The Tunnels of Cu Chi

by Tom Mangold, John Penycate

One of the more remarkable but little-known campaigns of the Vietnam War was fought inside the 200 miles of secret tunnel networks around Saigon between Viet Cong guerrillas and special American forces known as "Tunnel Rats." This is the harrowing account of American soldiers of great courage who volunteered to enter black tunnels armed only with pistons and knives, and often fought in deadly hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. This is the gripping account of brave men whose stories of heroism have never been told.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction, Military History, Asia, Biography

302 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 12, 1985

Reviews

[Stefania Dzhanamova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by Tom Mangold and John Penycate, the first BBC journalists to be issued visas by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in 1978. During their visit, they were introduced to Captain Nguyen Thanh Linh, the commander of the guerrillas of Cu Chi district, whose tunnels played an important role in the Communists' tunnel war. Mangold and Penycate's interest was piqued. They obtained a permission to return to Vietnam as authors, did extensive research there, and wrote about the tunnels of Cu Chi. 

At the peak of the Vietnam conflict in the sixties, the tunnel network stretched from Saigon to the border with Cambodia – hundreds of kilometers that connected provinces, districts, and villages and accommodated living areas, storage depots, gun factories, hospitals, headquarters, and everything else that was necessary for the guerrillas of South Vietnam to successfully continue their resistance and that could be held underground. The tunnels endlessly frustrated the Americans, who were not used to enemies who were that good at hiding their equipment. 

The tunnels of Cu Chi were the most complex part of this impressive network. No military engineer designed them, and no commander ordered them to be built. They appeared and developed as the natural response of the badly equipped local guerrillas to the advanced technological warfare of the Americans. The Cu Chi district was, according to the authors, the most shelled, gassed, and defoliated area not only in the Vietnam conflict, but in warfare history in general, probably because of its strategic importance: it spanned the mainland and river routes into Saigon, which the Communists used as supply routes from Cambodia during the war. The American aircraft, artillery, and poisonous chemicals forced the guerrillas underground. In a war in which their enemy relied on helicopters, they became what MACV commander General Westmoreland called "human moles" and thus managed to drag the Vietnam conflict to a point when the Americans became convinced that it was unwinnable and left.

For the Communist engineers and guerrillas, the soil of Cu Chi was a huge environmental advantage for digging tunnels. It was mostly laterite clay, which could both bind and let in some air, and was also remarkably stable because it was not affected by the changing amounts of water from the nearby Saigon river. Further strengthened by tree roots, it was a kind of super dirt or brick, which even bombing and artillery barely penetrated. The Americans could bomb the ground all they wanted – the enemy remained safe in the tunnels.

What made the tunnels' existence even more wondrous is that they were located just outside Saigon, the enemy nation's capital. A huge area – seventy square miles – near the city was one to which the government's authority simply did not extend. It was free for the guerrillas to operate in both at night and during the day. If one imagined a similar thing happening in America – the authority of the government in Washington, DC not reaching to Virginia, for instance – this began to look like a pretty daring plan.

In September 1968, soldiers from the Korean 28th Infantry Regiment captured a Communist tunnel manual in which the main role of the tunnels in the enemy's strategy was explained and underscored. To use them as just shelters, the manual said, was to waste their potential. The tunnels were actually intended to strengthen combat effectiveness in the villages and provide more safety for the armed units. Most importantly, they were to hold combat posts and equipment to support the soldiers even when the enemy occupies the village. The Americans might be many times stronger, but they could not chase the guerrillas from the battlefield because they went underground and launched surprise attacks from there instead. With the help of the tunnel, the Communists could attack their enemy right in the middle of his formations, keep attacking from different places, or capture the Americans' weapons. The manual also reminded that secret passages, through which the soldiers could escape in case the Americans discovered the tunnel, had to be built. The system of tunnel building, as outlined in it, was simple and effective, but according to the authors, the imagination and enterprise of the Communist engineers allowed it to develop in complexity way beyond this manual.

