I have to admit that this is one of the main reasons that we came to Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon. The Cu Chi tunnels network, that is. There’s that and the War Remnants Museum. We’ve visited both twice and spent hours at both of them. Both times. The Cu Chi Tunnels complexes are located just outside Ho Chi Minh City and were an integral part of the Vietnam War. There are a variety of ways to visit the tunnels which have immense historic importance. Our guide details how to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels and also a little about the history, what you shouldn’t miss when visiting, and key information about the tunnel complex.
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Used during the Vietnam War, tunnels were integral to the Vietnam War, they hid entire villages, and allowed Viet Cong soldiers to move around and infiltrate American areas. There are several tunnel complexes in Vietnam, the most famous are the Cu Chi Tunnels about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City.
EASIEST WAY TO VISIT
This half day tour visits the Ben Duoc area of the Cu Chi tunnels which is known for providing the most authentic visit to the Cu Chi tunnels.
Head here for the most authentic experience – but book early.
How to Get to the Cu Chi Tunnels
There are a variety of ways to get to the Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City – from taking the public bus (the cheapest way to visit), to taking a tour that also visits the Mekong Delta, which is great if you’re short of time in this part of Vietnam. There are speed boat trips that you can take, or you can rent a motorbike and go there on your own. A taxi or private transfer is the most comfortable and flexible method of getting to the Cu Chi Tunnels. But let’s go through each of them and I’ll also cover our visits, what you should see at the Cu Chi Tunnels, and some key information on the locations.
If the Vietnam War, and the period of history surrounding this is of interest, then you should take a look at my content on the Key Vietnam War Sites and the Vietnam DMZ locations to visit.
Take a Tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels
Taking a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels has changed significantly over the years. It’s 10 years since we first visited and the tours then were jammed full of tour buses from the backpacker area of Ho Chi Minh City, and always, always involved stopping off for a “shopping visit” that no one was interested in on the way back. Things have changed a lot. Vietnam is an excellent country for changing and listening to public demand and in these tours they definitely have. And that’s why I recommend taking a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels these days. You can opt for small groups, where there are no shopping trips, where you’ll get an informed guide, and there are also different modes of transport that you can take too.
Further in this post, you can read a little about the two different tunnel complexes that are called the Cu Chi Tunnels, but my advice is to go to the Ben Duoc complex. This tour goes specifically there. It’s a small group tour, with a maximum of 10 people, so you’ll always be able to hear what the guide has to say and you won’t be stuck waiting for 40 people to get on and off a bus.
You can learn an awful lot about a place from a knowledgeable guide – and this tour delivers on that, explaining the propaganda about Cu Chi – there’s a video that you’ll see at the tunnels. And yes you get to go into the tunnels, see where and how the booby traps were set and crawl through a 100-meter-long tunnel, even go into the secret entrance if you want.
Here there’s also the opportunity to try some of the tapioca that sustained many of the Viet Cong for a long time. And, if it floats your boat, you can shoot some of the guns available here at the complex (you’ll need to pay an extra fee for this, in cash at the location).
Don’t just take my word for it, read some of the recent reviews of this particular tour here.
Take the Highspeed boat to the Cu Chi Tunnels
For a somewhat different experience, you can take the Saigon River Express speedboat for a 90-minute journey along the Saigon River to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This tour includes a private viewing of the official Cu Chi Tunnels video and you’ll be accompanied throughout by an English-speaking guide.
Your tour includes the full site, and you’ll get to explore the tunnels as I’ve described above, but on this tour, you don’t just get the tapioca, there’s a full traditional Vietnamese lunch included to be taken after your visit to the tunnels.
Take the Public Bus to the Cu Chi Tunnels
The cheapest way to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels is also the most adventurous. And while I say public bus, I actually mean two public buses. You need to plan relatively carefully for this, as the last bus leaves Ben Duoc at 17:30 (so it’s best to go in the morning) and if you try and catch the return bus at around 15:00 then you’ll likely get caught in kids out from school, which means it will be jam-packed!
These bus details are to visit the Ben Duoc Cu Chi Tunnels.
The public bus is easy. We caught the number 13 from Pham Ngu Lao, just by waving at it, although you can also go to the bus terminal at Công Viên 23-9 in District 1 and catch the bus there. The 13 bus departs every 30 minutes.
This bus costs 7,000 VND per person and it takes about 90 minutes, traffic depending, to get to the Cu Chi Bus Station, which is where this bus terminates.
