Just 70 km North West of Ho Chi Minh City is the Cu Chi Tunnels complex, at the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This vast underground network of war tunnels stretched as far as Cambodia. If you are visiting Saigon then my must take a Cu Chi Tunnels tour, it is the biggest attraction in town.

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Where are Cu Chi Tunnels?

Cu Chi Tunnels are located about 60 km from District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. The bus trip takes around 2 hours, depending in traffic in Ho Chi Minh City.

Booking a Cu Chi Tunnels Tour Through Your Hotel

If you are considering booking a Cu Chi Tunnels Tour, there’s a 90% chance you’re staying in Ho Chi Minh City (otherwise known as Saigon). And if you are staying in Saigon there’s a 90% chance you’re staying in District 1. That’s the main tourist district, the happening part of Saigon.

Our favourite hotel in District 1 of Saigon is the Duc Vuong Hotel, an inexpensive hotel with a wonderful tour booking office. Our Cu Chi Tunnels Tour was simple to organise. We just approached the hotel tour booking office and asked for a tunnels tour, and they organised the rest.

The tour booking agent suggested we combine a Cu Chi Tunnels half day tour with a Saigon City Tour. This sounded like a great idea. When we booked it cost 1,040,000 VND per adult and 740,000 per child for the combined tour. Alternatively we could have toured just the Tunnels of Chu Chi for 540,000/400,000 each.

Note that this is a luxury tour, in a small luxury van. We find these much more enjoyable than the large bus tours, so long as you can afford it. And in Vietnam tour prices are quite cheap, so it’s unlikely to break your budget.

The Tour company booked through the hotel travel office is Luxury Group Tours / Kim Travel. You can check out the exact combined tour details here. We thoroughly recommend booking these guys. The tour guide was excellent and the we couldn’t fault this excellent tour in any way.

Booking Through a Local Travel Agency

If you are staying in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, finding a local Travel Agency should be as simple as walking for a couple of minutes down your hotel street. These agencies are absolutely everywhere, and they are usually open until very late. All you need to do is go in and ask for a Cu Chi Tunnels Tour, and they will present a range of options for you.

It is probably worth checking out a couple of Tour Agencies to make sure you are not being ripped off. And that you’re happy with the options presented. However, the below guidelines should be enough to get you well on the way.

Chu Chi Tunnel Tour Options:

Budget Group Tour

• Large air-conditioned bus.
• Maximum 30 people per group.
• Cost is about $6.
• You also need to pay the 110,000 VND / $5 Cu Chi Tunnels entrance fee.
• You need to meet at the company bus stop.

Standard Group Tour

• Smaller air-conditioned bus.
• Maximum 20 people per group.
• Cost is about $15.
• You also need to pay the 110,000 VND / $5 Cu Chi Tunnels entrance fee.
• Hotel pick up.

Luxury Group Tour

• Smaller air-conditioned luxury van.
• Maximum 9 people per group.
• Cost is about 540,000 VND / $24 for adults, 400,000 VND / $17 for children
• Cu Chi tunnels entrance fee is included in the tour cost.
• Hotel pick up.

Cu Chi Tunnels by Boat Group Tour

• 1 hour Luxury speed boat one way along the Saigon River.
• Air-conditioned bus the other way.
• Maximum 15 people per group.
• Cost is about $48.
• Cu Chi tunnels entrance fee is included in the tour cost.
• Hotel pick up.

The Best Tour Recommendation

I recommend you take the luxury tour. The standard tour will cost $21 dollars after you pay for the entrance fee. The luxury tour costs just $3 more at $24. The added comfort of the small luxury van is certainly worth paying the $3 extra for. But of course if you want to splash out and pay double, give the speed boat a try.

The War Remnants Museum is also a must see attraction, and to see it on the same day as the Cu Chi Tunnels half day tour, it gives you a excellent inside to shocking history of Vietnam. An afternoon city tour is a nice addition to the Cu Chi tunnels half day tour. But if you aren’t interested in the City Tour, then at least Grab a taxi to the War Remnants Museum.

Tour Itinerary – Luxury Tour

Since this is the recommended tour, and the tour that we booked, I’ll give you the itinerary for the Luxury Tour. The other tours will be very similar.

Pick Up From Hotel

The luxury van picked us up at a respectable 8:30 am from our District 1 Hotel. There were only 2 people in our party and only 2 other people on this tour, making it quite a personalised tour.

First Stop – Art Factory

It seems that all buses to the Cu Chi Tunnels stop at a factory on the outskirts of Saigon which produces beautiful artwork. They are hand painted and have mother of pearl and egg shell detail added, and then a heavy coat of lacquer. The twist is that these are all made by handicapped people, and you get to see them at work, up close. This beautiful artwork is hand made, right before your eyes.

You are explained the entire process from start to finish, which is very interesting. And of course at the end you are led into the show room and invited to make a purchase.