So what was life in those tunnels like? According to captured documents and testimonies, all who survived and died in them knew that their main objective was to prevail over the enemy no matter what. The priority was combat. This is why inside there were not only sleeping places, air-raid shelters, latrines, hospitals, and kitchens, but also military store rooms, conference centers, political theaters, places to hide water buffaloes, and workshops for the production of homemade armaments, which had to sustain the guerrillas until new supplies were delivered from the North. The Communists stored rice and howitzers, made mines, and buried the dead in temporary graveyards. They cooked in Dien Bien Phu smokeless kitchens, called so because they were first used during the resistance against the French in the forties. "When a fire was lit inside a stove, the smoke was ducted through several channels and finally allowed to escape from various and separated ground-level chimneys." This way it became so diluted that it was not visible from the air. However, according to former guerrillas, the tunnels got contaminated by the smoke, so it was actually difficult to cook underground. Everything and everyone stank, and the possibility of dying from asphyxiation was not low. The tunnels also got really hot, so everyone was sweating, and it was difficult to breathe. According to one medical officer, those who hid in the tunnels ate mostly dry food, which became more abundant after the Americans' presence in the area grew because they always left food lying around.

In the tunnels of Cu Chi, the guerrillas were also trying to understand American science. The had teams of bomb watchers who collected American bombs that had failed to explode. They dismantled their detonators in underground workshops, replaced them with their own, and turned the shells into stronger weapons, which they exploded with batteries or made booby traps with. Similarly, Coca Cola cans were turned into hand grenades. This underground arms industry, supported by electricity from small hand or foot generators, was a great nuisance for the Americans, mostly because all these handmade weapons were used to deny them access to the tunnels. 

Two of the most interesting instances of the Cu Chi tunnels' multifunctionality were a stolen ARVN tank used as a command center and a large signals unit located deep underground, whose members, according to a captured platoon leader, were involved in radio interception, telephone tapping, and code breaking, and knew many languages. 

Try as they might, the Americans could not do anything about the tunnels and the guerrillas hiding in them. It was difficult to prevail over people whose earnest desire to see their country free of all foreign rule motivated them to perform feats of inventiveness and resilience. They sprayed poison and bombed, and sprayed more poison, but the enemy patiently waited underground until they threw their hands up in defeat. 

THE TUNNELS OF CU CHI is a remarkable work of writing and research. Mangold and Penycate were genuinely fascinated with the tunnels and the guerrillas, and it shows. This book is as interesting as it is informative. 

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you think you're hard? Do you think you're some sort of Tier Zero Modern Warfare Elite Ops Deniable Badass? Do you even think you know about such people? Until you've read this book, you don't know shit.

Cu Chi was a district just 25 miles from Saigon. Starting from the French Indochina War, local guerrillas carved tunnels out of the strong laterite clay that made up the district. By 1968, the Iron Triangle had over 200 miles of tunnels, with three and four level base camps including barracks, hospitals, and weapons shops. This book covers the Vietnamese men and women who lived and fought in the tunnels, and the American soldiers tasked with going in and smoking them out, the stone crazy tunnel rats.

The authors have compiled an extensive body of interviews with veterans on both sides of the conflict, bring forth the survivors own words as they describe living without sunlight or fresh air for months on end, and the terror of chasing the enemy into the bowels of the Earth. A secondary topic is weapons, from madcap high-tech schemes to destroy the tunnels, to the trained wasps and snakes that the VC used to defend their bases. Both the human and military elements are well-represented.

In the end, America never learned how to fight in the tunnels. Instead, in the wake of the Tet offensive, the army simply obliterated the entire district, first with defoliants, then with Rome plows, then with B-52 strikes that blew 10m craters in the ground. The guerrillas were essentially destroyed, but only at the cost of the entire region. The Tunnels of Cu Chi is a fascinating micro-history that amply demonstrates the fractally fucked up nature of the war.

[Patrick Hogenboom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for my trip to vietnam (my first trip to asia ever) to visit my girlfriend who worked there as a tour guide.
I read this book, describing the US side and The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam describing the vietnamese side. This combination gave me some insight and a lot of respect for the resilience and resourcefulness of the vietnamese. Who had been at war or occupied for centuries by that point, and for whom war had become engrained into their culture.
When I met up with my girlfriend in Saigon, it turned out that she had become good friends/drinking buddies with a group of ex-GI's that had returned to vietnam after not being able to fit back in in america.
Hearing their stories was amazing, especially to hear the respect they held for their vietnamese adversaries.

[Vanessa M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second Vietnam history (after We Were Soldiers Once...and Young ). I picked this book up because my father was stationed with his transportation unit in Cu Chi for six months in 1966. I found this book extremely readable, especially as I'm not well-read on the Vietnam conflict as of yet. My father and I had many good conversations about the Tunnel Rats and his recollections as I chatted with him about this book while I was reading it.

