Discover Cu chi Tunnels in Vietnam
Vietnam Sightseeing – Cu Chi Tunnel
Cu Chi Tunnels
Cu chi is a rural district, approximately 30 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The district, with an area of 43,000 hectares, lies between SaiGon River and Vam Co Dong River. Cu Chi played an important role during the two resistence wars. It was an underground village with a network of tunnels totaling more than 200km. The main tunnel is from 60 to 70 cm wide and from 80 to 90 cm high . The tunnels are approximately 3 to 4 m underground, under a layer of earth able to sustain the weight of 50-tone tanks, heavy artillery, as well as bombs of up to 100 kg. The network is equipped with various accommodations from meeting rooms to a medical clinic.
Mr. Huller of the Associated Press in Saigon, who visited Cu Chi in 1966, wrote that the Viet Cong ( South Vietnamese guerrillas) had dug underground tunnels and shelters throughout the country, but none were as largeand intricate as that network. He added that those who had set foot in the tunnel should greatly admire the talent, determination, and endurance of the communist guerrillas. The soil in Cu Chi was as hard as stone, and they had dug and removed tens of thousands of tones of earth and stone with rudimentary tools, and camouflaged the openings so well that nobody could find them.Cu Chi Tunnels are open to local and foreign visitors. Some have called this site a wonder of the 20th century.
Ben Duoc Temple
Den Ben Duoc Temple
The Ben Duoc Temple is located on a 7 ha area near the Cu Chi Tunnels in Phu My Hung Commune in the Cu Chi Distrct.
The construction of the temple started in May 1993 and was completed by December 1995. It consists of a three-entrance gate, a memorial house, a nine-story tower, a main temple and a flower garden.
The worshipping area in the main temple is solemnly decorated with a statue of President Ho Chi Minh, and the walls are carved with a lists of 41,447 soldiers who died for freedom. Underneath the temple is a display of images and objects that reflect the struggle that took place in Cu Chi. A memorial festival is held at the Ben Duoc Temple on December 19 each year.
