Asia Experience: Visit to the CU CHI TUNNELS

The included breakfast at our hotel is simple but sufficient to start the day. Weather forecast for today of 28c with partly cloudy afternoon.

This morning we were picked up at 8.00 am for our half day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels which are 70 Kms north of Saigon. Not good on history and unfortunately are guide did not speak very good English. I understand they were used by the North Vietnamese.......Viet Cong or VC, as they invaded the south and moved ever closer to Saigon, as a defence against the Americans who were trying to push them back.

They repaired and extended a network of underground tunnels and chambers which had been used in a previous war. There were more than 250km of tunnels which included escape routes to the river or to the outside of the American base. This became their homes and they only ventured out at night when attacking the Souths fighting forces. Unfortunately the Americans made a base almost over the top of them and it took months to figure out why they kept getting shot at in their tents at night. That's your history lesson for today.

Our first stop was a local handicraft centre. Here they hand painted or inlaid shells to produce wonderfully colourfull and decorative vases, boxes, pictures, screens and trinkets. We were allowed to watch the people painting, and the cutting, shaping and fitting of the shells.

Painting tiles

Intricate cut shell pieces

Shapes glued into place

Vases and pictures

Our tour of the tunnels included dropping about 3 mtrs down a shaft and into one of the tunnels...... Although it had been enlarged to cater for western people, even so you were nearly on your knees, and shuffling 30 mtrs to an exit. These were classed as level 1, level 2 and 3 down a further 3 and 6 mtrs. We were shown the intricate methods of bringing air into the tunnels and dispersing the smoke from cooking without the Americans finding them. Also the booby traps set for soldiers that came too close, some were quite gruesome.