[Endah setiolaksono · Rating 2 out of 5]

i just can say this war just a mistake. Viet cong just defence her country from US army. What Us army done in vietnam war so ... ughh. If u come to vietnam go to War museum. U will see what US army done to this people who want defance they beloved country.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

As "war" books go, this is a great one. The authors took one slice of the Vietnam war and painstakingly interviewed and researched everything about it. The result is a very dense and complete discussion of the tunnels. I imagine this is a favorite for anyone who studies this war in particular. For my purposes, it may be a little much.

There is one big reason to read this book, and that's the fact that the story itself is impossibly remarkable. You read some books for their style and others for their content, and this one is squarely in the latter category. The writing is dry and a bit rambling, but the details of the tunnel-building and life in the tunnels is incredible. The Vietnamese who spent years underground and the American teenagers who came after them are both groups whose stories should be told.

That said, it seems to go beyond the ridiculous sometimes, sticking with the theme of high melodrama. The writing is heavy in intrigue and symbolism, laden with language contrasting the high-tech west with the rag-tag east. A literal underground railroad. Coke cans turned into hand grenades. "The knife, the pistol, and the flashlight were to be the basic tools of combat and survival inside the tunnels of Cu Chi. Indeed, the very reverse of high-tech weapons development took place within the tiny ranks of the tunnel rats." Admittedly, the contrast is hard to exaggerate, but sometimes I might as well have been reading about ewoks taking on Darth Vader and the Empire. ("The most precious currency below ground was the plastic or steel containers the Americans left as litter on the battlefield above us.") Napalm versus coconut mines and crossbows. There's a whole section devoted to the baby born in a tunnel. And a whole chapter about the bugs and vermin. "They rediscovered the satisfaction of old-fashioned unarmed combat, where individual strength, guts, and cunning counted for more than massive air and artillery support." It's an amazing story, and the treatment here is fairly balanced and decidedly thorough.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main issue with this book is that it lacks a coherent structure. To illustrate, the chapter "Operation Cedar Falls" ends like so: "The Tet lunar new year festival of 1968 would see a countrywide series of Viet Cong attacks on bases and towns, including Saigon, that threw the Americans off balance and marked the beginning of the end of their involvement in Vietnam. And the most damaging thrust -- that against Saigon itself -- would come straight from the Iron Triangle." One would assume the next chapter would pick up on this thread and explain how the tunnels contributed to the Tet Offensive. And they would be wrong. The next chapter is actually about a Vietnamese surgeon and his experience living in and operating in the tunnels. In fact, it is not until seven chapters later that the tunnels and the role that they played in the Tet Offensive is discussed.
Otherwise, the book is an interesting and informative read on an underappreciated subject.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why We didn't win in Vietnam, is what I would have titled this book.
This book gives account of how the 25th Infantry Division set up shop right on top of the tunnels of thier enemy.
The Lessons Learned were not learned and countless lives were hurt and destroyed because of American Pride and ignornace.
I was almost lynched and considered to be a traitor of my outspokeness of what I learned from this story.
Very good reading and not a dull moment.

[Jarrell Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book, balanced and fair. The author while obviously writing from the perspective of an American doesn't have a bias against the Vietnamese, but neither is he especially critical of the American war effort, instead he focuses on the tunnels. The book is neatly divided into various chapters that explore different facets of the tunnels. You get chapters on women in the tunnels, apparently the Vietnamese have been very progressive and allowed women to own property since ancient times, so you even had female units among the Vietnamese rebels. You also get a good account of the American military units tasked with clearing out the tunnels. The book spans more or less a large part of the vietnam war, up until that is the tunnels no longer played a major role in the war. It is amazing that the American military never fully came to grasps with the tunnels, however part of the explanation lies obviously in a misconception about the war itself, and a misunderstanding of the enemy.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides an interesting and highly detailed description of the developement of the tunnel complexes, how they were used by the VC, and US efforts to counter them. The book is effective in that it remains relatively neutral describing the ingenuity of the VC (use of animals as traps/warning; concerts in the tunnels; jury rigging equipment (such as tubes from mines for surgical operations)) but also the bravery of the US Tunnel Rats. The author makes it clear that much of the US efforts were unsuccessful, but that does not diminish the efforts of the US soldiers who fought in the tunnels.

