Vinh Moc Tunnels

The Vinh Moc Tunnels are an underground complex near the village of Vinh Moc in Vinh Linh District, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. They were excavated during the Vietnam War to shelter civilians and protect them from heavy bombing.

The tunnel system comprises multiple connected galleries and chambers that include living quarters, kitchens, storage spaces and a maternity room where children were born while villagers lived underground. Several hundred local residents took refuge in the tunnels during intense bombing campaigns.

Construction began in the mid-1960s to protect the local population from sustained aerial bombardment, and the tunnels were actively used through the war years. The complex illustrates civilian wartime adaptation, with engineering focused on ventilation, water supply and the ability to sustain life underground for extended periods.

The tunnels lie near the coast in Quang Tri Province, an area that was heavily impacted by conflict during the Vietnam War and sits north of the former Demilitarized Zone in central Vietnam.

• Visitor conditions: A tunnel complex open to visitors that preserves intact rooms, corridors and surface shafts; many sections are low and narrow, requiring careful footing and crouching in places.

What to See #

• Tunnel levels: Three main levels of tunnel galleries carved into the coastal earth, with connecting shafts and passages that include living quarters, kitchens and storage rooms.
• Maternity room: A dedicated room used as a maternity area where births took place while villagers lived underground during bombing campaigns.
• Wells and ventilation shafts: Vertical wells and ventilation shafts that supplied air and freshwater to the underground complex and formed visible surface features.