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- Destinations
- Asia
- Vietnam
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Cu Chi Tunnels
Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels system is an underground network of tunnels
dug in the 1940s by the Vietnamese as a place to hide during the
fight against the French. The network was later expanded and used
in the American War. The system consists of more than 150 miles
(250km) of tunnels and unlit offshoots, secret trap doors
connecting narrow routes to hidden shelters, local rivers and
tunnels to the Cambodian border. It was a sprawling city of
improvised hospitals, living quarters, kitchens and fresh water
wells, with some tunnels barely large enough to wriggle through.
The plan was to launch surprise assaults on the enemy, and then
disappear; so successful a hiding place were the tunnels that first
the French and then the Americans struggled against these sudden
attacks in which the assailants seemed to vanish into fresh air.
Today many of the tunnels have been enlarged to allow visitors the
dirty and claustrophobic experience of crawling through a portion
of the underground network, past secret trapdoors and booby traps
laid against invasion. Unfortunately their popularity with visitors
has turned the area into a vicious tourist trap, with hard-sell
vendors a constant hassle among the touring throngs.
Information & Facts
Address
19 miles (30km) northwest of Ho Chi Minh City at Tay
Ninh
Language
The official language in Vietnam is Vietnamese. Some
Chinese, English and French are spoken. Tour guides can also speak
Russian and Japanese. Numerous ethnic languages are also spoken in
parts.
Money
The official currency is the Dông (VND). There are no smaller
denominations. Currency can be exchanged at banks, bureaux de
change, hotels and on the black market. Visa, MasterCard and
American Express are becoming more widely acceptable, particularly
in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but it is best not to rely on them
elsewhere. It is recommended that visitors bring travellers cheques
in US Dollars, which can be cashed at major banks in the main
cities and tourist areas. US currency acts as unofficial tender and
is useful as a back-up when banks won't cash travellers cheques
outside the main cities, but notes must be relatively new and
unmarked. Dông can be withdrawn from ATMs, which are becoming more
widespread.
Opening Times
Time
Local time in Vietnam is GMT +7.