Here is my disclaimer... I know there are a couple Vietnam Veterans and some other vets are reading this, I don't want to anger anyone or upset anyone.
However, I was not taught anything about the Vietnam conflicts in school. Even with history background, I knew very little about the Vietnam War, mostly things from TV shows, and assuming a bit from learning about the Cold War. I knew nothing of North vs. South Korea and who the Americans were supposed to be helping... basically, I went into Vietnam blind, so all the information and opinions I have created are based on my ability to read through propaganda and create some sort of middle ground.
So... back to my topic...
The CuChi Tunnels
A hard part of the tour of this day, was the documentary that was presented to us, about the Tunnels made back in 1967/69. Basically it was propaganda sent out to the world... I say that because the documentary was made by Vietnamese and the whole thing was spoken in English. The reason it was hard to sit through, was that the film makers were going over the "American Killer Heros" on the Vietnamese side, saying how many American each person killed and how great it was. This was actually my first introductory lesson on the Vietnam War...
Continuing on: The CuChi Tunnels, had to be one of the most amazing complex system of living ever created. The CuChi tribe's area was mostly jungle and in South Vietnam. At some point, the area was bombed so much that the villagers started fighting back. The jungle was mostly lost. At night, the villagers began to create a complex tunnel system that could save them from attack. There were four levels, air tubes, escape routes, kitchens - smoke rooms for the kitchens so that while cooking under ground the smoke would not rise and give their hiding spot away.
There were also one person hiding spots to crawl away from view of bombing plains. I actually went inside one. ...however, it had been widened for westerners... I saw an original tunnel entrance, and only very slim people would have been able to get through.
I also went through 100 meters of (widened for westerners) tunnels under the ground, maybe 5 to 10 meters deep. It was hot and dark and a little creepy. This was one of the tunnels that had been used originally.
I saw traps that were set to capture\kill "the enemy" (is what the constantly referred to the Americans as). In the background of the historic site, there was a gun range, and gun blasts were going off the whole time we walked through the repaired jungle, looking at B52 bomber craters and going through tunnels. I think it was in foul taste to have it, however I did end up shooting 10 rounds of a M16, to continue to experience more of the history. Those guns are loud.
All and all, it was a really interesting experience. Not to graphic like the war museum which will be in an entry coming up, but very explanatory and interesting. The ability to build and survive in tunnels was... amazing.
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Uploaded and sent from an iPad that's exploring Southeast Asia. Please try not to mind the typos and spelling errors. Autocorrect does some funny things.
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