Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi tunnels were originally created during the French Occupation, and were greatly expanded during the US war.  Located 40km/26mi northwest of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), the tunnels were the base of of operations for the Viet Cong.

A entrance to one tunnel.  The opening is just about big enough for a typical American solder to fit one boot in.

The 5' 1" (155cm) tour guide demonstrates how a VC would get into a spider hole.

An air hole made of a hollowed out bamboo pole and disguised as a termite mound.

Since everything was done underground, so was the cooking.  The smoke from the stoves was passed through chambers of water so that the smoke would become saturated and become a kind of smog.  The smog would stay close to the ground instead of going into the air where the US had helicopters and planes looking for smoke.

A mock up of two VC's dismantling a unexploded US bomb so that the explosives can be made into booby traps and other not so nice things.

This booby trap would be hung from trees and would swing down in an arc hitting who ever triggered the trap.

When this trap is set, the spikes are pointed horizontally to the outside left 1/3 and right 1/3 of the pit.  Then when someone steps on the inner 1/3 the spikes swing in trapping person with barbs.

From anywhere in Cu Chi tourist complex you can hear "The National Defense Shooting Range".  There were tons of weapons left behind by the US military, M1's, M16's and even Machine guns.  They even give you authentic US bullets to shoot at the discounted rate of $1.00 USD per bullet.