What did the Viet Cong use the tunnels for?

In addition to providing underground shelter, the Cu Chi tunnels served a key role during combat operations, including as a base for Communist attacks against nearby Saigon.

How were Viet Cong tunnels built?

The North Vietnamese and VC troops gradually expanded the tunnels. Tunnels frequently were dug by hand in Old Alluvium terraces, and only a short distance at a time. Finally in 1969, B-52s started carpet bombing the Cu Chi and Iron Triangle areas and destroyed many of the tunnels.

How many miles of tunnels did the Viet Cong have?

Even in the face of frequent bombings, during the Vietnam War the Viet Cong launched a formidable offensive while people continued to practice life’s daily rituals—underground. Located 75 kilometres northwest of Ho Chi Min City, the Cu Chi Tunnels are an elaborate underground network made up of 250 km (155 mi.)

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.

When was the Vietcong tunnel system built?

The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and played a major role in North Vietnam winning the war. The Cu Chi tunnels were built over a period of 25 years that began sometime in the late 1940s during the war against the French.