warfare, making it extremely dangerous. To get ahead in this brutal war, the Viet Cong created underground tunnels. They were known as the Tunnels of Cu Chi. These channels proved to be a huge advantage for the Viet Cong (History.com Staff. "Cu Chi Tunnels").
The Cu Chi Tunnels were an elaborate system of underground passages. They were used as a shelter for Viet Cong Soldiers as well as a base for attacks on the nearby city of Saigon. They …show more content…
The tunnels were rigged with booby-traps to keep invaders out. The booby-traps ranged from wires that would trigger a grenade to boxes that would send poisonous rattlesnakes or scorpions onto the intruder’s head (History.com Staff. "Cu Chi Tunnels"). The difficult challenges that the tunnels posed forced the United States Army to train men who were known as “Tunnel Rats”. These men were trained in navigating in small quarters and searching and diffusing booby-traps. They spent hours searching for wires attached to ploys and enemy soldiers. Many men were killed in the process, and some were even dragged out of the tunnels screaming because of the endless black inside of the tunnels. Men were selected based on their stature because of the abnormally small sizes of the tunnels. These tight quarters also limited the equipment that tunnel rats could carry in the tunnels. The brave men were normally equipped with only a torch and a pistol (Joe …show more content…
The majority of the tunnels have collapsed since the war, but there are sections that remain open. One of the only entrances still open is located in Ben Duoc. This section of the tunnel has been enlarged to fit the size of a modern day westerner. It is also thought that the tunnels have been sprayed to deter snakes, centipedes, and any other unwanted guests. Guides on the tour demonstrate common booby-traps used against the American invaders. Visitors can also experience life in the tunnels by shooting an AK-47 to mimic the actions of Viet Cong soldiers for one dollar per bullet (Joe

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