Cu Chi Tunnels

Saturday morning after a bowl of pho for breakfast we set out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels were used by the Cu Chi People during The Vietnam War. They are a series of underground tunnels, 200 km in length, all dug by hand. They were a real problem for the American soldiers during the war because as our tour guide repeatedly told us, "American troops- big, bulky. They don't move well in the tunnels." Also locating the tunnels was a task in itself... just check out the third picture below! I had never learned about the tunnels so I was naively expecting a system where you could run quickly from one spot to another. Not exactly the case. The first tunnel was only 20 meters long, Our guide told us this tunnel had been enlarged for tourists and we still had to crouch down in order to avoid hitting our heads. There were also torches on the side of the walls so we could see where we were going. The next tunnel that we went through was a little bit more narrow, but still very doable. 

  

This is the widened tunnel. Easy to move around in compared to what was to come....

 the entrance to a tunnel. now you see it....

 now you don't! Very tricky.

 going down! (in the little hole from the previous pictures)

The third tunnel was 120 meters long and had not been enlarged at all. It was on the second level, 9 feet underground. This was when it started to get a little scary. We had no light, I was using my camera to see in front of me. The ceiling was so low, at some points it was easiest for me to be on my hands and knees crawling on the ground. It was so incredibly hot down there. Beads of sweat were dripping off the tip of my nose, and as disgusting as this may sound– when the bats flew by their wings sent a gush of air that provided a temporary relief from the heat. This happened very often. I tried to keep my hair in front of my face to provide a shield from any bats that I may encounter but eventually the heat got to me and I threw it up in a bun. The heat triumphs the bats. I was relieved when Co Thanh shouted that there was light ahead of us. We emerged from the tunnel dripping wet from sweat.

 conference room on the second level down.

okay the tunnel is getting pretty small as you can see! That is Elise and Mikala doing a crab walk type deal on downwards slope.

 the group that made it through the 120 meter tunnel. Just a little sweaty.

The last tunnel that we went through was 160 meters long and was on the third level, 15 feet underground. This was the deepest level. Only eight of us decided to do it. This one was actually scary. It was so small and tight with lots of ups and downs so we were sliding on our butts or crawling on our hands and knees. I was the fifth or sixth one back and the guide had the small flashlight in the front so I actually was in the pitch black since I didn't bring my camera on our final expedition. My shoulders got scraped on the ceiling when I mistakenly thought I could spare a few inches in my crouch. At the halfway point there was an exit and we took it, so we actually didn't complete the whole tunnel. I wish we had, but at the time I was ready to get out of there. It is hard to explain what it was like to be down there. Most of the time I wasn't thinking of what could happen to me bats, creepy crawling bugs, the tunnel collapsing (not that I wasn't aware that I was 12 feet underground in an extremely enclosed space); I was constantly thinking of the American soldiers who ever so slowly crawled in these tunnels with only a pistol, inching their way along, searching for any signs of a booby trap, and when encountering a fork never knowing which turn could be fatal. But on the flip-side of that, I was thinking of the incredible determination and tactic of the Cu Chi. They built all of this by hand! They would spend days on end living six meters underground in a stuffy environment, constantly on alert for intruders and trying to survive the constant bombings of B-52s on the soil above them. I would never be able to do what both the Cu Chi and the American troops did.

Great day to wear white pants.

Later that day I felt even more confusion about the Vietnam War when we met with a Cu Chi Veteran who was the leader of a division (name not remembered right now... whoops. I will update when I have it). He fought in the tunnels until the conclusion of the war. The following text is his thoughts, and just because I am writing them down does not mean I endorse them– I just found everything he said extremely fascinating and the contrary to what I had always heard, read, and been taught.

He said the reason why the Vietnamese won was because the American troops only came for duty, then they went back. But the Cu Chi people, they were born there, they lived there, they were soldiers for a lifetime. This was the People's War. American troops were flustered and easily frustrated. But the Cu Chi people were patient with high spirits. They were soldiers day and night. The Vietnamese learned through observing the Americans. They watched them in order to defeat them. They knew that their troops were smaller and weaker than the big, strong Americans– they had to figure out a way to overcome them. Towards the end of the conversation he repeatedly said that he was glad to see a relationship between the two countries has now been established and continues to grow. He said the people don't hold grudges against Americans and they do not seek revenge.

This conversation was very engaging. I felt frustrated at times because he never talked about his emotions, he only referred to the war tactically and in the sense of a fighting unit. I asked him a question regarding his emotions on the day he learned he wouldn't have to return to the tunnels and he did not answer it at all. This could be because it was lost in translation, (he spoke no English) or maybe because he just doesn't talk about it. I am starting to think about my Independent Study Project (ISP) and maybe studying veteran's emotions instead of my original idea of something in the education system. I have a meeting with Co Thanh tomorrow so maybe I will have some clarification. The rest of my weekend wasn't as mentally exhausting but I feel as though it isn't really appropriate to move from such a serious topic to a jovial one. Plus this post has been arduous. I truly hope that I didn't offend anyone by sharing the veteran's thoughts.

The veteran and his wife, who delivered messages back and forth from the tunnel.

 Their friendly neighbor. She was very interested in my earrings.