How to get to Cu Chi Tunnels: choose the entrance first
The first decision in how to get to Cu Chi Tunnels is which visitor site you want. Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc have separate entrances and different exhibits. Give your driver the full site name, rather than only Cu Chi, and use the same destination when looking at a bus connection. A journey to one entrance should not be treated as arrival at both.
Ben Dinh includes a documentary film, a weapons workshop and an M41 tank wreck. Ben Duoc has underground storage and operating rooms, a reconstruction area and a memorial temple. Decide which visit interests you before comparing transport. This also helps when a tour offers different sites under different options.
Bus connections towards Ben Duoc
The site's own travel information describes bus 13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi bus station, followed by bus 79 towards Ben Duoc. Treat this as a route to investigate, then check the current boarding stop, direction and return service for your date. Leave room for the interchange rather than building a tight plan around separate journey estimates.
For Ben Dinh, look up a connection specifically to that entrance. The Ben Duoc instructions are not interchangeable with a journey to Ben Dinh. Keep the full destination available on your phone and settle the return plan before setting off, especially if you want to continue to another activity in the city.
Reach the tunnels by minivan
The minivan picks up at selected District 1 hotels according to the booking.
Hand-picked tours, booked through 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.
A road excursion with selected hotel pickup
Travel by air-conditioned minivan with an English-speaking guide and entrance fees; pickup covers selected District 1 hotels, and lunch belongs to the limousine option.
Taxi, Grab and the return journey
A taxi or app ride lets you choose the entrance directly. Arrange the return pickup or waiting plan as well as the outward ride, including where to meet after the visit. Travel time depends on your starting address, traffic, weather and time of day. Agree how waiting and the return leg will be charged instead of budgeting from the outward quote alone.
Reserve your transfer from Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) to Ho Chi Minh City in advance on Welcome Pickups.
Organised road and boat journeys
The road excursion featured here includes entrance fees, an English-speaking guide, mineral water and cool towels. Its hotel pickup and drop-off cover selected hotels in District 1; lunch is included only with the limousine option. Read the half-day tour guide if a single tunnel visit is your main aim.
Organised water journeys use the Saigon River, with Bach Dang and the Saigon Waterbus Station relevant to meeting arrangements. Choose a speedboat excursion as a package with its own meeting point and itinerary. Allow time for a safety briefing and locate your life jacket. Unsafe conditions can lead to rescheduling or cancellation; light rain alone is not the cancellation rule described for the river programme.
Taxi and transfer from Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN)
Plan the airport arrival as a journey from SGN to your city accommodation. Have the accommodation address ready and allow for traffic rather than relying on a fixed transfer duration. This first leg gives you a clear base from which to organise the tunnel outing.
The onward journey to Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc is a separate arrangement. Name the chosen site when organising that trip, together with the return destination. An airport-to-hotel transfer should be budgeted and scheduled separately from your tunnel transport.
Scooters, rental cars and parking
Before driving yourself, establish the licence requirements for your nationality, vehicle class and insurance. Ask about access and current parking charges for your chosen entrance; leave parking out of any supposedly fixed transport budget until you have the actual terms. Renting a vehicle and having permission to drive it are separate questions.
Saigon base and the War Remnants Museum
Keep the museum as a separate city stop and leave flexibility after the return from Cu Chi. Choose your accommodation base around the pickup or meeting arrangement you will use. For the wider city context, use Ho Chi Minh City visitor guide.
Put the journey together
Destination
Choose the entrance before selecting transport.
Meeting
Keep the full pickup address or boat meeting point ready.
Return
Agree where the day ends and how you get back to your accommodation.
Transport questions
Which entrance should I give the driver?
Use Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc by name. Choose according to the exhibits and visit you want, then agree the matching return meeting point.
Can I use buses 13 and 79?
They are a useful starting point for planning towards Ben Duoc. Check the current stops, connection and return service for your travel day.
Does the airport transfer include the tunnels?
Organise SGN to your city accommodation first. The drive from that base to the chosen tunnel entrance is a separate leg of your plan.