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| A gate to tunnel Vinh Moc, which was used as a shelter for 60 local families between 1966 and 1972. — Photo foody.vn |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam visited the central province of Quang Tri on Monday.
He highly appreciated the locality for its efforts in healthcare and education and tribute to the families of war heroes and martyrs.
The Deputy Prime Minister ordered the concerned agencies in the province to compile a plan to develop sea tourism in Cua Tung-Cua Viet-Con Co Island, build Thong Nhat Park and compile a dossier on the war tunnel Vinh Moc to seek UNESCO’s recognition as a world heritage site.
Vinh Moc Tunnel complex is located in Vinh Moc Village in Vinh Thach Commune, Vinh Linh District, in the central province of Quang Tri. The tunnel served as a strategic location on the border of North Viet Nam and South Viet Nam during the American War. It was built to protect people from the intense bombing in Son Trung and Son Ha Communes in Vinh Linh District of Quang Tri Province in the Vietnamese Demilitarised Zone.
The villagers of Vinh Moc supplied food and armaments to the North Vietnamese garrison on the island of Con Co, which hindered American bombers on their way to bomb Ha Noi.
The villagers built the tunnel measuring 30m in depth and shifted the entire village there. The tunnel was constructed in several stages beginning in 1966 and was used until early 1972. The complex grew to include wells, kitchens, rooms for each family and spaces for healthcare. Some 60 families lived in the tunnel complex, with as many as 17 children being born inside.
The tunnel proved to be a success as no villager died. The only direct hit was a bomb that failed to explode, and the resulting hole was used as a ventilation shaft. — VNS
OVietnam