Cross-sectional diagram of Vietcong tunnel system used by the communist insurgents during the Vietnam War. Because the tunnels were so narrow and cramped, only men of a smaller stature could be effective as Tunnel Rats. Generally, these troops, who mostly hailed from America, New Zealand and Australia, were under five foot six tall and slim in.. The Army faced two different threats in the Vietnam War, preventing it from focusing on exceptional performance in either conventional or unconventional warfare. The conventional forces of the North Vietnamese Army demanded respect from the U.S. Army. At the same time, the unconventional insurgency of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (known as the Viet Cong) presented a very real.
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, traps, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were important to the Viet Cong and the resistance teams in their resistance to American and ARVN forces, and helped to counter the growing American military.. Now part of a Vietnam War memorial park in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), the Cu Chi tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction.