The Tunnels of Cu Chi

Ramon W. Almodovar
J. David Rogers
No one has ever demonstrated more ability to hide his installations
than the Viet Cong; they were human moles.
General William Westmoreland

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Purpose

To provide the class with an overview of the

Cu Chi Tunnels and how they impacted the
Vietnam War.

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References
The Tunnels of Cu Chi by Tom Mangold and John Penycate
http://images.google.com
www.25thida.com/photos.html
www.users.qwest.net/~huffpapa/ CuChiMap.html
www.rjsmith.com/ cu-chi-taor-nf.html
cybersarges.tripod.com/ cuchi.html
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/ refer/map1/indexjs.html

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Outline
Area of Operations
History of Cu Chi Tunnels
Tunnel Construction
Viet Cong Tunnel Fighting
Cu Chi Base Camp
Operation Cedar Falls
Tunnel Rats
Tunnel Destruction
Summary
Conclusion
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Vietnam is located in Southeast Asia, east of Cambodia

and Laos, south of China and bordered on the east by
the Gulf of Tonkin/South China Sea.

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The district of Cu Chi is located Northwest of Saigon (Ho Chi

Min City) and served as a stronghold of the Viet Cong
throughout the Vietnam War.
It was of strategic significance because it straddled the main
land and the river routes used by the Viet Cong to infiltrate
supplies into South Vietnam from the terminus of the Ho Chi
Min Trail in Cambodia.
This was also the only sizable area in South Vietnam where
troops and vehicles could move easily during the monsoon
season (May to October).
As seen on the map, Cu Chi was located in the III Corps
Tactical Zone.
Cu Chi became the most bombed, shelled, gassed, and
defoliated area in the history of war (see photos).
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TUNNELES WERE CONCENTRATED

IN THE IRON TRIANGLE AREA

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The Iron Triangle was a known Viet Cong stronghold. It

was 40 square miles of jungle and briar with an intricate
network of interconnecting tunnels and bunkers, extending
over 200 km! The remained in oeration throughout the war.
From the preceding map you can see the proximity of the
Iron Triangle to Cu Chi base.
The Iron Triangle, the HoBo Woods and the Boi Loi Woods
were defoliated and their original populations relocated.
The red Xs mark VC/NVA headquarters locations.
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A LITTLE BACKGROUND

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The tunnels stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border

By the end of the war approximately 200km of tunnels were
constructed.
The tunnels were used to connect villages, districts, and provinces
together so the guerrilla fighters could move between areas
undetected.
They were originally dug as hiding places for the Viet Minh,
nationalist guerillas who fought the Japanese during World War II
and France afterwards (1946-54).
The tunnels were subsequently expanded in response to pressure
brought on by conventional ARVN and US forces.
No central entity designed the tunnels or oversaw their
construction. They evolved out of necessity.
Aircraft, bombs, artillery, and chemicals forced the Viet Cong to
station themselves underground.
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TYPICAL TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

(1 of 6)

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The tunnels were excavated in laterite clay, a ferric soil with clay and
iron oxide binder which allowed some air penetration.
The clay was not affected by seasonal changes in water content
because of the iron cementation. It was further strengthened by tree
roots.
The thickness of the useable clay layer varied between 10 to 20 meters,
depending on the depth of the water table.
The tunnels were mostly excavated by hand methods with 2 people
rotating digging and 2 to 3 people who removed the cuttings.
The normal rate of advance was about 1 cubic meter per person per
day, but varied with the diggers health, age, the climate and the soil.
The earth removed from the tunnels was used in the basements of local
houses, furrows for potato growing, banks for communication or
combat trenches, or poured into streams, to prevent US forces from
discovering the tunnel entrances.
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Camouflaged Tunnel Entries

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Most of the tunnel entrances were well concealed, covered by boards

