Cu Chi Tunnels Place guide

The Cu Chi Tunnels complex is another popular Ho Chi Minh attraction in the south of Vietnam. Here, you can observe the famous underground system of the Viet Cong freedom fighters. If you want an up close and personal history lesson about Vietnam’s history (especially during the Indochina and Vietnam wars), then this stop is a must.

See: To explore the complexity of the Ho Chi Minh tunnels, you’ll need to crawl your way in the dark through a few long, claustrophobic tunnels (optional). Pass through the 100-meter length tunnels that were specially widened for travelers, so that if at any time you feel as if the walls are closing in on you, you can escape every 20-meters and return above ground. 

You can also visit a tunnel that wasn’t modified in any way – small and short, just enough for the Vietnamese, but difficult for invaders to squeeze into.

Outside the tunnels, there is a secluded wooded area with displays of well-maintained wartime uniforms as well as some grisly tunnel traps. The latter were created to injure enemies; anyone unfortunate enough to step on one would find themselves in a world of discomfort and pain.

Do: Interested in what it felt like to be a soldier some 60 years ago? You can try your hand at firing live weapons that were used during the actual conflict at a gun range within the complex. Pair that with a walk through the jungle, where you’ll find craters formed when American B-52 bombers dropped explosives in the area.

Best time to visit: Try to go in the morning, around 7:30am, or later on at 1:00pm to avoid too many people on tour – they usually visit around 10:30am, 11:00am or 3:30pm.

How to get there

• To get to the Cu Chi tunnels, take bus No. 74 from Ben Thanh Market to An Suong bus station. From there, you can look for another bus to the Ben Duoc Cu Chi tunnels.
  
  
• Join a half day Cu Chi Tunnels tour to make things easier
  
  
• If you’ve got a whole day, you can try the Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels tour.

Address: TL15, Phú Hiệp, Củ Chi, Hồ Chí Minh 733814, Vietnam
Operating hours: 7:00am to 5:00pm
Entrance fee: VND 40,000 (US$4)