[Theo Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and an interesting in-depth look at the ingenious tunnels used by the Communist guerillas in Vietnam. A fine attention to detail and the book manages to convey the cramped and terrible conditions that the guerilla's had to endure without making it too grim. The tactics used by the guerilla's were very clever and fascinating to discover.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many, many bad books about the war in Viet-Nam. This is one of the GOOD books about the war in Viet-Nam. If you want to learn a bit about the war on the ground, buy this book.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of tunnel warfare during the Vietnam war can be seen as a microcosm of the larger campaign in the sense that it reflected how the Vietnamese, through sheer tenacity, endurance and perseverance eventually ousted the Americans from their country. At its most extensive right outside Saigon itself, the vast underground network was crucial from the early years right through to their tremendous aid during the Tet offensive of 1968, enabling the Viet Cong to move men and materiel surreptitiously into the southern capital prior to the siege. By the time U.S. military command took it seriously enough to completely eradicate the tunnels by carpet bombing in 1969/70 it was too late as the tide of war had already turned against them.

The book described not only the intricacies of tunnel design and how they were built, maintained and used, but also chronicled the lives of the guerillas that fought from them. There were not just soldiers but also entertainers, poets, doctors and mothers - in fact an entire community of villagers who took refuge and carried on the fight after their homes above were razed to the ground. Bravery was not limited to the locals, and was also personified by the American 'tunnel rat' volunteer soldiers. Their stories of courage in the face of almost overwhelming fear also made for an engrossing read.

Through interviews with dozens of ex-combatants from both sides, whose memories of the war were still relatively fresh when the book was initially published in 1983, the authors provided a thorough account of all aspects of this most grueling and intensely personal aspect of the war.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by British authors with interviews from both North Vietnamese and United States army veterans. It seems to give an objective view of the ineptness of the U.S. military command in their efforts to defeat an enemy who was literally "dug in" to their own turf. It's a good read for those interested in U.S. military history, even our current leaders who don't seem to have a clue about how to handle the mid-east.

[Shilpi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am amazing book describing the Vietnam war from the perspective of different people involved - from the perspective of fighters on both side to the perspective of artists who performed during those times.

One can clearly see that not having technology and power your side does not necessarily mean nothing can be done. It is a book about resistance, bravery, fear, emotions and ingenuity.

For such the serious topic, the books is quite a light read. Do read it if you get a chance!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clearly written account of the tunnels from multiple angles. I particularly appreciated the personal stories of soldiers/participants on both sides of the war to break up the technical ideas. The book is organized in a way that a very confusing idea (how do these things look/work, how do people from either side deal with them, why are they how they are, etc) slowly and naturally becomes clear.

[Alec Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is poorly written - weirdly organized, and at times repetitive. But the subject is so interesting that it’s well worth the read. The authors provide a shockingly even-handed analysis of the Vietnam war (impressive for having been written in 1985). The best and most interesting parts of the book highlight the ingenuity of the soldiers on both sides. Chapters 10 and 11 stuck out in particular. In this section, the authors detail how Viet Cong troops variously attempted to infect rats with the bubonic plague before releasing them in the tunnels; developed rudimentary armament factories; and operated underground hospitals. Later chapters describing how American soldiers learned to function in the tunnels, in terms of bringing appropriate weapons, and scanning for booby traps were fascinating as well.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As military journalism goes, this is a superlative example. It details the struggle for a specific patch of real estate near Saigon during the Vietnam War. There's no point in trying to summarize any of this book; the stories are incredibly grim, heartbreaking, and alternately uplifting (though those are few and far between). With the benefit of hindsight, the authors dissect the American campaign on the ground and devote equal or greater weight to the perspectives of the Viet Cong guerrillas, whose incredible fighting kept the war at a standstill. Chock with rich biographies and detailed (but not overly complex) technical facts, the book gives a chillingly clear picture of what life was like in the Iron Triangle. A fitting tribute to the victims of the Vietnam War on all sides.

Addendum: If you read the reviews on Amazon, you'd think that the authors worked for Charlie. I didn't get this impression at all. Sun Tzu said the army with a moral hold on its reason for fighting is invincible. By all accounts (the Tunnel Rats being the exception) the American strategy in Vietnam was confused, unfocused, and weighted in abstracts (ie. protecting the "people" from an -ism). The fact that the Vietnam war was nearly tactically won is attributable to incredible technical superiority and grotesque attrition on the VC side. Americans couldn't just defect and walk home.

Bottom line: war is an affront to humanity all the way around. Both sides committed demonically violent acts against each other - by their own admission in this book. Depending on what country you live in, parts of the book will be stomach turning, as you read accounts of the gruesome deaths of your countrymen. The unspoken questions are: what did these people die for, and was it all worth it in the end?

