Did the Viet Cong use tunnels?
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.
Who built the tunnels in Vietnam?
the Viet Minh
In the early stages of the war against the French colonial forces, the Viet Minh created an extensive underground system of tunnels, which was later expanded and improved by the Viet Cong. By the 1960s, the tunnel complexes included hospitals, training areas, storage facilities, headquarters, and barracks.
How long was the Viet Cong tunnel system?
The most extensive of the tunnel systems, which covered some 400 kilometres, lay to the north of the village of Cu Chi. The tunnels concealed living areas, storage depots, ordnance factories, hospitals, headquarters – a range of facilities than enabled people to live, and wage war from, underground for years at a time.
How did these tunnels help the Viet Cong hold out against superior firepower?
Tunnel systems and traps The Vietcong had a hidden system of tunnels stretching over 200 miles. There were hospitals, armouries, sleeping quarters, kitchens and wells underground. These tunnel systems could hide thousands of Vietcong which helped them fight their guerrilla war.
How did they dig the Cu Chi Tunnels?
Communist forces began digging a network of tunnels under the jungle terrain of South Vietnam in the late 1940s, during their war of independence from French colonial authority. Tunnels were often dug by hand, only a short distance at a time.
How many tunnel rats served in Vietnam?
700
There were never more than 100 Tunnel Rats in country at any one time and around 700 in total. There were 36 killed and 200 wounded.
How did Viet Cong avoid their own traps?
Punji tilt boards can fly up out of nowhere at a victim’s face and chest. Since the Viet Cong make extensive use of mines and booby traps they need and use a system of marking their emplacements to prevent their own forces from being caught in the traps.
Why did the Viet Cong fight?
The movement’s principal objectives were the overthrow of the South Vietnamese government and the reunification of Vietnam.
Why did the Viet Cong use tunnels in Vietnam?
In order to combat better-supplied American and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, Communist guerrilla troops known as Viet Cong (VC) dug tens of thousands of miles of tunnels, including an extensive network running underneath the Cu Chi district northwest of Saigon.
What was the Cu Chi tunnel?
The former Viet Cong guerrilla camp 75km north of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) known as ‘Cu Chi’ was the largest underground tunnel network in the Vietnam war. Over 175 miles of tunnels were constructed and used by the Viet Cong. The camp was completed 40 years ago in 1967 and was home to over 16,000 Viet Cong at the time.
Why visit Vietnam’s War-era tunnels?
For war buffs and history enthusiasts, tours of Vietnam’s war-era underground tunnels are a must-visit. During the long and dark years of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fought long and hard against South Vietnam, America, and its allies.
Why did the US Army fail to capture the Ho Chi Minh tunnels?
During the Vietnam War, however, U.S. Army soldiers actually managed to capture some entrances and sections. However, they failed relatively quickly due to the dimensions of this huge tunnel system and the tricks and deceptions of the enemy Vietcong.