Cu Chi Tunnels

When you visit HCMC, one of the most visited places is the Cu Chi Tunnels - A large underground network connecting most part of Vietnam. Cuchi meant all of Vietnam, and it's a district just outside HCMC where the tunnels were opened for tourists.




In short, it was used in the Vietnam war in the 60's to resist the American operations; and very successful at that.


So me and mom took a local tour bus one morning to Cu-Chi tunnels.


Mother and daugther.



coolest nicest kindest most compassionate mom in the world


In case you want to know the location, here it is.




Pretty Vietnamese lady in red.




We were brought to see how the Vietnamese soldiers used to fight in wars by hiding and escaping and giving surprised attacks using these small entrances that's barely noticeable in the forest.




Here are a few more examples of the subtlety of the Cu-Chi tunnels entrance hole.





in a river?





The sort of booby traps they had.







The type of clothing they wore.




The shoes they wore.




How they made those shoes.


with tyres


How they cut bombs.


*gasp*


And of course, we went down to Cu Chi tunnels to have a little crawl around.

GOSH, I cannot begin to tell you HOW TINY these tunnels were!




My mom was wise to stay on land while we kids crawled like ants underneath.

If we could, we would have gone on all four limbs and crawl! But then each of us had a camera and damn these cameras sure were nuisances!




I had to do this weird half bent position with my knee sticking out and walk-crawled my way forward.

It was completely pitch dark inside so the only way we could know each other's presece is by their voices, them rubbing of the tunnel wall and shuffling of feet, and by scent.

When you crawled like that for more than 100m, you are bound to SWEAT.




The most difficult part for me was this elevation where I have to ascend my body into a hole and pushed myself up into the tunnel located further up, all in total darkness!


finally out! phew!


Fortunately and unfortunately for me, I was (only?) 172cm. I could imagine that these tunnels were built for smaller size Vietnamese back in the 60s, when human were, again, of much smaller build.

UNFORTUNATELY for Gerald, crawling through a tunnel meant for human half his height was like a grown man forcing his way down a children's slide in the kid's section of McDonald.




No fun.

No fun at all.


Imagine a 189cm man squat-hopping through a 200-metre distance of tunnel.




Now imagine his relief once out of the tunnel.


sweating with joy? relief?
Gerald: I'm never going back there again.


I could not begin to phantom the life the soldiers of the Vietnamese war led under these tunnels while the war was still going on top of them.


getting water from the well?! wtf?!


Small tight tunnels with equally tiny almost air-less compartments to sleep in, eat in, healed in, etc.




No, I couldn't imagine.


We ended the brief tour with everyone adjourning to a similar dining place during the war for the soldiers, a shed built outside the tunnel.




And had what the soldiers used to eat - Tapioca.




Urgh. I couldn't imagine eating this everyday, not even if you pay me.




That's the end of my Cu Chi Tunnel journey.

Cheers.