The conditions that surround a battlefield largely shape how soldiers fight. Factors like weather, terrain, and notable landmarks are crucial in combat operations, particularly in unfamiliar areas. For American troops in Vietnam, these environmental challenges proved especially harsh. They had to navigate dense jungles filled with dangers, from Viet Cong ambushes to hazardous wildlife.
Beyond the immediate risks of thick jungle vegetation and wildlife, the environment itself posed serious health threats. Swarms of mosquitoes, many carrying malaria, were everywhere, and the rugged, wet terrain often led to painful foot conditions. Additionally, contaminated water sources posed a constant risk, frequently causing illness and infection.
Throughout the conflict, countless soldiers fell victim to these non-combat hazards, some of which are highlighted below.
Venomous snakes
Venomous snakes rank among the most dangerous creatures in the Vietnam jungle. According to the US National Archives, approximately 25 to 50 American soldiers suffered from snakebites each year during the Vietnam War. While not every snake encountered in the jungle is venomous, two specific species are frequently found—and crossing paths with them is strongly discouraged.
The yellow-bellied bamboo pit viper earned the nickname “two stepper” from American troops due to its highly potent venom, which can incapacitate a person after just a few steps. Although it usually takes more than the time of two steps for its venom to be fatal, its danger is indisputable.
The Viet Cong also used these snakes as treacherous weapons of war, suspending them from the ceilings of tunnels. When a soldier entered a tunnel searching for explosives or hidden enemies, a mechanism would release the snake, causing it to drop onto their unsuspecting head.
King cobras were also a common sight during the war. As one of the largest venomous snakes in the world, it can reach lengths of up to four meters. Troops encountered them in the jungle, rice paddies, latrines, and even coiled up on helicopter seats.
Dale Vaughn, a door gunner with the 114th Assault Helicopter Company, 1st Aviation Battalion, came across a juvenile cobra that he decided to adopt as a pet. Nestled safely in a cooler under his cot, he named the snake “O,” inspired by the distinctive white marking on the back of its head.
Aggressive insects
American troops, who nicknamed these creatures “Communist ants” for their red color and aggressive nature, encountered a major threat from weaver ants in the Vietnamese jungle. A single wrong step often provoked a rapid attack from these colonies, which seemed set on retaliating. Despite Army efforts to ward them off with insect repellent, the ants remained undeterred. While their bites were not venomous, they delivered intense pain.
Beyond the ants, soldiers regularly came across the Vietnamese centipede, a creature reaching up to eight inches in length. Its bite caused severe pain and could, in some instances, be lethal. Together with scorpions and spiders, these were among the largest and most dangerous insects American soldiers faced in the thick jungle.
Man-eating wildlife
Tigers, crocodiles and elephants – oh my! Plants and hard-to-see insects aren’t the only dangers lurking in the Vietnam jungle. Crocodiles lurk in the water, and elephants can charge unprovoked.
On December 22, 1968, a massive tiger stalked a team from the 3rd Marine Recon Battalion as they performed a routine patrol. While the team of six were waiting for a helicopter to take them back to base, bad weather meant they had to spend the night in the jungle. While two sat on guard, the other four went to sleep. That’s when the tiger attacked one of them.
PFC Roy Regan was sleeping next to the victim of the attack, and later recalled, “I jumped up and saw the tiger with his mouth around my partner. All I could think about was to get the tiger away from him. I jumped at the tiger and the cat jerked his head and jumped into a bomb crater ten meters away, still holding his prey.”
The men leapt into action and began firing their guns at the animal, who released its prey and allowed the Marine to crawl out of the crater. When the helicopter arrived in the morning, its crew found an injured comrade, the other five men and a dead tiger.
Killer plants
Navigating the thick and tangled brush of the Vietnam jungle could mean life or death for some soldiers. The hostile environment was a maze of dangerous animals, hidden assassins and plants that could maim or even kill. Heartbreak grass, or gelsemium, is an unassuming but poisonous plant that claimed many lives.
The plant contains a compound similar to strychnine and its effects can be felt almost immediately, eventually leading to death by asphyxiation. Despite its killer reputation, accidentally ingesting heartbreak grass occurs quite regularly and has been in the news over the last few years in relation to the suspicious death of a Russian whistleblower in 2012.
Stories of the “wait-a-minute” vine, or rattan plant, were also prolific among soldiers trudging through the Vietnam jungle. Tim Lickness, who arrived in Vietnam in 1968 with the 101st Airborne Division, described the vine’s ability to “grab you” and “suspend you in the air.”
Wait-a-minute vines come from a plant that grows long cable-like arms that easily hook onto and even tear skin and clothing, eventually wrapping you in an inescapable net. While these plants were only encountered off trails, many units decided to risk trudging through them to avoid trip wires, since the vines made it impossible to set traps.
Another plant known as elephant grass was so sharp, it would leave painful cuts on soldiers’ skin. The razor-sharp plant is practically impenetrable – we can only imagine the dread one would feel when a patch of elephant grass crosses their path.
Veit Cong tunnels
The Viet Cong had a major advantage in the dense jungles of Vietnam, not just through their strategic positioning but also via their extensive network of secret tunnels and booby traps which were a frequent and deadly occurrence. These tunnels, came from the earlier conflict between the Viet Minh and France over colonial dominance in Vietnam, stretched for miles and included everything from medical facilities and ammunition caches to living quarters. Equipped with food, water, and a sophisticated ventilation system, they allowed Viet Cong members to stay hidden there for long periods of time.
While American soldiers navigated the jungle on foot, the Viet Cong used their tunnel system to move quickly and avoid the environmental hazards and potential enemy threats. This intricate network also served as an ideal base for launching surprise attacks.
US forces attempted to neutralize these tunnels using explosives or by flooding them with gas and water, but these methods proved inadequate due to the Viet Cong’s design, which prevented major damage and flooding. To effectively clear the tunnels, specialized volunteers known as “tunnel rats” ventured inside with only a flashlight and a weapon. The confined spaces were fraught with booby traps, including grenades, gas, trap doors, flooding mechanisms, and even venomous snakes.
Viet Cong traps
As if the Vietnam jungle wasn’t enough for US soldiers to contend with, they also had to be on the lookout for traps laid by the Viet Cong. The aim of these was to maim, not kill, American soldiers, as it forced an entire unit to slow down while aid was applied. Not only did they cause physical injury, they also had a psychological effect, reducing morale.
Among the most notable traps deployed by the Viet Cong were Punji sticks, which were sharpened bamboo stakes that stuck out of the ground and were covered in either feces, urine or poison. This ensured that those who encountered them not only suffered a cut from their sharp points, but also an infection that kept them out of commission.
The swinging mace was also another formidable trap. Triggered by a tripwire, it was a heavy clay ball covered in spikes, which would cause serious injury to the upper portion of a soldier’s body. It was similar to the bamboo whip, a pole with spikes attached to it. When triggered, the trap could travel up to 100 MPH, inflicting a lot of pain.
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A final noteworthy trap deployed by the Viet Cong was the the rudimentary grenade-in-a-can. As its name suggests, it was made up of an active grenade placed within a can. Depending on the location, this type of trap was made up of one or two grenades, with the latter connected by a tripwire.