Cu Chi Tunnels: Private Tour with Hotel Pickup & Early Access

4.97

(768 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to be sipping tea and chewing on boiled tapioca in a dim room underground, but that’s how our Cu Chi Tunnels private tour started — well, after our guide Linh handed us cold water in the car and cracked a joke about “VIP” meaning no karaoke on the drive. The city faded fast behind us. I kept thinking we’d hit traffic, but it was just green fields and motorbikes. Linh said starting early dodges the big groups; she was right — we barely saw anyone at Ben Dinh except one family who looked as lost as I felt watching the old black-and-white film about the tunnels. It’s weird seeing history like that, all grainy and proud.

The tunnels themselves? Smaller than I imagined. I’m not tall but still had to duck and shuffle sideways sometimes, palms brushing rough walls. There’s this earthy smell down there — clay and something faintly sweet, maybe from roots? Linh pointed out old air holes disguised under leaves, then showed us a crater left by a B52 bomb (it’s just sitting there in the grass). She told us stories about her grandfather hiding here during raids. I tried to picture it: pitch dark, silence except for your own breath. Kind of makes you quiet too.

Afterwards, we sat outside with more tea while Linh explained the difference between Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc (one’s bigger, fewer tourists if you care). Someone nearby tried the shooting range — loud cracks echoing through trees — but honestly I was happy just sitting in the shade, legs stretched out. On the ride back to Ho Chi Minh City I dozed off for a bit, which is rare for me. Maybe it was all that crawling around or maybe just relief at being above ground again. Either way, I still think about that strange mix of claustrophobia and calm down there.