[Christopher Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. If you truly want to understand the "American War" (aka: Vietnam War) and why things went so disastrously wrong for The World's Most Powerful Military, then this book is an essential. What the Vietnamese were able to accomplish "one basketful of dirt at a time" is beyond all comprehension. This book provides an incredible insight into the elaborate tunnel-system of over 250km that was built by the VC during the "French War" and continued during the "American War."

The author's base their book on a multitude of interviews w/ Vietnamese, Americans and others who built, lived-in and experienced the tunnels first-hand. As such, the book is very evenly-balanced and objective in its presentation. Well worth any historians (or casual reader's) time, if they wish to gain a greater understanding.

To put it simply, this book and the tunnels will blow your mind. The dedication, ingenuity, creativity and simple willpower of the Vietnamese is beyond compare - this book (and the tunnels) demonstrates that better than anything.

This book, coupled with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels has marked one of the highlights of my life as a historian. I knew of the tunnels, but one cannot really appreciate them unless you get inside the head and lives of those who were there - on both sides of the conflict. If you can't get to Cu Chi yourself, this book will take you there better than anything I've ever come across. If you can get to Cu Chi, read this as a fascinating supplement.

Highly recommended. Also recommended - "Patriots: The Vietnam War Examined on All Sides" (amazing).

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would have foreseen that over a million GIs would serve in Vietnam, and that the war would drag on for over ten years? How did a 'backward' nation outface the world's greatest superpower? Largely in part to the battle in the tunnels of Cu Chi between Viet Cong guerrillas and American 'Tunnel Rats.'
This area covered 200 miles of underground tunnel complexes of as many as four separate levels.

'In one month, throughout South Vietnam, the Americans fired about a trillion bullets, 10 million mortar rounds, and 4.8 million rockets. And this was just the beginning of the war.' Americans relied heavily on their overwhelming superiority in weapons technology. Most of the GIs had only a sketchy idea of what they were fighting for. Australia's military involvement was initially supported because of the concern of spreading Communism.

The English writers have talked to the soldiers on both sides and it makes for a fascinating read. For example, I didn't know about the psychological operations. American loudspeakers would broadcast children's voices, crying out in Vietnamese.

Most of the Viet Cong's Tet operations were failures. But it was at that moment at which American casualties surpassed those in the Korean War. Public and political opinion in America never recovered. Vietnam had spent 30 years in war for independence and although the Viet Cong could honestly claim the victory, it was North Vietnam that took the glory, and the power.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this gem of a book in a half price book store and was amazed at how ingenious the Viet Cong were during the war effort. The author wrote a fair and balanced perspective of the Vietnam war effort. I was amazed of how the tunnel system worked to the advantage for the Viet Cong against the Special Forces who became known as Tunnel Rats. The so called Tunnel Rats had to explore, destroy, and hopefully not find the enemy and lose their life. The Tunnels were booby trapped with punji sticks, venomous snakes and other means to keep the Americans out of their efficient and effective tunnel system.

The tunnel system for the Viet Cong provided them to create hospitals for the wounded, communication stations, places for strategic plans to ambush the Americans in the jungle. The Americans never grasped the enormity of the tunnels which allowed the Viet Cong to stay elusive and disappear in a second without detection. It kept American forces baffled as to why they could never find the Viet Cong. It amount to great losses in the jungles of Vietnam for the American soldiers.

But despite the risk of being killed of going into the tunnels, the Americans continued to risk their lives to win the war against of the sneakiest and ingenious enemies they have ever encountered.

[Lucynell · Rating 5 out of 5]

For whatever reason one of the most important aspects of the whole Vietnam conflict (if not the most important, as this book quietly implies), the tunnel wars, seem neglected by popular culture. Maybe because it is too harrowing.
British journalists Tom Mangold and John Penycate refuse to take sides, which is always, always, a blessing. They lay out their interviewees' accounts and you can decide for motives.
The tunnel system, and the people who lived, fought, killed and died in them, Vietnamese and Americans alike, are the central theme. Small, mean, and the closest you can get to fearlessness they were some of the toughest specialized units in the history of war. Any war.
The book strays away from the tunnels to discuss politics, geography, social structure, weaponry, and general warfare in an informative way that again, refuses to take sides.
There a few small 'glitches' here and there but they are lost under the weight of the stories of some of the most incredible, and downright scary people you can meet in a book. If you have even the slightest interest in military journalism this I consider essential.

