Củ Chi Tunnels
We drove northwest of Saigon, destined for the spot where the Viet Cong built an elaborate system of tunnels to outsmart and outflank American forces. This piece of the trip was slated as an opportunity to crawl through hand-dug caves widened threefold for overfed Western tourists. There would, of course, be some heaviness; these tunnels represent the bane of U.S. troops in the "Revolutionary Zone" from 1966 to 1972. It will be upsetting to imagine a young, frightened American infantryman entering the Củ Chi jungle not knowing his enemies position or potential. We were warned.
As with most historical landmarks, firsthand experience is more complex and evocative than a vague, preliminary description. Starting with lunch on the Saigon River, watching aquatic flora drift by with the occasional boat, it was clear the Củ Chi district relied on tourist dollars, including USD. Americans are welcomed to witness, touch, and crawl around the atrocities which befell their countrymen. And so, I dined and enjoyed and entered the outdoor museum. I wanted to be impressed by the VC’s ingenuity. Their guerrilla tactics are renowned as some of the most creative and effective ever used. Examples of boobytraps littered the forest. I wanted to admire their resilience. The tunnel system was elaborate but with inconceivably low ceilings. Climbing through only 50 meters left me winded and with a sweat-drenched shirt. I wanted to admire their toughness. The park rangers let us shoot M16s at their range. I wanted to enjoy my first automatic rifle fire. The tour's sounds and smells (and tastes -- we drank rice wine and ate cassava) and adventure conflicted with its underlying message. A mural with terrified US soldiers and propaganda film, also screened out in the jungle, brought me back to reality. Men my age, some even younger, walked into these traps, had their legs barbed, were impaled in dark holes. The VC, out of desperation and necessity, created a hell on Earth. |