Cu Chi Tunnels – tunnels on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City

Last Update: 25th October 2020
The 200-kilometers-long Cu Chi Tunnels are located around 40 kilometers northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. The 3-layer tunnels system is composed of tens of tunnels with a width of around 80 centimeters. The first floor is 3 meters from the ground, the second 5 meters from the ground and the third is 8 – 10 meters from the ground. Originally, they were to resist the governance of France. Locals spent more than 20 years digging the tunnels. Later, they played an important role in the Vietnam War.

Cu Chi Tunnels Fast Facts

  • Name: Cu Chi Tunnels
  • Length: 200 x kilometers
  • Things to do there: Photography, Adventure, History and Culture
  • Who visits: Photographers, Adventure Enthusiasts, History and Culture Lovers
  • Time required: 2 – 3 x hours

What to expect at the Cu Chi Tunnels

Cu Chi Tunnels offer hospitals, meeting space, bedrooms, commander rooms, grain depots and traps. During most of the day at war, soldiers worked or took a rest in the tunnels. At night, they went outside to fight or seek for food, water, ammunition and so on. Life in the tunnels was hard. Sometimes, due to the continuous bombing from the American Army, the Vietnamese soldiers couldn’t be able to go out but had to stay in the tunnels for long. Consequently, water and food were in severe lack and some people got ill. The attraction is to let people know that today’s peace is difficult to achieve.

 

You can experience how to get into the narrow tunnel if interested on the condition that you join in a tour group with an English speaking tour guide. The tour group makes sense to you. The guide always lets one of the members to stand in a pit covered with leaves. When he squats, the body will be covered with leaves.

 

The woods is filled with a variety of traps. The tour guide demonstrates how they work. Under the turf are bamboo poles with sharpened sharp tops. When the American soldiers fell down into the trap, the Vietnamese soldiers saved and took them to the doctor. When he cured them, the American soldiers would be sent back to the American Army and let the opposite party know there were lots of that kind of traps in the woods. Some of the traps are filled with long nails.

 

The connecting points of the tunnels are covered with large ant’s nests to avoid the recognition of the American Army.

 

In addition, you can try shooting with real guns and ammunition at the shooting range. Tanks, armored cars, helicopters and ruins of forts are well preserved in the area. Finally, you can enter the opened tunnels to get one-hand experience.

 

Best time to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels

 

The best time to visit the tunnels is in the morning as it usually takes around 2 – 3 hours to explore them.

 

The best months to visit are from April to October.

 

How to get to the Cu Chi Tunnels

 

The only option is to rent a vehicle to the tunnels.
 

Additional Cu Chi Tunnels Travel Advice

 

  • Opening hours: 07:00 – 17:00
  • As at 25th October 2020, Ben Duoc and Ben Dinh Tunnels are opened to the public.
  • The entrance pricing to the tunnels with an English-speaking tour guide is 110,000 VND per person. For the latest pricing, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
  • Please wear comfortable hiking shoes.

 Interested in visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels on a Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Cu Chi Tunnels among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.