Kazuki Matsumoto, better known as Kiki, is a famous Japanese blogger who has been living in Vietnam for six years. On his YouTube channel with nearly 130,000 followers, Kiki shares videos about his trips, Vietnamese cuisine and culture of different regions of the country.

Most recently, when his two friends, Ayumi and Fumi, came from Japan to visit him, Kiki led them to Cu Chi Tunnels which is 70 kilometers from HCM City’s center.

Cu Chi Tunnels were once named among top 25 Asian symbolic destinations voted by TripAdvisor users in 2017 and ranked seventh among the seven most famous tunnels in the world by South China Morning Post in 2018. CNN once named Cu Chi among the top underground destinations of the world.

In Vietnam, Cu Chi Tunnels is a famous revolutionary historical monument, called ‘the land of steel and copper wall’. The tunnels, thousands of miles in length, was the underground shelter for Vietnamese troops during the war. 

The construction of the tunnels began in 1946, and it took 20 years to complete the 200 kilometer route with the depth of 3-12 meters and 12 floors which could withstand the destructive power of many types of heavy bombs.

After listening to the tour guide's explanations and watching an introductory video about this historic site, Fumi was excited about going underground through a tiny passageway like Cu Chi militia used during the resistance period.

At Cu Chi Tunnels, Kiki and his two friends for the first time enjoyed shooting with real bullets. The admission ticket to the area for shooting was VND60,000 per shot. Kiki then spent VND1.2 million on tickets so that the three of them could enjoy the activity. 

The sound from the shots was very loud, scaring Ayumi a bit.

After that, the travelers were led into the secret tunnels. It was dark and narrow inside, with the space just large enough for one person. Many tourists were experiencing the activity. The travelers said they had to hunch their back to move, but they still were happy with their discoveries. They also had the chance to taste boiled cassava dipped with sesame and salt.

Phan Dau