1cm thick and 2 to 3 cms wide arranged in two frames, one
horizontally, the other vertically.
A nylon sheet was then glued between the 2 frames.
The door was then covered with sponge rubber and wax, so that it
would feel like natural ground when walking across it.
The sides of the trapdoor were beveled downward at an angle so it
could take considerable overpressure, even from vehicles.
Most of the tunnels were filled with camouflaged trap doors. These
were also concealed by covering them with earth.
If a door led to the exposed ground surface, dead foliage was used to
camouflage the door and was changed every three days.
Entrances had to resist fire, flood, and chemical warfare, so they
were located in dry, elevated, and generally well-ventilated areas.
Some doors were even hidden in pig pens because the VC knew that
American soldiers would not want to check such places thoroughly.
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TUNNELS EXPOSED TO REVEAL

LAYOUT CHARACTERISTICS

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These are pictures of the tunnels with their earthen cover removed.
Tunnels were usually excavated in a zig-zag pattern, at angles
between 60 and 120 degrees. This was intended to prevent linear
lines-of-fire and help deflect explosive blasts if the tunnel complex
was invaded by enemy troops.
Communications passages were constructed no wider than 1.2
meters, no narrower than 0.8 meters, at a height of 0.8 to 1.8
meters, with a minimum roof thickness of 1.5 meters. Big fellas
would have a difficult time negotiating such openings.
These dimensions were strictly adhered to as a standard that
ensured uniformity and sound construction.
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Tunnel Construction
(4 of 6)

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Some complexes had as many as four different levels with secret trapdoors separating them.
They held living areas, storage depots, ordinance factories, hospitals, Headquarters, kitchens, and
any other facility needed by an army.
The tunnels also included a water bend every 100 meters to prevent tear gas or CS riot gas from
blowing all the way into the tunnel complex and they also helped to control flooding.
Ventilation holes ran obliquely from surface to 1st level to avoid monsoon rain flooding into the
tunnels.
Some of the ventilation holes pointed east to let more light in while others pointed into the wind to
increase air flow.

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MORE PHOTOS OF TUNNEL

CONSTRUCTION

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In the preceding slide, the picture at lower left shows a

VC conference room with a roof placed later, to protect
the exposed excavation so visitors can view the
opening today.
On the right is a picture of a VC entertainment troop
giving a performance in a specially made theater in one
of the tunnel complexes. Though not as large as a Bob
Hope Christmas Special, the idea was similar: a morale
booster.

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TYPICAL INTERCONNECTING
TUNNEL COMPLEX

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When bombing of the tunnels in the Iron Triangle was

intensified late in the war, new tunnels were excavated
with conical A-shaped shelters, geometrically designed
to better resist deep-penetration artillery and bomb
blasts.
The conical shape also amplified the sound of
approaching B-52s. The terrifying impact of B-52 carpet
bombing was only learned after the war concluded.

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VC Tunnel Fighting

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Entrances to tunnels were strategically located in a triangular pattern,

40 to 50 meters apart, so they could support each other.
The multiplicity of openings also allowed troops to choose alternate
escape routes from the tunnel complex if they became cornered at one
location.
The VC used the tunnel openings for scout observation and surprise
sniper attacks, shooting and then disappearing.
The VC were able to observe how American troops behaved and react
to their attacks. The helped the VC devise attack and defensive tactics,
and determine what kinds of booby traps to fashion and where to set
them.
When running low on explosives the VC would search the jungle for
unexploded ordinance, so the explosives in the bomb could be retrieved
at some later date.
Booby traps were responsible for 11% of all American deaths and 17%
of all wounds during the Vietnam War.
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25th Inf Div Cu Chi Base Camp

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This aerial view of Cu Chi Base Camp was taken during the monsoon season. What
appears to be a river in the upper part of the photo is actually flooded lowlands.
Source: Danny Driscoll.
From the outset of the War US forces were aware that Cu Chi and the Iron Triangle
were strongholds for the Viet Cong, so the 25th Infantry Division placed their base
camp in Cu Chi as a supposed deterrent to VC activity in the area.
In January 1966 Operation Crimp was launched to clear the area for the base camp.
The operation successfully cleared the land, but failed to clear the VC tunnels in the
area.
Suffice to say that 25th ID was surprised when their base was attacked from INSIDE
their perimeter. This went on until they finally cleared all the tunnels lying within the
camp.
Cu Chi Base Camp relied on local workers for support. Most of these people were
VC sympathizers who gathered intelligence for the VC from across the base.
Because of their inside connection, the VC in the Cu Chi district and the Iron
Triangle were consistently given a few days to a few hours notice before any attack
was carried out against them. This enabled the VC to prepare for such attacks or
withdraw westward until the search and destroy missions were concluded (usually
a few days).
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MAP OF CU CHI BASE CAMP

circa 1967

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OPERATION CEDAR FALLS

(January 1967)

