THE SECRET TUNNEL IN DALAT
For a long time, even Dalat people haven’t known about the secret tunnel under the governor palace, Bao Dai Palace. It is about 3 m underground, on top of it, there are black blocks of stone which are very rough as they are falling down. But the way is easier to follow passing the entrance visitors don’t have to lower their heads. The tunnel height is about 2 m, the width is 1.6 m; there are some places that are about 3 m high. Going on about 3 km there is an intersection with a left turn and a right- ahead which is very dark and then a small turn about 1.4 m wild but it ends after 6 m because of the collapsing of land (above this is the gate to the palace of the rich man of the Southern, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hao, Bao Dai’s father-in law and now it is the Lam Dong Museum).
Going along the main way inside, the atmosphere becomes denser and denser, the tunnel becomes darker and darker and the cool air from the soil wall makes frightening feeling increase. The wall and the ceiling is made of stone but because of the long passing by, this stone is rotten.The light which is on and off on the wall makes it like in hell. The lines which roll on the wall are just like sticking tongue of the sorcerer. The floor of the tunnel is not flat it is very rough. There are some distances where stone and soil lie disorderly as the tunnel has just been dug. The right sideway of the tunnel is larger and then coming to another intersection space is open. Perhaps, formerly this was the place to hold activities or to store goods. According to one person who has lived for about 30 years, the tunnel has an exit at Yen The street and that long ago he had already passed through the right sideway of the tunnel and came back to land but then the exit collapsed and people built house on it.
It was rumored that in 1945 the Japanese dug tunnels underground to arrest French officials. From the villas on Yen The Street to Palace Bao Dai No.1, about 1.5 km, there is a secret tunnel joining Palace No.1 Bao Dai, passing Nguyen Huu Hao palace and Yen The Villas, going straight to the general Governor Palace ( Palace No.2),3 km long.Till now, everything has still been unknown except that at Palace No.1 and the Governor palace there are tunnels and there are many escaping ways.
