The Cu Chi Tunnels are one of the most remarkable underground defense systems ever built. Located 70 kilometers northwest of Ho Chi Minh City in Cu Chi district, this labyrinthine network of tunnels stretches over 250 kilometers and was hand-dug by Viet Minh fighters and later the National Liberation Front during the Indochina War and the Vietnam War.

Built at the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail on what locals called “the iron land,” the tunnels served as command centers, field hospitals, weapon factories, sleeping quarters and living spaces for thousands of fighters and civilians. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, liberation forces used this very tunnel system to launch their assault on Saigon.

Today, the site is a Special National Monument and one of Vietnam’s most visited historical relics, welcoming over 20 million visitors since opening. Walking through the original tunnels, seeing the booby traps, bomb craters, the American tank and the underground kitchen, brings the extraordinary resilience of the Vietnamese people face to face with visitors from around the world.

A visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels is an essential stop for anyone seeking to understand the history and spirit of modern Vietnam.