Cu Chi Tunnels & Ben Duoc Liberation Area: Private Day Trip

The tunnels run 20 kilometers deeper than the tourist version, with fewer crowds and a war memorial that is Vietnam's largest.

A private day trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi tunnels and the Ben Duoc Liberation Area, about 20km beyond the main tourist zone, with a live English-speaking guide, hotel pickup and five-course Vietnamese lunch included. You'll walk through a 50-hectare reconstruction zone that shows how people lived and fought between 1961 and 1972, then spend 1.5 to 2 hours navigating authentic underground bunkers, viewing weapon and booby trap exhibits, and choosing your own tunnel distance: 20, 60 or 100 meters. Local tea and tapioca are served as they were to VC fighters. A shooting range is available separately. The drive takes about 1.5 hours each way.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cu Chi Tunnels and Liberation Area

• Hotel pickup at 8:00am
• Drive 1.5 hours to Cu Chi District
• Visit Cu Chi Liberation Area Reconstruction Zone
• Watch Vietnam War propaganda video
• Explore underground bunkers and exhibitions
• Navigate authentic VC tunnels (optional distances)
• Optional shooting at range with AK47s and M16s
• Experience local tea and tapioca tasting
• Enjoy five-course lunch at local restaurant
• Return to Ho Chi Minh City and drop off

The experience

Hotel pickup starts at 8am, and the drive through countryside to Cu Chi District takes about 1.5 hours. You arrive at the Củ Chi Liberation Area Reconstruction Zone, a 50-hectare site that recreates the landscape and structures of the war years. This is where you get a sense of the architecture (how houses were built, how people moved through daily life, how the fighting unfolded) across the period from 1961 to 1972. A brief propaganda video gives you the Vietnamese perspective on the war before you move into the tunnels themselves.

Underground, you'll see the kitchen where meals were prepared, the meeting rooms where decisions were made, ammunition storage, and exhibits of weapons and booby traps. The tunnels are authentic, not reconstructed, and you choose how far to crawl: 20 meters, 60 meters, or 100 meters. A shooting range is on-site if you want to fire an AK47 or M16. Ammunition costs extra. Between the tunnels and the exhibits, you spend 1.5 to 2 hours here. Local tea and boiled tapioca (the same foods that sustained fighters during the war) are served as a taste of what survival meant in those years.

Lunch is a five-course Vietnamese set menu at a local restaurant, eaten among the locals and their hospitality. After that, the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City takes the same 1.5 hours. You're dropped at your hotel or at a city center location of your choice. The whole day runs 7 to 8 hours from pickup to return.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned car and English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup at 8am and return to your hotel or city center.
• entry to the Cu Chi Liberation Area Reconstruction Zone and tunnels.
• five-course Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant.
• boiled tapioca and local tea.
• one bottle of drinking water per person.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 to 60 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French and Japanese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Asiana Link Travel

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so you move at your own pace with your own guide instead of joining a group: ideal if you want to linger at the bunkers or skip the shooting range without waiting for others. The Ben Duoc location draws fewer tourists than the main tunnel area, which means you spend your time on the history instead of the crowds.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, French and Japanese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the difference between Ben Duoc and the main Ben Dinh tunnel area?

Ben Duoc is about 20 kilometers farther from Ho Chi Minh City than the popular Ben Dinh zone, which means fewer tourists and a quieter experience of the same historical site. Both are authentic Cu Chi tunnels. Ben Duoc simply draws a smaller crowd.

How far can I crawl into the tunnels?

You choose your own distance: 20 meters, 60 meters, or 100 meters through the authentic underground passages. There's no single route. You pick what suits your comfort level.

Is the shooting range included in the tour price?

The shooting range is available on-site, but firing an AK47 or M16 costs extra. The ammunition is not included in the tour price.

What does the Liberation Area Reconstruction Zone show?

The 50-hectare zone recreates how people lived, worked and fought in Cu Chi between 1961 and 1972: the architecture of houses, the layout of daily life, and the events of the war years. It gives you a physical sense of the landscape and the conditions people faced.

Is this tour private or shared with other travelers?

This is a private tour, so you travel with your own group in a dedicated air-conditioned car with your own English-speaking guide for the full day.

What's included in the lunch?

A five-course Vietnamese set menu is served at a local restaurant. Drinking water (one 500ml bottle per person) and local tea and tapioca are also included throughout the day.