The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee will spend 155 billion VND (7.4million USD) from the city's budget to build a 2.3 km embankment alongthe Sai Gon River to prevent erosion at the Cu Chi Tunnels historicalsite in Cu Chi district.

The 2.3 km embankment will extend fromthe border between HCM City and Tay Ninh province's Trang Bang districtto 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.

Afterthis first phase of the project to prevent erosion at the tunnels iscompleted, the People's Committee will start the second phase if thereis 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.

Earlythis year, People's Committee officials made a field trip to thehistorical site and surveyed erosion of the riverbank from Ben SucBridge to the border between HCM City and Trang Bang district.

In some areas, erosion extends 10 metres deep inland.

Locatedabout 70 km away from the HCM City centre, the Cu Chi tunnels has animmense network of connecting underground tunnels which were used byVietnamese soldiers during the war against France and the US as livingquarters, hospitals, supply routes, food and weapon caches.

The Cu Chi Tunnels historical site is one of the city's most popular tourism destinations.-VNA