8. Tonnel in Ku Chi

8. Tonnel in Ku Chi NT>

An entrance of a tunnel is covered by a dead leaf and we cannnot find out easily. That is very small and can enter only Vietnamese smaller than Westerner.

Ku Chi is located in northwest of 70km from Ho Chi Minh city, it takes about 1 hour by bus. In Ku Chi, there are a base and a basement tunnel of south Vietnam national liberation front in the period of Vietnam War. Now it becomes a state-run sightseeing equipment and we can look a video with Japanese explanation. The tunnel which Viet Cong continued digging by hand for 30 years extends to 250km. There are about 10 square meters relief rooms, dining rooms, strategy rooms in the tunnel. There is a small air hole far from the dining rooms because smoke in case to cook did not seem to stand out.

I walked with one part of a tunnel. In the tunnel, it is veru hot and small. It was very difficult and painful to continue digging 250km long in such a hot place. War is too hard and painful, I become hopeless. At an entrance of an institution, there is a exhibitiong corner about weapons and traps which soldiers made with oneself. They display terrible things in a line here. About the device, I remembered Nijo-jinya(Ninjya house?) located in Kyoto, Japan. In case of Kyoto, it is the first to protect the body of oneself from enemies. But in case of Ku Chi, it is the first to kill enemies surely. So they use more terrible means than in Kyoto.

"Let's drink tea a little here.",

the guide said.

We had a tea break at a dining room in a tunnel. I was relieved with this tea because it was very hot. I had taro and the Vietnam tea which Viet Cong lived mainly on in those days. Taros were tender, very elicious. There was a brother of Americans besides us. They have come to Ku Chi by bicycle from Hanoi. It is 70km long to Ho Chi Minh. "When they arrive at Ho Chi Minh, the mustache which does not shave all the time will become a lion surely" we laughed together.

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