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Operation Cedar Falls was conducted between Jan 8-26, 1967 and was
typical of the American response to the Viet Cong operating in the Cu
Chi district and Iron Triangle.
30,000 US troops were involved in the search and destroy operation
The aim of the operation was to locate the underground headquarters
of the Viet Congs Military Region IV, explore it, and then destroy it
along with any other tunnels that were found.
Once the civilian Vietnamese population was cleared out of the Iron
Triangle, the area was stripped of vegetation and declared a free
strike zone.
To find the tunnels, units dragged trees behind their armored
personnel carriers to create avenues of fine grained dust. In the
morning, they could see where the VC had come out of their holes and
walked around, leaving footprints in the fine powdery dust (only
available in the dry season)
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Dozers Used in Operation Cedar Falls

(Jan 1967)

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Engineers used dozers to clear the land so that tunnel

entrances could be found.
Once found, volunteers called tunnel rats were called in
to explore the tunnels and eradicate any VC they
encountered.
Picture in the lower left is a specially-shaped clearing
created by the engineers in the jungle near Cu Chi and the
Iron Triangle.

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American Tunnel Rats

(1 of 2)

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Creation of the American tunnel rats stemmed from the

realization that a specialty MOS was needed for this new type of
warfare.
Initially, infantrymen were forced to go into the tunnels, but after
numerous injuries and deaths, a specialized training program was
created at the Cu Chi Base Camp.
Tunnel rats would clear tunnels armed only with a flashlight and a
pistol.
Many rats were injured or died from close quarters combat with VC
inside the tunnels.
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American Tunnel Rats

(2 of 2)

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After the rats would clear a tunnel system, theyd set up the explosives to
destroy it.
The only trouble was that in the dry season the clay would harden like
concrete.
We soon learned that the desiccated clay could withstand 40lb cratering
charges, hand grenades, and other explosives, without collapsing!
More often than not, if the explosives did work, they only damaged the initial
level of the tunnel system which the VC could easily re-excavate after
American forces had vacated the tunnels.
Flooding was another method used by American forces attempt destruction
of the tunnel complexes.
Unfortunately, during the dry season the laterite clay absorbed the water and
during the wet season the trapdoors proved to be reasonably watertight!
CS gas pellets were also used to render the tunnels unusable, but the gas
dispersed after about a week and was no longer effective.

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VC Tunnels that were

destroyed (1 of 2)

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Although Operation Cedar Falls (January 1966) failed to

locate the Viet Cong Military Region IV Headquarters,
American forces discovered the Saigon Area Military HQ
and recovered half a million documents.
The preceding slide shows the locations of the major VC
tunnels found up through January 1968.

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Carpet Bombing
(2 of 2)

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The FINAL SOLUTION

In 1969, the tunnels were finally destroyed for good by
B-52 carpet bombing raids, but not before they had
already contributed significantly to the Communist cause
by hiding troops, equipment and supplies used to attack
ARVN and US forces when and where they least expected
it.
The preceding view shows a B-52D dropping a string of
750-lb bombs (left) and the crater hole left by the
detonation of one of the bombs (at right)

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CONCLUSION
Resistance is a form of action aimed at destroying enough
of the enemys power to force him to renounce his
intentions.
von Clausewitz
The VC demonstrated resolve by outlasting the
Americans. Although no American unit of even squad
size or greater ever surrendered to the Viet Cong or
North Vietnamese during the entire Vietnam War; they
still managed to prevail. We should remember this in
Afghanistan and Iraq today.

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