The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee will spend 155 billion VND (7.4
million USD) from the city’s budget to build a 2.3 km embankment along
the Sai Gon River to prevent erosion at the Cu Chi Tunnels historical
site in Cu Chi district.
The 2.3 km embankment will extend from
the border between HCM City and Tay Ninh province’s Trang Bang district
to the end of the Cu Chi Tunnel site.
The embankment will prevent further riverbank erosion that affects the Ben Duoc and Ben Dinh temples at the historical site.
After
this first phase of the project to prevent erosion at the tunnels is
completed, the People’s Committee will start the second phase if there
is an emergency. It will also depend on the city’s budget capacity.
The second phase calls for construction of a 1.6 km embankment from the historical site to Ben Suc Bridge.
Early
this year, People’s Committee officials made a field trip to the
historical site and surveyed erosion of the riverbank from Ben Suc
Bridge to the border between HCM City and Trang Bang district.
In some areas, erosion extends 10 metres deep inland.
Located
about 70 km away from the HCM City centre, the Cu Chi tunnels has an
immense network of connecting underground tunnels which were used by
Vietnamese soldiers during the war against France and the US as living
quarters, hospitals, supply routes, food and weapon caches.
The Cu Chi Tunnels historical site is one of the city’s most popular tourism destinations.-VNA