One of the “secret weapons” of the Viet Cong, tunnels were excavated by hand or with the help of shovels, reaching up to 20 m deep and 120 km long. While US troops and helicopters occupied the skies and forests of Vietnam during the 1961-1975 war, North Vietnamese and Communist forces took advantage of this primitive but extremely effective structure. Each underground mesh could house thousands of people, for periods that could last several months. The most famous complex was in the Cu Chi district, about 70 kilometers southeast of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, and close to important US military bases. By the way, there were tunnels that extended even under the enemy bases, creating among the Americans the legend of the Viet Cong ghosts. They appeared, suddenly, fired bursts of machine guns and… disappeared!
underground war
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
eating quietly
The occupants’ food was prepared in kitchens equipped with a “chimney” system. Through them, the smoke created by cooking rice and meat was diverted hundreds of meters away.
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
fatal trip
The surroundings were full of traps. Some were made of wire-triggered explosives. Others were holes in the ground, lined with stakes soiled with feces, to fester the wounded.
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
mud rats
Thin, short soldiers, mostly of Latin American origin, were trained by the US Army to scout Viet Cong hideouts. Originated in 1966, they became known as “tunnel rats”
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
buried alive
Hidden in small redoubts on the sides of the main tunnels, guerrillas fired at enemies who ventured through the galleries. Many American soldiers were trapped by the bodies of dead comrades.
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
Surprise attack
American and South Vietnamese soldiers were surprised by guerrillas hiding in camouflaged trapdoors in the ground. Firing AK-47 rifles and throwing grenades, the Viet Cong preferred to wound rather than kill enemies, in order to delay troop deployment until the wounded were rescued.
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
Emergency exit
Hidden accesses inside streams, inside houses or in their backyards united the tunnels with the outside life. The population of the villages provided food and information to the occupants, in addition to occasionally taking refuge in them.
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
outpatient clinic
Some tunnels had emergency hospitals, where not only guerrillas but also the surrounding population were treated, in an effort to win their sympathy. The care even included the performance of deliveries
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
created snakes
The layout of the tunnels formed a veritable underground labyrinth. False passages led to dead ends, where venomous snakes were often left to attack intruders.
– (Eber Evangelista and Luiz Iria/)
Classroom
In addition to guerrilla meetings, some chambers housed ideological indoctrination of residents provided by political commissars of the North Vietnamese government.