The tunnels of Vinh Moc

This isn't a war tour but it is very hard not to be aware of what happened here not so long and very much within my living memory.  We left Khe Sanh and headed a little north and east towards the coast.  We were travelling through the narrow corridor of the DMZ. -rather ironically named as it was the most heavily bombarded place on the planet.  There are old craters everywhere as we went from mountains to the plains. We avoided main roads, for the most part, through pretty countryside and with the usual fulsome welcome from all.

We stopped at a large memorial to all the civilians who died creating the HCM trail.  A place of great pilgrimage for the Vietnamese.  There are almost 11,000 graves.

Vinh Moc was in a very strategic place during the war - essential for the supply route - and on the coast directly east of a tiny island that the US held as an airbase.  The village suffered such heavy shelling that the normal shelters were not enough and so they moved underground - literally.  An astonishing, labarythine, complex of tunnels was constructed, up to 23 metres deep, and around 60 families lived there, only leaving for a very short period each day - if it was safe to do so.  Having been in the tunnels I can hardly believe that the people lived in them for 6 years - 6 YEARS! 

Each family had a minuscule space off the main corridors; there was only one lavatory; one kitchen; a tiny "hospital" about 3x2 metres; a meeting/school room; a well and one washing area.  That list makes it all sound quite spacious, believe me, it's far from that.  Even I had to duck all the time as we walked around in the (almost) darkness - Adrian was like a hairpin and his shoulders touched each side.  There are a few dim lights put in for the visitors but it is, in the most part so dark we were literally feeling our way through them.  There are many steps too, all uneven and so difficult to negotiate in almost zero visibility, I fell at one point. It is unbearably claustrophobic.  I couldn't wait to get out after 30 minutes; the thought of living there was truly dreadful to contemplate, but back then, the alternative would have been even worse. 16 babies were born down there - 15 of them still live in the rebuilt village. 

Despite the constant shelling of Vinh Moc no damage was ever done to the tunnels.  One bomb did penetrate but failed to explode the resulting hole was used as an air shaft. Many other underground villages were constructed but none so well planned and built as Vinh Moc.  It was one of those places that I am very glad I have been to but never want to experience again.

We moved on from there, along glorious coastline on a narrow and at times very rough road, that was terrific to drive on. We went through little fishing villages to astonished friendliness and now find ourselves in Hue - the old Imperial capital.

At our very basic hotel in Khe Sanh a rat ran up the curtains during dinner!  No such problems here in Hue (I hope!) as we are in a very pleasant French colonial hotel on the Perfume River.  The Perfume River what a wonderfully romantic, evocative name.