Cu Chi Tunnels
An Underground Network Of About 250 Km Of Tunnels Used By Viet Cong Fighters During The Vietnam War, With Kitchens, Hospitals And Booby Traps. Two Preserved Sections, Ben Dinh And Ben Duoc, Are Open With Tunnels Widened For Visitors, Guided By Ex Soldiers Or Staff. · Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City
The Cu Chi Tunnels are a former Viet Cong tunnel network about 70 km north-west of Ho Chi Minh City, built from the late 1940s and expanded in the 1960s. At its height it ran for roughly 250 km on three levels, with kitchens, hospitals, sleeping rooms and booby traps, under a district that was heavily bombed and sprayed with Agent Orange. Two parts are open: Ben Dinh, nearer the city and more crowded, and Ben Duoc, further out, larger and quieter. Visitors see camouflaged air vents, trap pits, a tapioca and tea tasting, and can crawl a short stretch of tunnel widened for tourists. This is the war told from the Vietnamese side, and parts are blunt propaganda. A shooting range is on site, which many find uncomfortable. It is hot, humid and touristy, yet it is a powerful visit if you take it seriously. Expect crowds at midday, small hot tunnels and a lot of walking in humid air, so wear light clothes, carry water and go early. Guides add real context, and the civilian side of the war is told quietly if you ask.
War-time tunnel network in the Cu Chi district about 70 km north-west of central Ho Chi Minh City, with the Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc sites open to visitors, Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Open daily from around 7 am to late afternoon, with no regular closed day. Tours usually arrive mid-morning or early afternoon, so crowds peak then. Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc have their own gates. Going at opening gives a quieter tunnel and a cooler walk. Confirm hours and which site your tour uses before you book.