Cu Chi tunnels, Vietnam

Cu Chi tunnels - darkometer rating : 6 - Parts of the extensive tunnels dug out to aid the Vietcong guerrilla operations in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War . Today they are one of Vietnam 's major tourist attractions. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background information: The tunnels were an integral part of the Vietcong 's guerrilla tactics against the USA in the Vietnam War , their main base at the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail , from where the Vietcong operated within South Vietnam . They allowed the fighters to literally disappear from the surface of the earth after conducting nightly attacks. The entrances to the underground network of tunnels were so small and well camouflaged that the Americans sweeping the area during the day often walked overhead with no idea of what was beneath. Of course, it wasn't always easy to conceal the existence of humans in these tunnels, but the ingenious guerrillas found clever ways of hiding evidence of their presence. Smoke from fires for cooking food was led through long vents to emerge a hundred yards away under a pile of old leaves, just billowing close to the ground like morning mist. There were underground wells to provide drinking water. The guerrillas used ash to cover excrement (they had to "shit without stink", as one guide put it), and with the sandals they made from old rubber tyres the guerrillas could leave footprints (if they left any at all) that pointed in the "other" direction, so as to confuse the Americans. Ingenious improvisation also went into weaponry. They manipulated American anti-tank mines so that they could be triggered simply by a twig poking out at the top.