The desire of visiting one of the primary works in Vietnam War constantly urges me. Cu Chi Tunnels is where I chose to discover in my holiday in Ho Chi Minh City. I had a chance to know more about the hardest lifetime in war of Vietnamese.
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Meeting Space |
The Vietnam War is always there in my mind, even before I decided to travel Vietnam. Like other visitors, I was captivated by the wonderful
beauty of such destinations as Mui Ne beaches, I also have a dip in the
cool water in Cat Ba Island,
was traveling through the road from Hanoi to Lao border. However, the
idea to visit one of the greatest works in the Vietnam War was always
inspire me. I do not know how, but I was very interested in a war that
it began and ended even before I was born.
With this attention, I traveled to Cu Chi Tunnels.
Tunnels of this relic were built in 1940s as a camouflage protecting
Vietnamese soldiers in the struggles against French colonists. Local
people and soldiers together gradually extended the tunnels. They just
used simple tools and bare hands to create the maze of tunnels. This
work is particularly significant in the period of Vietnam War and the
escalation of the United States in 1960s. Cu Chi Tunnels is not simply
an underground tunnel system. It looks like a complicated maze existing
under Cu Chi ground, or a town with a strong vitality. I believe that
Chu Chi Tunnels is not just important for its role in Vietnam War, but
it is also a great symbol of Vietnamese volition to live and to fight.
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Field Hospital |
As being one of the unique Ho Chi Minh City attractions, Cu Chi Tunnels
is about 70 km to the northwest of the city. I travelled to this place
by bus, which is favored by most of tourists as its cheap price. With
only US$4, I entered Cu Chi Tunnels. I was so astonished at the system
of three floors with nooks and crannies like a cobweb. The first floor
is able to against tanks and artillery. While, the second floor of
five-meter depth can avoid small bombs. The last floor, the deepest one
(from 8 to 10 meters), can withstand bombs with a large-scale
destruction. In the tunnel, there are areas for living, meeting, and
fighting with a total length of over 200 kilometers. Interestingly,
there was no support of machines in constructing this tunnel, with
simple tools as hoes and spades for exception. It is an important work
of Vietnamese soldiers in 30-year fierce resistance to regain
independence.
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| Cu Chi Tunnels |
I spent nearly all of time touring around the tunnel and taking photos. However, I did not dare go further for that fear of meeting traps unexplored. Though I had no chance to visit all around the tunnel, but the image from it is beyond my imagination. Only by moving down a shorter distance in this tunnel do I understand the true reason for the victory of Vietnam, a little country that defeated a strong country. Apart from visiting the actual tunnel, I also tasted local tapioca in the natives. This dish has been popular considering that the wartime. In addition, I had time to see documentary films about the actual tunnel. I collected a wide range of interesting information about history, which allows you clarify my questions about Vietnam in the war. I was so pleased, as finally I reached essentially the most stunning defensive system in the entire world, witnessed an underground city however existing, and understand more in regards to the patriotism of Vietnamese.
