Choose your Cu Chi Tunnels visit
The Cu Chi Tunnels are a wartime tunnel system northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, with separate visitor sites at Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. Choosing the site comes before choosing the transport: the entrances serve different historical settings and are not interchangeable stops at one gate. A focused visit suits travellers interested in underground spaces and wartime daily life; a combination adds a second destination and changes the shape of the day.
Ben Dinh presents the former district committee site, with a documentary, a weapons workshop and an M41 tank wreck. Ben Duoc relates to the regional leadership and military command, with storage and treatment rooms, a reconstruction area and a memorial temple. Read the individual guides to Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc before deciding which setting interests you.
Cu Chi tunnel visits
Choose Ben Duoc for a guided tunnel visit. The private trip picks up in several districts, while the combined trip adds boat rides and lunch.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide and Viator. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta
- All entry fees and boat trips
- Vietnamese lunch
The return ends at Ben Thanh Market or an office; a vegan lunch option is available.
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Cu Chi and a Mekong coconut village
- Mekong River motorboat and sampan rides
- Vietnamese lunch
Pickup and return cover selected central areas; a vegan meal option is available.
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Private tunnel trip from your hotel
- Cu Chi Tunnels: Entrance Fees
- Vietnamese English-speaking tour-guide
Pickup and return cover hotels in the listed districts; the price is per person.
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Explore the Ben Duoc tunnels
- Entrance fees
- Short documentary film
Cassava tasting is included; confirm that your hotel is within the pickup area.
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Guided tunnels trip from Saigon
- Entrance fees
- English-speaking guide
Pickup covers the listed districts; drop-off is in District 1.
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Tunnel visit from central Saigon
- Entry tickets
- English-speaking guide
The return ends at Ben Thanh Market or an office; check your pickup address when booking.
Check availability →Ways to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels
Compare guided road trips, a Ben Duoc small group, private transport and longer tunnel-and-delta outings, with different pickup and return arrangements.
Choose a visit and plan the details
Tours compared
Compare routes, meals and return arrangements.
Half-day visits
Focus on one tunnel site and the return journey.
Private tours
Choose a dedicated private outing.
Speedboat excursions
Make the river journey part of the visit.
Ben Duoc
Explore the regional command context and memorial.
Ben Dinh
Understand the former district committee site.
Entry and opening hours
Separate local charges from package inclusions.
Tunnel history
Learn about rooms, daily life and remembrance.
Getting to the tunnels
Choose the entrance before planning transport.
Weather and visit timing
Prepare for regional rain and heat.
Choosing a base
Match accommodation with the collection area.
A tunnel visit or a longer day
The guided road visit with central hotel pickup includes an English-speaking guide, admission and water, with the return ending at Ben Thanh Market or the tour office. Another morning-or-afternoon programme collects from central hotels in Districts 1, 3 and 4 and drops passengers in District 1. The distinction matters if you are planning dinner or onward travel from your accommodation.
For a longer outing, the tunnel-and-delta programme with boat trips includes lunch, fruit and admission fees. The coconut-village combination includes motorboat and sampan rides, a village ride and lunch, with hotel transfers limited to selected central areas. A Ben Duoc small-group visit includes admission, a documentary and cassava tasting, while meals cost extra. The private tunnel outing includes admission, an air-conditioned vehicle, tapioca and tea, plus hotel pickup and return in Districts 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Use the tour comparison to separate these inclusions from the overall destination choice.
History above and below ground
The tunnels served as shelters, connections, supply routes and spaces for daily life during the Indochina wars. Kitchens, meeting rooms, storage and treatment areas explain why this is more than a sequence of narrow passages. The historical network and the route available to visitors are different things; a description of the former should not become an expectation of how far you will walk underground.
Ben Duoc also has a memorial temple commemorating civilians and combatants killed in the Saigon, Cho Lon and Gia Dinh area. Give this part of a visit its own quiet attention. The history guide explains the underground spaces and remembrance without turning the place into a list of military superlatives.
Road transport, boat packages and preparation
Organised road transport and organised river excursions are distinct ways to reach the tunnel sites. A speedboat outing is a package with its own meeting point and itinerary. It should be chosen as an excursion rather than treated as a public ferry connection. For an independent road journey, arrange the return as carefully as the outward ride, particularly when using a taxi or Grab. See getting to the tunnels for the separate approaches.
The underground passages can be low, dark, hot and narrow, including in widened visitor sections. Consider your comfort with crouching and confined spaces when selecting an itinerary. Closed shoes with grip, comfortable clothing, insect repellent and sun protection help with the outdoor parts; paths can become muddy after rain. The admission guide helps distinguish site fees from package inclusions. Choose your tour first, then check the exact entry, pickup area and return point rather than assuming every package covers the same services.
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Questions about your visit
Which tunnel site should I choose?
Ben Dinh focuses on the former district committee setting. Ben Duoc adds the context of regional command spaces and the memorial temple. Choose for the content you want to see and use the corresponding entrance.
Is a half-day visit a short city stop?
Allow for the outward and return journeys as well as the site visit. Half-day is a programme label, so compare the stated duration before making another timed booking.
Is this guide connected to the site administration?
This is an independent visitor guide. It is separate from the tunnel administration and the companies operating the excursions described here.