“When you arrive, I’ll go underground. When you stop, I’ll provoke. When you’re in trouble, I’ll attack. When you run, I’ll chase.”

This saying hails from guerilla tactics used during the Vietnam War (1959-1975), between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the US-supported Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam).

While the US military, which slowly became directly involved in the conflict, had huge financial support and boasted state-of-the-art weaponry, it was the guerilla warfare tactics of the National Front of the Liberation of South Vietnam (known as the Viet Cong) that finally led to a unified Communist Vietnam by the end of the conflict. The North also received direct support in the form of arms, military advisers, food and other resources from the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent China.

Post-war tourism

The Vietnamese government is now happy to promote certain war-related sites for the sake of academic research and tourism. One of the most significant and interesting of these sites is the Cu Chi Tunnels. Although the construction of the tunnels was extremely basic, they provided a cunning form of cover and would prove to be dangerous territory for the enemy.

Located in Cu Chi district, just 30 kilometers from the Cambodian border and 70 km from downtown Saigon, the area was once a hotspot for vacationers, boasting fair weather and an abundance of fruit. But the locals were less than hospitable to visitors when it came to a time of conflict. 

Tunnel construction actually began during the First Indochina War with the French in about 1940. Initially there were just a few underground passages, but these were expanded considerably during the Vietnam War. As well as providing a place to hide, the tunnels even served as home to many, while in terms of warfare, they were also used to launch ambushes on the enemy. Villagers and the Viet Cong dug the tunnels with shovels or their bare hands, and a highly complex, three-storey underground maze began to take shape. The first level is about 3-m deep, the second 6-8-m deep and the third 10-13-m deep.

During a tour of the tunnels, the guide explained that as the Vietnam War wore on, the tunnels were expanded from the village to district and then eventually provincial level. The guide said it grew to become a huge underground community, which could be compared to a nest of ants or other termites. Within the network were fresh markets, schools, canteens, meeting rooms and a first aid room, the guide said.

The guide led us to an area within a forest where nobody would have imagined that there was a network of tunnels. But where we only saw an area of seemingly ordinary ground covered in leaves and foliage, a small entrance just big enough for one person was revealed to us much to our considerable amazement. The guide’s colleague jumped down into the tunnel, being careful to leave no trace of his movements behind him.

Life underground

The entrance through which visitors can access the tunnel is a bit more straightforward, although once inside, the first level is full of twists and turns. Some paths lead to the second level, while others only take you to a dead end, or indeed a “death trap” for an uninitiated intruder.

The Cu Chi tunnels are narrow and uncomfortable and so visitors must remain in single file, and for some of the way crawl on hands and knees. You quickly begin to perspire heavily and feel claustrophobic since the supply of air is limited.

The guide said that the combatants or villagers actually using the tunnels during the war would have found things considerably more difficult in light of continuous US bombardment from the air. On the ground above would be tanks and enemy soldiers, and there would often be a constant cackle of gunfire. While the method was extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant, Viet Cong and villagers persisted with using the tunnels since it often meant the difference between life and death.

In the same area, we also saw a demonstration of how traps could be made from captured weapons. There were also some examples of US tanks, a B-52 bomber and life-size models of members of the Viet Cong so visitors can pose beside them for photos.

Two nations become one

On returning to Saigon, we headed for the Presidential Palace, also known as the Hall of Reunification. While the appearance of the building is very modern, Vietnamese accord the building a good deal of respect given its historical significance in the country’s struggle and eventual reunification. 

Inside are meeting rooms, residential space, and an observatory on the roof, along with a heliport. However, the most interesting place is the basement, in which many secret rooms and passageways can be found. These places were once used as offices and as escape routes for high-ranking officials hoping to flee the country. This building was seized on April 30, 1975 when Saigon fell. A huge helicopter evacuation operation called “Operation Wind”, which began on April 29, came to an end that day when the last US Marines evacuated the US embassy. North Vietnam officially claimed victory over the South and reunification was all but assured.
In war, ‘everyone loses’

Finally, we paid a visit to the War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City’s war museum. The museum has a section on weaponry, as well as a reproduction of a wartime prison cell. There are many photographs and news clippings from the war, as well as a display about torture, which was very disturbing.

What made all of us rather upset were the photographs of those trying to escape from the cruelty of war, as well as the huge amount of loss and grief caused by it. Some visitors even had tears in their eyes.

Close to the exit of the museum is a photograph of a pile of weapons and soldiers’ uniforms under a dead tree. It tells us that in war, everybody loses.

The former capital of South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City remains an important port city in the unified Vietnam. Bangkok Airways flies from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City three times a week.

- Translated into English from an article first published in Thai with the kind permission of Manager Daily.