Another amazing thing, aside from all the booby traps & deliberate hazards, was that the Vietnamese intentionally capitalized on their small size, and built these tunnels so skinny and narrow,, most foreigners wouldn’t fit! I can’t imagine how they accustomed themselves to the claustrophobia, but I guess when the alternative is to have bullets and bombs whizzing by you,,, one learns to adjust quickly enough.
They had bottle-necks built-in, both to prevent bigger people from following, and as a defensive point. The tunnels were pitch black,,, so feeling around with your fingers was how you got around. I’m sure they had some torches,, but there weren’t a lot of air holes, so fresh air was scarce. I get claustrophobic just thinking about it.
And while we’re on the subject of air quality,,, rising to the surface to relieve yourself was hazardous to your health,, so all of that happened down in the tunnels too. Between thin, damp air and breathing crap for months at a time in skinny, underground burrows… it’s amazing how they soldiered on. Human beings can adjust to the most inhuman conditions to survive. Amazing.
I will point out for the viewers that these tunnels weren’t built overnight,, nor were they originally intended for battling Americans. I did get that much satisfaction from a tangent comment… These tunnels were begun in 1948 and took 20 years to dig.
1948,,, hmmmmm… who were the Vietnamese fighting back then? Oh yeah! Some colonial European power who was not American.
The engineering that went behind these tunnels is amazing. The video explained it a bit, but there were 3 levels. Whole rooms were carved out below ground… water wells… kitchens, sleeping & meeting caves… frequent turns were factored in to confuse invaders and mitigate grenades.
Aside from genuine awe at the construction of these tunnels, it was amazing walking the battle grounds of “Nam”. True, it isn’t a bright spot on America’s record,, but it happened. A lot of valiant people fought & died here 30-40 years ago in these very woods.
May it never happen again here.
Another odd but funny tourist experience was the “National defense shooting range”. There was an assortment of 8 types of rifle or machine gun that we could fire for a few dollars. We paid by the bullet. 5 shots for $6.50
Sure! Why not? I took 10 in the AK-47. Figures, my rifle jammed or misfired 8 out of my 10 first shots! Feeding them in one at a time did the trick, as I attempted to poke a few holes through the tiger target 100m away.
After shooting, the tour continued. There was a section of tunnels enlarged for tourists to scurry through. It was a 30 meter stretch,, but with the pitch black, step up & two turns on hands & knees… it felt long. My friend Meg couldn’t get herself to go into the tunnels. The only moments we could see anything were when the flashes of cameras went off. Thank-goodness for digital cameras!
There was a blown up U.S. tank, demos of various booby traps, a model ‘health’ facility (underground hospital clinic)… I can’t imagine what that must have been like.
The tour took half a day, but was worth every minute. Most of the tunnels are reportedly abandoned now, as snakes and other animals have taken a liking to them.
They had bottle-necks built-in, both to prevent bigger people from following, and as a defensive point. The tunnels were pitch black,,, so feeling around with your fingers was how you got around. I’m sure they had some torches,, but there weren’t a lot of air holes, so fresh air was scarce. I get claustrophobic just thinking about it.
And while we’re on the subject of air quality,,, rising to the surface to relieve yourself was hazardous to your health,, so all of that happened down in the tunnels too. Between thin, damp air and breathing crap for months at a time in skinny, underground burrows… it’s amazing how they soldiered on. Human beings can adjust to the most inhuman conditions to survive. Amazing.
I will point out for the viewers that these tunnels weren’t built overnight,, nor were they originally intended for battling Americans. I did get that much satisfaction from a tangent comment… These tunnels were begun in 1948 and took 20 years to dig.
1948,,, hmmmmm… who were the Vietnamese fighting back then? Oh yeah! Some colonial European power who was not American.
The engineering that went behind these tunnels is amazing. The video explained it a bit, but there were 3 levels. Whole rooms were carved out below ground… water wells… kitchens, sleeping & meeting caves… frequent turns were factored in to confuse invaders and mitigate grenades.
Aside from genuine awe at the construction of these tunnels, it was amazing walking the battle grounds of “Nam”. True, it isn’t a bright spot on America’s record,, but it happened. A lot of valiant people fought & died here 30-40 years ago in these very woods.
May it never happen again here.
Another odd but funny tourist experience was the “National defense shooting range”. There was an assortment of 8 types of rifle or machine gun that we could fire for a few dollars. We paid by the bullet. 5 shots for $6.50
Sure! Why not? I took 10 in the AK-47. Figures, my rifle jammed or misfired 8 out of my 10 first shots! Feeding them in one at a time did the trick, as I attempted to poke a few holes through the tiger target 100m away.
After shooting, the tour continued. There was a section of tunnels enlarged for tourists to scurry through. It was a 30 meter stretch,, but with the pitch black, step up & two turns on hands & knees… it felt long. My friend Meg couldn’t get herself to go into the tunnels. The only moments we could see anything were when the flashes of cameras went off. Thank-goodness for digital cameras!
There was a blown up U.S. tank, demos of various booby traps, a model ‘health’ facility (underground hospital clinic)… I can’t imagine what that must have been like.
The tour took half a day, but was worth every minute. Most of the tunnels are reportedly abandoned now, as snakes and other animals have taken a liking to them.
posted by jonathan adventures at 11:00 AM
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