KY ANH TUNNEL
“Ky Anh Tunnel preserves memories of wartime. Guerrilla warfare tunnel in Quang Nam Province was one of three tunnels that played an important role in the war against the Americans between 1965-72, along with Vinh Moc in Quang Tri Province and the Cu Chi tunnel in suburban HCM City.
Have you ever wondered how the Vietnamese fought the war against a much stronger force – the U.S army?”
📔 DESCRIPTION TUNNEL
- Situated in Tam Thang Commune. The 32km tunnel.
- Served as a shelter, logistics and military command base for nearly 1,000 soldiers and guerrillas between 1965 and 1975.
- In May 1965 soldiers, guerillas and locals started to dig the tunnel and finished it in 1967.
“It took two years to excavate 32 kilometers of tunnel that was 0.5-0.8 meters wide and 0.8-1 meters high,” said Huynh Kim Ta, a member of the Ky Anh Tunnel Management Board.
“It became a base for people in Ky Anh Commune to defend and make surprise raids on the enemy.” - At that time, started digging by hands the tunnel network, which zigzagged among all villages in the region.
- It took two years to complete the defence work, which is 1m wide and 1.5m high. Thach Tan and Vinh Binh villagers covered the two longest segments with total lengths of 10m each.
- Villagers had to dig deep through layers of sand and laterite in order to prevent the tunnel arch from breaking under shelling or the weight of military vehicles. So that they would not be observed by the enemy force, they had to excavate the ground at night and dump the soil into a river or rice fields. As the commune was surrounded by bamboo bushes, the tunnel system was built under bamboo trees, while entrances and exits were disguised by sand and bushes.
- The whole village kept the tunnel a secret. That’s how it survived during the 10-year period of fierce war.
- In the area near the communal house – tunnel complex, visitors can also find a sedge weaving craft village.
The traditional handicraft helps farmers earn an extra income in their spare time since sedge mats are a popular household item in Vietnam.
Thach Tan communal house and Ky Anh guerilla warfare tunnel are seven kilometers from Tam Ky Town’s center. The tunnel attracts 20,000 tourists on average every year. The number fell to 8,000 in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Entrance is free.
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