Once there it’s easy to find the number 79, which costs another 6,000 VND and takes you through the countryside to the Cu Chi Tunnels. This part of the journey was about 45 minutes in torrential rain. Saying Tunnels, Tunnels to the driver means that he will yell at you when it’s time to get off. Your heart may stop a little as it looks like you’re getting off in the middle of nowhere, with not even a bus stop sign in sight. When you walk on a little and look to the left, there’s the sign for the tunnels.
The bus stop now has a sign that shows you which way to walk to the Ben Duoc Cu Chi Tunnels area.
If any of this concerns you, just take a look at our map below, and make sure you either download Maps.me or use Google Maps to ensure that you’re in the right place. (Don’t worry though, the bus drivers around here are used to visitors wanting to get off here).
On the return trip, simply go back to the bus stop that you got off at (but on the other side of the road), heading back to Cu Chi terminal. You’ll do the same trip in reserve. The same costs apply.
On our second visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the bus was jammed with school kids. Diane (my sister-in-law) got the only available seat – right at the front, and there were even 10 people in front of her. Her Vietnamese improved enough to make friends with a local family and even sample some of their food.
“I ate it, ” she said “but I don’t know what it was. A sample got passed back to the rest of us, standing further back. We ate it too, and don’t know what it was either.
These bus details are to visit the Ben Dinh Cu Chi Tunnels.
Take the same bus number 13 that I’ve detailed above, but you’ll want to get off at the An Suong bus station. Then you’ll want bus 122 to the Tan Quy bus station. From the Tan Quy bus station take the 70 bus to Ben Dinh bus station.
Ride a Motorbike to the Cu Chi Tunnels
If you want to head to the CU Chi Tunnels under your own steam but don’t want to take the bus, then you can rent a motorbike and go there. Our map will show you the details of the locations. Rent a bike from your hotel, or go online and book a bike via BikesBooking.
Take a taxi or a Grab to the Cu Chi Tunnels
The most comfortable way to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels is to take a private transfer or taxi. You can also use Grab. You can book a taxi using your hotel or guesthouse, or call up the taxi companies in Ho Chi Minh City – I’ve detailed the numbers of companies that I recommend. Grab is likely to be a little cheaper than a taxi, and you can likely convince your Grab driver to wait for you and bring you back. (Note that Grab in Vietnam is charges a 4% foreign card fee, so you might want to opt for paying cash)
This is the most expensive way to go to the Cu Chi Tunnels and you’ll pay around 650,000 VND for a taxi of up to four people.
Taxi companies in HCMC to go to Cu Chi Tunnels
- Mai Linh Taxi: 028 3838 3838
- Vinasun Taxi: 028 3827 2727
You’ll most likely need to pay for the taxis in cash, but if you want to take a private transfer, then you can prebook and prepay using 12GoAsia – they offer vehicles that will take 3 people, 4 people, and a van that takes up to 9 people, so if you have a group, this is an excellent way to travel. Once you arrive at the Cu Chi Tunnels complex there are staff who work here who will provide the tour.
Check costs and availability for a private taxi to Cu Chi here – it takes about 50 minutes to travel to Cu Chi this way.
Take a tour to both the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta in one day
If you’re short of time and don’t have enough to get to the Mekong Delta, then I recommend combining visiting both in one long day. Can Tho, where this tour also takes you is a delight (we spent three days there, traveling down from Chau Doc to Can Tho)
On this tour you’ll start early – around 07:30 and take a minibus or limousine (you have the option to book either), you’ll arrive at the Cu Chi Tunnels after about 90 minutes and then take the full tour of the site, including visiting inside the tunnels and tasting tapioca. However don’t fill yourself too full, as you’ll be heading to a local restaurant for a great Vietnamese lunch.
Then you’ll jump back into your transport and head down to the Mekong Delta, where you’ll take a boat ride down the Mekong River, before heading in a sampan down some of the smaller waterways. This is a great way to combine two absolutely essential Vietnam things to do.
All About the Cu Chi Tunnels
The tunnels that you see today began life in the 1940s when Vietnam was at war with the French – these tunnels were originally for hiding and storing supplies. It was in the 1960’s, during the Vietnam War that these tunnels were expanded and connected together. Eventually, there were more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) of connected tunnels here in the Cu Chi area.
The use of the tunnels expanded a lot – they were used to hide from the Americans, they were used to transport supplies, and communications. Americans who ventured into the tunnels ran into booby traps.
It wasn’t until 1976, the year after the war ended, that the tunnels were preserved and turned into memorial parks.
What’s the Best Time to Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels
Obviously when you’re in Ho Chi Minh City is the best time to visit these Cu Chi Tunnels, but if you can visit during the dry season (November to April), your experience will be better and the tunnels are a much better experience when they’re dry. Visit during the wet season and you’ll definitely get an authentic experience!