[Bob Schmitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great detailed story of the intricate, extensive, ingenious tunnel network built over 30 years by the Viet Cong in the laterite clays near Saigon. The author tells the stories from both sides and I found myself sympathizing with both the Vietnamese living in unbelievably harsh conditions underground and the Americans getting shot and frustrated by an elusive enemy. There was tremendous bravery on both sides. Hand neither hand grenades thrown into the tunnels nor bombing from above did much to destroy the tunnels because of their depth and the concrete like hardening of the clay. The most effective method of flushing out and destroying them was with a soldier with a pistol and a flash light who explored and set charges. I visited these tunnels when in Viet Nam. They are were tight and dark. My wife and I were the only ones in our group to slip into one through a trap door. I could not imagine the bravery of an American going into one in search of a Viet Cong soldier.

This is a detailed, well researched work on a widely known but little understood corner of the Viet Nam War.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tunnels of Cu Chi focused on a very specific, but important aspect of the Vietnam War: the extensive Viet Cong tunnel systems. These tunnels allowed whole units to move throughout South Vietnam undetected and protected the Viet Cong from the US’s superior firepower. I was amazed to learn about the size, complexity, depth and sophistication of these tunnels. Numerous levels, carefully disguised entrances, lookout points, sniper nests, specialized trapdoors (designed specifically to limit the effectiveness of tear gas), hospitals, headquarters, dormitories and storage areas were all designed into the tunnel systems. Furthermore, the authors did a good job at explaining how and why the American commanders failed to develop effective tactics to destroy the tunnels. A good degree of analysis was also given on how the success of the tunnel systems was linked to the American military’s inability to win a decisive victory.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books on the Vietnam War on the personal level. The authors were able to interview survivors of both sides of the tunnel warfare which essentially won the war for the Vietnamese communists. Both sexes took part in the warfare, including combat, on the Vietnamese side as had occurred in earlier Vietnamese history. The VC had entertainers to keep up morale, just like the US side. What is interesting is the different attitudes of the American commanders, the CG of the 1st Infantry Division early on figured out the importance of the tunnel system and had special organizations established to combat them (tunnel rats). The CG of the 25th didn't understand their importance, considering them a minor nuisance. Unfortunately for the US, the Iron Triangle was riddled with tunnels and an effective guerrilla organization until TET 68. In the end it was the NVA that took the glory of what was really a Vietnamese southern guerrilla victory.

[Mike Wigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It turns out I bought a pirated copy from a guy at the War Remnants Museum in Saigon who had lost both arms and his sight due to unexplored ordnance. There were quite a few misspellings. But the story was clear. Those who lived and fought within the CuChi tunnels on both sides were extraordinary people. The NLF, aka Viet Cong, showed an almost superhuman resolve to win their independence from the colonial and western powers. Sitting in a Starbucks in Ho Chi Minh City, seeing the fashionable young people with their mobiles, trendy hairstyles and chic clothing I wonder, were their grandparents VC? All this occurred within my lifetime, but it seems so removed from 2014.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. The stories of cunning skill and inventiveness in this book are amazing. That with the fact that the authors were as about as impartial as one can be, (both authors were BBC journalists), and interviewing both American and Vietnamese sides, really made this book into a serious piece of solid information.
From the story of the Vietnamese stealing an M-48 tank and burying it, to the birth of the tunnel rats, this book keeps coming with information that kept me fully interested.
Plus the whole 'David and Goliath' angle works well for it too.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about the Cu Chi Tunnels after visiting Vietnam, and was recommended this book. It's written in a balanced way, showing both the Vietnamese and American sides of the story, as well as chapters on specific individuals. It doesn't glorify the war or seek to judge either side, but rather presents the courage, hardships and daily lives of those on both sides. It's a fascinating book and I would recommend it to those who have an interest in the Vietnam war or those who have visited the country.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book on a subject that I knew nothing about. It shows again how ill equipped the Americans were in this war despite their huge technological supremacy. On top of the fascinating topic the book is good because it shows the topic from both sides. The authors cannot help showing their admiration for the Vitnamese approach which contrasts with the clumsy American approach. But they also show their admiration for the tunnel rats even though most of them were psychos.

[Van Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characterization of incompetent ARVN seems popular among Nam books.
It is remained unknown that ARVN fought diligently. The fact should be included in later Nam writings.

On the other hand, the accounts and records are apparently well-figured. Actions written would obviously prove the book as a must-read for any Nam learners.