Dark, Damp and Deadly. The Tunnels of Cu Chi, VIetnam

It must have been terrifying. Entombed in constant darkness of the tunnel, slowly crawling inch after agonizing inch, hands outstretched feeling for any clue of a trap. There were of course countless to look out for. The Viet Cong were creative and effective in their trap building. Home made grenades made of coke cans. Vipers stuffed in bamboo rods hanging from the roof. Hornets nests. Fake walls with Charlie waiting behind, spear in hand, peering through a peep hole. Countless nests of spiders and dens full of scorpions. The life of the Tunnel Rats – the proud, slightly insane men that explored and occasionally found the enemy in the tunnels of Vietnam – was the most danger filled and least glamorous of the US soldiers that fought in Vietnam.

It took something special to work the tunnels. Most men wouldn’t dare go down them. Or couldn’t. They were designed to be not much wider than the slender Viet Cong guerillas that plied them and barely three feet tall. Walking a hundred yards, forget exploring the miles and miles that existed in Cu Chi, was exhausting work. You broke out immediately in a sweat in the tunnels should you dare to go down in them. If Charlie wasn’t waiting to spear you in the groin when you first entered, there were often claymore mines or grenades made from coke cans. The claustrophobia was crippling for most. Even those that proudly wore the badge of the Tunnel Rats sometimes broke down from the mental anguish of being constantly in danger.

Shashin Error:

No photos found for specified shortcode

Exploring the tunnels was slow work. Booby traps were legendary and effective deterrents to fast movement. As were the smells. Beyond sweat, spoiled food and human waste, the Viet Cong would keep their dead in temporary storage in the tunnels to avoid giving their enemy an accurate body count. Initially dogs had been used for the exploration but they couldn’t spot or avoid the traps. Many were lost before handlers started to refuse the work for their partners. This needed human attention.

Credit: Wikipedia

Entering the tunnels was scary enough but leaving them was no certainty of safety. Crawling around in the dirt, sweating profusely and with a minimum amount of gear, one emerged from the tunnels, American or not, looking like the enemy. Many exited tunnels from different holes than they entered, often to the immediate appearance of M16 barrels from their own platoon. This was not a funny gag appreciated by the tunnel rats.

The tunnels of Cu Chi played a critical strategic role in the Viet Cong’s victory over both the French and Americans. The tunnels nullified all of American strategic advantages. No longer was America’s air power, greater weaponry and superior tactical training advantages. In the tunnels, all combat was hand to hand. Tunnel rats rarely carried more than a single hand gun, knife and flashlight. There simply wasn’t enough room for much else. When fighting occurred above ground it was done by ?grabbing the enemy by the belt”; a metaphor by the Viet Cong to stay close to the American GIs to avoid air strikes.

Shashin Error:

No photos found for specified shortcode

Today, the tunnels that remain have been expanded and reinforced for western bodies. Tourists, many American, crawl through short stretches to briefly experience the life of the Viet Cong fighters. Although enlightening, it hardly conveys much of the lifestyle. The Viet Cong lived their days entirely below ground, emerging at night only, months and years on end. They lived, slept,cooked and even gave birth anywhere from 3 to 12 feet below the surface. It’s simply unimaginable by today’s standards.

If you visit Vietnam, you may start to feel fatigued by all of the war references. Indeed there is much to it. But I strongly encourage you to visit the tunnels of Cu Chi and sample just a taste of life that was lived during the war.