It’s also best to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels in the morning if you take public transport so that you ensure you don’t miss the last bus back.
Which Cu Chi Tunnels to Visit
There are two different Cu Chi Tunnels complexes. We visited Ben Duoc, the other tunnel site to visit is Ben Dinh. Benh Dinh is slightly closer to Ho Chi Minh City and tends to have more people visiting it, as its closer. If you’re buying a tour to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, and it does not specifically say which tunnel complex you’re going to then you are most likely going to go to Ben Dinh.
Both sites are similar, but Ben Dinh tends to be more crowded than Ben Duoc. You’ll see the same types of exhibits about life, hospitals, food, clothing, and the like at both sites. Both sites have a shooting range (at an extra cost to the entrance fees)
Cu Chi Tunnels Opening Hours
Vietnam’s Cu Chi tunnels are open from 07:00 until 17:00 every day.
Cu Chi Tunnels Entrance Fee
The entry fee to the Cu Chi Tunnels is 125,000 VND per person. If you’re taking a tour then this is usually included in the cost you pay, but check the small print to ensure it is. The entry fee includes a guide from the complex itself. Our guide was excellent. You can pay your entry with a credit or debit card. (We use the Wise card for foreign payments, and it works well in Vietnam – you can read more about it here)
Our experiences visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels
We hopped on a couple of local buses and spent a couple of hours getting there before walking in with a Vietnamese couple on a quiet, rainy midweek day.
There was an air of desertion as we walked onto the site, under the sign, to the ticket booth, where we handed over our entrance fees and wandered in the general direction of – well, not back out the exit (there’s a distinct lack of signage and the map you’re given is not helpful.). You can choose to visit the temple built to commemorate the martyrs (that’s a common word when it comes to the war, so you’d best get used to it), but you will need to wear long trousers and long sleeves to visit inside.
A few hundred meters later, there’s a display of old American weaponry. That’s common across all the war sites, displays of American weaponry, not a great deal of Vietnamese weaponry at all. And then there’s a ticket check area and as we follow 15 or so Vietnamese in, we’re told to wait, at least that’s what we think the hand wave means this time.
A few minutes later we’re led off, just the two of us – being the only Westerners in sight – into the jungle down well-trodden paths, and within less than a minute you’re completely disoriented and have no idea where the other group has gone or where the way out is. You pass a display showing the uniform of the Viet army and then throughout the jungle there are a series of covered screening areas, which is where you’re shown the 15-minute program (in English for us) on the history of Cu Chi and how the American devils came to destroy it.
It’s old, there’s a lot of propaganda, but it’s fascinating. If you get to the end of your video (we had a power cut) then your guide will return and show you a plan of the tunnels and then a map. I was completely ignorant up until this point about the different levels involved. Our guide spoke pretty good English, although heavily accented, and it did help that we’d read up a little beforehand.
Now you head off further into the jungle (or we might have turned back on ourselves, I was probably walking in circles). And TBH this is part of the whole experience. It was raining, it was humid, it was hot, in the war I would have lasted maybe 15 seconds, if that. You walk past termite mounds, that actually are covers for air holes into the tunnels and then you come to your first tunnel. The guide will show you how the tunnels have been increased in size for tourists while you’re thinking, but how the heck am I going to crawl through that!!
We also got to go into the bunker, where the entrance is just about shoulder width and Nige duly squeezed in, the guide and I shut the entrance lid and Nige shoots at us – with a camera, from inside. After he manages to find his way out, we head off into the tunnels proper. You do come up between areas of the tunnel and then go down again, at one point you have the option to go through a longer section (the guide said just 30 meters, but my knees said longer), but you don’t have to and can bypass that (but honestly, why would you take the bypass?).
When you finally come up, there’s a bamboo hand washing station and you get to taste tapioca – which is what the Vietnamese lived on primarily during the war.
And it’s not the sloppy rice pudding that you’re expecting, it’s actually quite pleasant, but I’m not sure I would say that after 10 years of it. It was hot, humid, disorienting, and a superb tour, a perfect introduction to the war in Vietnam.
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Final Words on How to Go to the Cu Chi Tunnels
The tunnel complexes about 60 kilometers (37 miles) outside Ho Chi Minh City are worthy of a visit, whether you decide to take the bus(es) here or take a tour. You will learn a lot about recent history and get to understand a little more about both this area and the Vietnam War history. There are a variety of modes of transport and it’s relatively easy to get to the Cu Chi tunnels, you just need to decide how you want to get there!
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