We found that a smallish item which costs 1,200,000 VND in the factory can be purchased for around 500,000 VND at the Ben Thanh markets (after a good haggling session). I cannot say if the quality is the same, I suspect the factory in the tour will be a much better product. Anyway it’s hard to resist making a purchase, and we have a lovely hand painted and egg shelled masterpiece to take home.

The Cu Chi Tunnels

The drive to the tunnels is not all that interesting. There are some large rubber plantations with row upon row of rubber trees. Apart from that, there’s really not that much else to see.

When you pull up in the car park you soon realise this is the most popular tour in town. You are confronted by what seems like hundreds of tour buses as far as the eye can see. But we did not encounter masses of people, I guess the tours are staggered, and each bus is at a different point on the Cu Chi Tunnels tour.

In the car park there is a Cu Chi Tunnels map in the car park. Then you walk through a gift shop, then through a long concrete tunnel entrance. Then the tour guide stops at another Cu Chi Tunnels map. This map includes the entire network for the south of Vietnam, and includes a section view showing how the different underground tunnels function. All the tours stop here for 10 minutes to get a general overview of the tunnel systems, and a history lesson.

Exploring the Tunnels

Then it’s time to start walking along several hundred metres of walking trails. First stop is the small opening in the ground where you can climb into a 1 metre deep hole and close the hatch. Then suddenly appear for that oh-so-instagrammable photo. Beware, large people won’t really fit in the hole, and skinny people will get muddy.

Other Attractions

There are several other points of interest over the next couple or hundred metres – different types of tunnel openings, vent hatches, even an old American tank you can climb on for a photo opportunity.

Going Underground

Now it’s time for the main attraction, going underground into a real Cu Chi Tunnel. This one has been slightly enlarged so that western tourists can actually fit into the tunnel. However they are still incredibly small and claustrophobic.

Once you go into the tunnel the first exit is after about 50m. You are invited to exit take that exit if you want to. If you feel the need to keep going, the next exit is at about the 100m mark, and the final exit is about 200m I think. But I only made 50m, so I’m not really sure.

These tunnels are very small and difficult to take a photo in, but it’s well worth the effort.

Cu Chi Tunnels Shooting Range

I’m sure that for some people, the Cu Chi Tunnels firing range is the highlight of the tour. Here you can purchase live bullets and shoot real military weapons, as long as you’re a minimum of 16 years old. Generally bullets cost around $2 per bullet.

Some guys are willing to spend a few dollars, and you can even see some real machine gun rat-a-tat-tat action. Here’s a guide to what you can purchase and shoot, per bullet:

• AK47: 50,000 VND
• K63: 50,000 VND
• M60: 45,000 VND
• M16: 50,000 VND
• M30: 40,000 VND
• Garand M1: 40,000 VND
• Carbine: 40,000 VND

We did not have a shot, due to the restrictions on children. Frankly, we couldn’t wait to get some distance between us and the shooting range, it’s just so LOUD. There’s a gift shop right near the shooting range, but it’s so loud we didn’t want to spend any time there.

Other Attractions

There are still quite a few other attractions to see along the way – a variety of lethal trap doors, storage facility, weapons factory, field hospital, command centre, kitchen, shoe factory, B52 bomb crater, and more.

Local Delicacies

Before leaving there is a local treat in store, where you get to sample some sugar cane juice, and tapioca with peanuts. Apparently this is and an authentic Viet Cong diet during wartime. But I can say it’s very yummy, and served in an authentic forest setting.

Documentary Film

The last stop is to watch a documentary film on the Vietnam War. Actually it is called the American War whilst you are in Vietnam. The film is a propaganda film about the heroics of the Vietnamese people trying to kill those American enemies. It shows a lot of real footage from wartime, and is a real eye opener.

Museum and Souvenir Shop

As you exit the Cu Chi Tunnel Complex you are led through a comprehensive weapons and bomb museum, where you see a wide range of weaponry used during the Vietnam – American War. Interesting for some.

Back to Saigon

The trip back to Saigon is very uneventful. If you decided to take a combined City Tour like we did, there is still another half a day of touring to go. After a very sweaty 3 hours of walking around the Cu Chi tunnels complex, it is a relief to get back on the air-conditioned bus.

Review of the Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

After taking this tour I agree that it is definitely one of the best day trips from Ho Chi Minh City. I would go as far as saying it’s not to her missed. For me the main attraction is not just the actual tunnels, but also the history lessons that go with the tour.

A history lesson is always so much more meaningful when you are standing right there, where it all happened. And to stand in a Cu Chi tunnel, where thousands of Viet Cong guerrillas fought for their country, and to learn how the war was really fought, well it is one of the most powerful history lessons I’ve ever had.

Research Your Ho Chi Minh City Trip

You can never do too much research before your holiday! Here are some great resources to help you before you go.