Hidden under house number 287/70 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street (HCMC) is a secret bunker that was once associated with the activities of the Saigon Special Forces in the resistance war against the US. Especially, at the time of the General Offensive and Uprising of Spring Mau Than 1968, more than 2 tons of weapons were hidden here for combat use.
The house was bought by Mr. Tran Van Lai (code name Nam Lai) in 1966 with the aim of being a secret base. Under the guise of repairing the house, he dug a tunnel with the reason of building a toilet manhole, and at the same time organized the transportation of weapons from the suburbs to the inner city for safe storage.
The house has an area of about 35 m2, but below is a tunnel system more than 8 m long, 2 m wide, 2.5 m deep. The entrance is sophisticatedly disguised as a normal floor part, placed near the stairs; the tunnel lid is 60 cm long, 40 cm wide, with a screw-up latch to open with a lever. Inside the tunnel, circular frames are also designed connected to drainage pipes, both ventilation and creating escape routes when necessary.
After a battle, the house was suspected and bombed by the enemy, but the secret of the weapons bunker was not discovered. Previously, this place had stored a large amount of weapons including about 350 kg of TNT, C4 explosives, 15 AK rifles, 3,000 rounds of ammunition and many pistols, B40s and grenades.
It is noteworthy that the tunnel is located right in the city center, only more than 1 km from Independence Palace, but the entire tunnel excavation, transportation and storage of weapons are still kept absolutely secret.
In 1988, the relic "Weapon Base of Saigon Special Forces" was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic. Currently, the location is open for free, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and learn about a special historical period of Saigon.
