The landscape above the tunnels is itself a document of the war. B-52 bombing raids left craters across the Cu Chi district, and several have been preserved at both tunnel sites as memorials to the scale of the destruction. The Cu Chi area was one of the most heavily bombed regions in history; standing at the rim of a crater gives that statistic physical weight.
The sites also preserve the effects of Agent Orange defoliation — the chemical herbicide campaign that stripped the jungle of cover in an attempt to expose tunnel entrances and supply lines. Photographs and explanatory panels at the museums show what the landscape looked like at the height of the defoliation campaign, and what has grown back since.
Throughout the grounds, guides demonstrate the camouflage techniques used by Viet Cong fighters: tiny concealed tunnel hatches, disguised air vents, and tunnel traps designed to injure soldiers who fell into them. Captured American military equipment — tanks, helicopters, artillery pieces — is displayed at several points along the outdoor trail.