Submit to UNESCO to recognize Cu Chi Tunnels as a World Heritage Site

The way down to Cu Chi Tunnels. Photo: TP

Currently, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is waiting for the unified assessment opinions of relevant agencies to report to the Prime Minister for consideration, allowing the Ministry to coordinate with the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO to register with the UNESCO World Heritage Center to include the Cu Chi Tunnels relic in the list of nominees for the Project to build a World Heritage dossier.

According to the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels were built entirely by human power, with rudimentary tools and based on traditional experience and folk knowledge in wartime circumstances. This is a factor that demonstrates the extraordinary strength of the Cu Chi people as well as the unique value of the project, making the public, domestic and international friends admire and respect.

Currently, some historical figures who participated in the construction of the tunnels and provided documents and information related to the formation of the tunnels still live in the area. These are important witnesses, contributing to the construction of a dossier to ensure the authenticity, integrity and highlight the criteria of the heritage's global value.

Foreign tourists visit Cu Chi Tunnels. Photo: TL

Cu Chi Tunnels are located about 70 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Built in 1946, Cu Chi Tunnels were originally just separate secret shelters. Due to the effects of the war, local residents later linked the tunnels together to form a tunnel.

Around 1961-1965, before the fierce escalation of the war, Cu Chi Tunnels were built and strongly developed into a solid, interconnected tunnel system with a large scale across 6 communes in Cu Chi district with a length of about 250 km hidden underground.

During the period 1945-1975, Cu Chi Tunnels developed from secret tunnels into a complete system including many tunnels, traffic tunnels, combat tunnels, fortifications, living areas such as kitchens, meeting rooms, rooms for treating wounded soldiers, underground food and weapons storage...

Model of the tunnel system in Cu Chi tunnels. Photo: TL

After 1975, some areas of Cu Chi Tunnels were preserved, conserved and put into operation, promoting their value to serve domestic and international visitors as well as being an educational destination for the younger generation about patriotism and fighting against foreign invaders.

The Cu Chi Tunnels were ranked as a special national monument by the Prime Minister in December 2015. In 2020, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports was assigned to advise and prepare a dossier to submit to UNESCO to recognize the Cu Chi Tunnels as a World Heritage Site.

Source: https://congluan.vn/trien-khai-cac-thu-tuc-trinh-unesco-cong-nhan-dia-dao-cu-chi-la-di-san-the-gioi-post286555.html