Cu Ti Tunnels in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City
Rating: 9,5/10 (2689 votes)  Cu Ti Tunnels are a huge and extensive network of narrow underground tunnels made during the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong bases were located here, from where military operations were carried out in 1968. The tunnels were used during the fighting as partisan shelters, as well as as routes along which food and ammunition were delivered to soldiers. In the war with the Americans, the Ku Ti tunnels played an important role - – they allowed to significantly delay the course of the battle and convince the Americans to end the war. The Cu Ti Tunnels are located 40 kilometers from the capital of South Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City. The Ruth and Saigon rivers run through this region and served as the main routes for supplies to Saigon during the war. Railway traffic in the area was interrupted therefore, tunnels were of no small importance for the surrounding areas. Construction of the tunnels began in 1948, as shelters from French ground and air sweeps. Each village has its own underground route. Over the years, the tunnels were strengthened, and some of them were subsequently connected. In 1965, the Ku Ti area already had about 200 kilometers of underground tunnels. Wells, kitchens, hospitals, barracks, headquarters and even a cinema were built to provide a large number of people in the tunnels. Many of the items that were used to create and maintain the tunnels were captured or stolen from US bases, including one of the US tanks that was buried and turned into a headquarters. The Americans did not succeed in suppressing the underground resistance by conventional means (including the creation of a special unit called Tunnel Rats). Only carpet bombing and napalm attacks helped, which led to tragic results for the nature and population of these territories. In our time, the Vietnamese government has turned a 75-kilometer section of tunnels into a war memorial museum. Lighting was installed in the tunnels, and some underground halls were restored.    
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