What were the tunnels used for in Vietnam?
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters.
What Vietnam tunnels are called?
An hour outside of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, a vast network of tunnels are hidden 20 feet below the ground. They’re called the Cu Chi Tunnels, and tourists travel from around the world to crawl inside. They love ducking below camouflage trap doors and cramming themselves in the tight passageways.
How did Vietnam tunnels not collapse?
The bombing operation began in early January, 1966, when B-52 bombers dropped 30-ton loads of high explosives onto the Cu Chi and the Iron Triangle areas. The natural iron oxide in the soil cemented tunnel linings and made them stable, resilient and hard to destroy.
What did a tunnel rat do in Vietnam?
The tunnel rats were American, Australian, New Zealander, and South Vietnamese soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Later, similar teams were used by the Soviet Army during the Soviet–Afghan War and by the Israel Defense Forces in campaigns in the Middle East.
How were Vietnam tunnels built?
While the war began in 1955, the tunnels began being dug by Communist forces in the mid to late 1940s, with renovations occurring to tunnels already dug in the early 1960s. Tunnels were dug anywhere and everywhere in South Vietnam. Tunnels were typically carved without machinery, instead utilizing hand tools.
What were the use of tunnels in the Vietnam War?
During the war in Vietnam, thousands of people in the Vietnamese province of Cu Chi lived in an elaborate network of underground tunnels. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals,…
What did the Vietcong use tunnels systems for?
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped to counter the growing American military effort.
What were the Vietcong underground tunnels?
The Underground Tunnels of Cu Chi, Vietnam. During the war in Vietnam, thousands of people in the Vietnamese province of Cu Chi lived in an elaborate network of underground tunnels. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters.
What is a Cu Chi tunnel?
The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of underground tunnels, carved out by hand, located 55 miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).