Cu Chi

For the first time on the trip, we ventured out of HCMC to the Cu Chi District, the home of the infamous tunnel system used by the Viet Cong to ambush and evade American forces. About two hours outside HCMC, the Cu Chi tunnels began with bomb shelters being connected by tunnels to allow for movement from village to village. With the French occupation, these tunnels were expanded into a complex web. During the Vietnam War, they were further expanded to the point where the tunnel systems essentially acted as underground cities, complete with living spaces, kitchens, medical centers, entertainment, and extensive tunnels for transportation and access. These tunnels, despite persistent bombing from American B52s, allowed Viet Cong soldiers to live underground for months, attacking American forces through ambushes and traps. 

The tunnels we visited, which were widened for tourists, forced me to crawl on hands and knees for the majority of the time. The rooms varied in size, but even the largest felt dark, hot, and confined. I could hardly bear a few minutes of traversing 30 meters in the tunnels, I can't even fathom spending months traversing the 250 kilometers of the entire system with limited rations. As much as I try to avoid praising the killing of Americans, I couldn't help but respect the complexity of the tunnels and the dedication of the Viet Cong to their cause. Because of these attributes, the tunnels were extremely effective. For example, while walking through the forest we encountered a number of termite mounds. Our tour guide pointed to one and explained how it was actually camouflage for an air intake while another, larger mound was actually a bunker with discreet slits at its base to allow for the Viet Cong to fire without being seen. Our guide also demonstrated that right below where we were standing, a small trap door was hidden under a thin layer of leaves. After he squeezed himself through the opening, he resealed the entrance and once again it was impossible to locate. A few moments later he appeared behind us from another trapdoor. While walking through this section of the forest, I would not have been able to identify any of the tunnel features without them being explicitly pointed out. Despite the tunnels not adhering to a master plan, I was impressed by the design and craftsmanship of the system.

After visiting the tunnels and eating lunch at a spectacular restaurant floating on the river, we ventured to a large war memorial to the soldiers who died in Cu Chi. This memorial consisted of a large temple complete with numerous sculptures and works of art. The most interesting of these were mosaics that covered the perimeter walls of the temple that were dedicated to the history of Vietnam. This history largely consisted of foreign occupation, most notably the Chinese and the French. These mosaics showed the horrors of these occupations (quite graphically) and glorified those who fought against their foreign oppressors. The last wall was dedicated to the Vietnam War, where the North Vietnamese successfully unified their country in independence from foreign powers. This depiction of the Vietnam War was interesting in that it showed the other side of the story. To many Vietnamese during the war, Americans were invading their country using horrendous acts of violence. The achievement of Vietnamese independence is one that can be celebrated by the entire nation, no matter which side they sided on during the war.