The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of underground passages stretching over 250 kilometres beneath the Cu Chi district, approximately 70 kilometres northwest of central Saigon. During the Vietnam War, this network served as a command centre, hospital, supply route, and living space for Viet Cong fighters and local civilians. Visiting them today is one of the most viscerally educational experiences in Southern Vietnam — the kind that makes history physically comprehensible in a way that reading about it never quite achieves.

Ben Dinh vs Ben Duoc: which site to visit

There are two main visitor sites at Cu Chi: Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc. Most day tours and group tours go to Ben Dinh because it’s closer to Saigon (about 50km vs 70km for Ben Duoc) and better set up for quick group visits. The experience is legitimate but optimised for tourist throughput — tunnels have been widened slightly to accommodate larger visitors, and the experience is somewhat compressed.

Ben Duoc is larger, more authentic, and significantly less crowded. The tunnels here are closer to their original dimensions (genuinely narrow — most adults need to crouch and some larger visitors find them impassable). The site also includes a memorial temple and a broader landscape of the original tunnel area. If you’re going to make the effort to visit Cu Chi, Ben Duoc is worth the extra 30 minutes of travel.

What to see and do

Both sites include guided tunnel sections where you can walk (crouch-walk) through a portion of the original underground network. The experience of being underground, in near-darkness, in a space barely wider than your shoulders, is something that photographs cannot replicate. Most visitors find the 100-metre section offered enough — a full kilometre of tunnel at the original depth and width would be genuinely claustrophobic.

Above ground, the sites display the ingenious booby trap mechanisms used to defend the tunnel entrances, the different types of tunnel openings (camouflaged to be invisible from above), a weapons workshop demonstration, and a “shooting range” where visitors can fire period-appropriate weapons (AK-47, M16) at an additional charge. The shooting range is popular but entirely optional.

Getting there from Saigon

Organised tour: The easiest option. Half-day and full-day tours depart from District 1 hotels from around 7:30am. Price: 200,000–400,000 VND per person depending on group size and whether the Mekong Delta is combined. The tours include transport, a guide, and entrance fees.

By yourself: Take a Grab or taxi to Ben Thanh Bus Station (Bến xe Miền Tây direction) and catch bus 13 or 79 toward Cu Chi, then a local xe ôm (motorbike taxi) to the tunnel site. Total journey: 2–2.5 hours each way. More time-consuming but significantly cheaper (~80,000–120,000 VND return).

Practical tips

Wear dark clothing — the tunnel walls leave chalk and earth marks on light fabrics. Bring a small torch/phone flashlight for sections where the tunnel lighting is poor. If you’re claustrophobic, you can observe the tunnel sections without going inside — the above-ground exhibits are extensive enough to make the visit worthwhile regardless.