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Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Cu Chi Tunnels

One of the trees, tapped to drip latex into the coconut shell bowls on the ground

A loaded jackfruit tree; if you can get past the diaper-pail odor, the fruit is really quite delicious!


A diorama (sorry about the glare) of the Cu Chi Tunnels. There are typically pit traps at the foot of staircases and every now and then, a tunnel is narrowed so that a U.S. soldier, loaded with gear, could not get through, although the tiny Vietnamese could.

Amazingly enough, all 250+ kilometers of tunnel were dug using just these hoes and baskets to carry out the dirt. The tunnels were started in 1948 to battle the French colonialists, then expanded greatly during the Vietnam War.

Doors into the tunnels were camouflaged with leaves, like this one

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