Today, tourists can crawl through parts of the tunnels that are regarded as safe, eat a meal that would have been familiar to a viet cong soldier, see the booby traps, and fire an ak47 on a firing range. Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that bring. The book goes into detail about the cuchi district of south vietnam, telling stories from both sides of the conflict and humanising both as well as giving a chronology that the reader can follow, you dont need to have a great understanding of the vietnam war to read this which is great. The campaign in the tunnels of cu chi was fought with cunning and savagery between viet cong guerrillas and special teams of us infantrymen called tunnel rats. Memories and times remark about 70 km from north west of ho chi minh city, cu chi tunnels is the firm base of saigon gia dinh high command. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam tom mangold. The tunnel network played an important role during the vietnam war for viet cong forces, who used it for food storage, living quarters, and a hospital, among other things. Any leftover questions about why the vietnamese won the war are answered in the book the tunnels of cu chi the authors, britishers tom mangold and john penycate make a detailed case for the strategic importance of the hundreds of miles of tunnels in, around and under the u. Cu chi base camp relied on local workers for support. These tunnels are approximately 200 kilometers long and were hand dug by the. See all 423 cu chi tunnels tickets and tours on tripadvisor. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam kindle edition by mangold, tom. Because of their inside connection, the vc in the cu chi district and the iron.
Goodreads members who liked the tunnels of cu chi also liked. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Chi base camp was established in 1965 near highway 1, 25 km northwest of tan son nhut air base and 50 km southeast of tay ninh. Tunnels were often dug by hand, only a short distance at a time. Their unofficial moto was non gratum anus rodentum in latin. Inside vietnams extraordinary underground military base. If the tunnels were the secret weapon of the viet cong, the tunnel rats were the unsung heroes of the american forces. Army sketch of the tunnels provides a sense of how the underground network worked.
On one of their travels to vietnam as journalists, the authors met captain nguyen thanh linh who commanded the vietnamese tunnel forces in the area around cu chi. Most tourists visiting the tunnels end up at ben dinh, as its easier for tour buses to. I wanted to learn more about the cu chi tunnels after visiting vietnam, and was recommended this book. Soldiers seen slowly lowering a tunnel rat into a tunnel during operation oregon in vietnam. As the river approaches saigon now ho chi minh city, the cu chi district sits on its right bank and an area that was called by u. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam by tom. Two sections of this remarkable tunnel network which are enlarged and upgraded versions of the real thing are open to the public.
Today we met in front of the hotel at 7 for the half day tour to the cu chi tunnels. Buy a cheap copy of the tunnels of cu chi book by tom mangold. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the. Jan 14, 2016 tunnel rats were us, australian and newzelander soldiers who went inside viet congvc tunnels to kill any vc inside, gather any intel, recover arms and finally demolish the tunnels by planting explosives. The camp was located south of the vietcong stronghold known as the iron triangle and was near and in some cases above the cu chi tunnels.
Viet cong and nva tunnels and field fortifications of the vietnam war. The tunnels of cu chi by tom mangold and john penycate. The chu chi tunnels are part of a massive war museum in ho chi minh. Find books like the tunnels of cu chi from the worlds largest community of readers. At the height of the vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from cu chi province to the edge of saigon. During the vietnam war, the viet cong vc dug tens of thousands of miles of tunnels, including an extensive network running underneath the cu chi district northwest of saigon.
How to get to cu chi tunnels a complete guide to travel too. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tunnels of cu chi. Most of these people were vc sympathizers who gathered intelligence for the vc from across the base. The tunnels are 200 km long and are steeped in history and legends of war.
In january 1967, this region became the scene of the largest u. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. In all, at least 45,000 vietnamese men and women are said to have died defending the cu chi tunnels over the course of the vietnam war. Why travel with cu chi tunnels travelling together our company was founded by a team of experienced, enthusiastic local travel experts when vietnam first opened its doors to foreigners, aiming to. The cu chi tunnels tour was one of our highlights when visiting ho chi minh city in vietnam. The bombs abouve, the maze below the new york times. Chi district of ho chi minh city saigon, vietnam, and are part of a much. About a two hours drive from the former south vietnam capital, cu chi tunnels today comprise a popular saigon tourist destination that provides visitors with an evocative look at vietnam war history. Outside of ho chi minh city there is the remains of the vietcongs underground defence network. As a war correspondent, he covered vietnam, two middle east wars, and the russian invasion of afghanistan. Uf you are traveling to vietnam ho chi minh city, the cu chi tunnels are perfect place to visit. Cu chi tunnels, ho chi minh city ticket price timings. Chu chi tunnels ho chi minh city attractions vietnam.
