Cu Chi Tunnels are located approximately 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City centre in Cu Chi Rural District. This is one of the most famous historical vestiges of Viet Nam’s national liberation war during 1945-1975.
Cu Chi Tunnels consist of more than 200 kilometers of underground tunnels. This main axis system has many branches connecting to underground hideouts, shelters, and entrances to other tunnels.
The first parts of short and simple tunnels were established in 1948 in two communes of Tan Phu Trung and Phuoc Vinh An, and then system of tunnels was expanded in 6 communes in north of Cu Chi District. The network consists of about 200 kilometers of tunnels connected with one another like a cobweb.
Inside the tunnels are food and ammunition storage caches, medic care chambers, meeting chambers, commanding chambers, kitchens, bedrooms, etc. From this underground village, the revolutionary forces staged 1968 general offensive and Ho Chi Minh Campaign in April 1975 to liberate South Viet Nam.
Those who set foot in the tunnels cannot help admiring the talent, determination and endurance of the communist guerrillas. They dug and removed tens of thousands of tons of soil and stone with rudimentary tools, and then camouflaged the openings so well that nobody could find them.
Cu Chi Tunnels has turned into a war memorial park with two different tunnel sites, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system.
Ben Duoc Tunnels Site contains part of the original tunnel system, while Ben Dinh Tunnels Site has tunnel reconstructions and some tunnels have been made larger to accommodate visitors. In both sites low-power lights have been installed in the tunnels to make traveling through them easier, and both sites have displays of the different types of booby traps that were used. Underground conference rooms where campaigns such as the Tet Offensive were planned in 1968 have been restored.
Above-ground attractions include caged monkeys, vendors selling souvenirs, and a shooting range where visitors can fire a number of assault rifles, such as the M16 rifle or AK-47, as well as a light machine gun like the M60.