Cu Chi Tunnels (Cu Chi Diadao)

The Cu Chi Tunnels is an underground network which was excavated by the Vietnamese and used by the Viet Cong during both the French-Indochina War (1946-1954) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Situated near Ho Chi Minh City, the tunnels took around 25 years to construct and were finished in the 1960s. Stretching for over 200km (124 miles) and connecting numerous villages in the provinces, the tunnels once housed mini-hospitals, store rooms and factories, and were used as living quarters by both Vietnamese fighters and local villagers. The tunnels stand today as a symbol of the struggle by the Vietnamese people on one of the most famous battlegrounds of the Vietnam War. Cu Chi district was heavily bombed during the two wars and was particularly targeted at night, forcing residents to live in underground tunnels. Today, visitors to the site can experience life underground during their tour of the tunnels and imagine what life would have been like for the Vietnamese.