Inside vietnam s extraordinary underground military base. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam kindle edition published may 8th 20 by presidio press kindle edition, 320 pages. Dec 19, 20 video and photographs of the cu chi tunnels in vietnam taken by eugene taylor and abraham krikorian in november 20. Oct 02, 2015 american, australian, and new zealander soldiers who performed underground search missions. At first glance there is scant evidence today of the fighting and bombing that convulsed cu chi during the war. The tunnels are a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. Vietnam war tunnels in saigon ho chi minh city youtube. To see what went on, you have to dig deeper underground.
Saigon was the capital city of south vietnam and the tunnels served as a means to move supplies, communications, troops, and equipment, while also providing the ability to perform sneak attacks. Cuchi the document album of cu chi 19601975 by phong, duong thanh and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The tunnels of cu chi by tom mangold, john penycate and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The document album of cu chi cuchi 1960 1975 by duong thanh phong. They offer visitors a sneakpeek at the underground life of vietnamese soldiers back in 1948. During the cu chi tunnels tour, we walked through a tunnel which has been widened for tourists, saw some of the bunkers and booby traps, and walked by a. Kanika datta visits the cu chi military tunnels a testimony to a plucky little countrys 30year war of resistance against, first. One is near the village of ben dinh and the other is 15km beyond at ben duoc. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam. Coming to cu chi, visitors will see the systems of tunnels with resounding feat of arms. Communist forces began digging a network of tunnels under the jungle terrain of south vietnam in the late 1940s, during their war of independence from french colonial authority.
In vietnam, cu chi has become a metaphor of success in the long struggle. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. It is the story of how the tunnels were created by the viet cong during the vietnam war. The tunnels cuchi tunnels, vietnam war museum read more. This went on until they finally cleared all the tunnels lying within the camp. In their 1985 book, the tunnels of cu chi, bbc reporters tom mangold and john penycate told the story of the american tunnel rats, a saga they learned about for the first time from the viet cong, who admired the tunnel rats as the best soldiers among the american forces. Now part of a vietnam war memorial park in ho chi minh city formerly saigon, the cu chi tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction. The site has over 120km of underground tunnels, with trapdoors, living areas, kitchens, storage facilities, armoury. We had mixed reactions from friends when we mentioned that we were planning a visit to the tunnels.
The story of an extraordinary campaign in the vietnam war fought in a 200mile labyrinth of underground tunnels and chambers. Visit the cu chi tunnels on this 6hour tour from ho chi minh city. Along the way, stop by a rubber plantation for a look at a local industry. After saigon fell in 1975, vietnam preserved the cu chi tunnels as war memorial parks. One of the highlights of the trip for me was a visit to the cu chi tunnels. Visiting vietnam war underground tunnels, a tour of the cu chi tunnels in saigon ho chi minh city. Astoundingly, given their great length, the tunnels were dug with bare hands or very simple tools during the french occupation in the 1940s, and further expanded during the american war better known in this hemisphere as the vietnam war in the 1960s. Cu chi travel ho chi minh city region, vietnam lonely planet. This book is about the tunnels that the vietnamese dug and used during the war. Cu chi tunnels, ho chi minh daily, mekong delta tours. From that visit came a series of interviews with a remarkable collection of men and women who made the tunnels their home. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The tunnels dug in the 1960s by the vietnamese to hide from the us soldiers during the vietnam war. In these burrows, the viet cong cached their weapons, tended their wounded, and prepared to strike.
Pw found that this book provides a striking view of a neglected but crucial aspect of the vietnam war. If the tenacious spirit of the vietnamese can be symbolised by a place, few sites are more symbolic than cu chi. Cu chi tunnels ho chi minh city 2020 all you need to know. These tunnels allowed whole units to move throughout south vietnam undetected and protected the viet cong from the uss superior firepower. The tunnels of cu chi this book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. Book your tickets online for cu chi tunnels, ho chi minh city. Some said that it was too touristy and a waste of money others enjoyed the experience and recommended that we visit. Tunnels of cu chi vietnam veterans against the war.
The tunnels of cu chi focused on a very specific, but important aspect of the vietnam war. Chi has been preserved by the government of vietnam, and turned into a war memorial park with two different tunnel display sites, ben dinh and ben duoc. The cu chi tunnels are an immense network of underground tunnels located in ho chi minh, saigon. Cu chi tunnels can be crowded, so we recommend booking etickets ahead of time to secure your spot. A few weeks ago i managed to pick up a copy of the tunnels of cu chi by tom mangold and john penycate. Cuchi tunnels, vietnam war museum bohemian vagabond. Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the c.