Cu Chi Ben Duoc Tunnels: Small-Group Day Trip & War Memorial

Summary

Ben Duoc tunnels quiet war stories local flavors & temple

You’ll leave Ho Chi Minh City behind for a quieter side of history at Ben Duoc tunnels with a small group. Crawl through real VC tunnels, taste local tea and tapioca, visit Vietnam’s largest war memorial temple, and share lunch with new friends. The stories and silences stay with you long after heading home.

What’s the experience like?

“You ever tried tapioca dipped in crushed peanuts?” our guide Minh asked, handing me a chunk that still steamed a little. I’d never even thought about it, honestly. We were already deep into the Cu Chi Ben Duoc tunnels day trip, having left Ho Chi Minh City’s traffic behind about an hour and a half earlier. The van ride out was sleepy — I kept watching scooters zip past rice paddies and those tiny roadside coffee stalls where people just seem to linger. We stopped at this lacquerware workshop for a bathroom break (and yeah, I bought a little bowl I didn’t need), then kept going until the city noise faded out completely.

The first thing that hit me at the Ben Duoc area wasn’t the tunnels — it was how quiet it was compared to what I’d heard about the other Cu Chi sites. Minh pointed out a cluster of school kids on a field trip; he said most foreigners go to Ben Dinh instead, so this spot feels more like local ground. Walking through the reconstructed liberation zone, you get these flashes of daily life during the war — old uniforms hanging up, pots blackened from wood fires, even a faint smell of earth and smoke in some corners. The propaganda video was…well, let’s say it made me think about how stories change depending on who’s telling them.

I’m not exactly built for crawling through tight spaces but Minh grinned and said “just try 20 meters.” So I did — knees scraping red dirt, heart thumping louder than I expected. It’s dark down there and kind of sticky-humid, but when you pop back up into sunlight you suddenly appreciate every breath. Afterward we sat under trees drinking strong tea with boiled tapioca (that flavor sticks with you), while Minh explained how people survived on almost nothing here for years.

The last stop was the massive Ben Duoc temple — honestly bigger than any memorial I’ve seen before. Incense smoke drifted everywhere and families moved quietly between altars; it felt heavy but peaceful too. Lunch was five courses at a local spot nearby — fish sauce everywhere (in a good way) and lots of laughter from our table when someone tried to pronounce “chả giò” right. On the drive back to Saigon I kept thinking about that silence underground and how different history feels when you’re actually standing in it.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Cu Chi Tunnels and War Memorial Tour

• Hotel pickup at 8:00am
• Drive 1.5 hours to Cu Chi District
• Stop at local lacquerware factory
• 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 AK47s and M16s range
• Try local tea and tapioca
• Visit large war memorial temple
• Enjoy five-course Vietnamese lunch
• Return to Ho Chi Minh City
• Drop off at city center or pick-up point

Top questions

How far are Ben Duoc tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City?

About 1.5 hours by car—roughly 20km farther than the popular Ben Dinh site.

Is this Cu Chi Tunnels tour less crowded than others?

Yes, Ben Duoc attracts fewer foreign tourists compared to Ben Dinh.

What is included in the Cu Chi Ben Duoc day trip?

The tour includes hotel pickup/drop-off, entry fees, English-speaking guide, bottled water, lunch, tea & tapioca tasting.

Can you crawl inside the actual Cu Chi tunnels?

Yes—there are options for 20m, 60m or 100m tunnel sections depending on comfort level.

Is lunch provided during this day trip?

Yes—a five-course Vietnamese set menu is included at a local restaurant near the memorial temple.

Is there an option to shoot guns at Cu Chi Tunnels?

There is an optional shooting range visit; bullets cost extra if you want to try AK47s or M16s.

Are there restroom breaks on this tour?

Yes—there’s a stop at a lacquerware factory early in the trip for restrooms and refreshments.

Is this tour suitable for everyone?

The tour isn’t recommended for pregnant travelers or those with poor cardiovascular health due to tunnel crawling.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Ho Chi Minh City in an air-conditioned vehicle, all entry fees for both the reconstructed liberation zone and tunnel area at Ben Duoc, guided tunnel exploration with an English-speaking Vietnamese guide, tasting local tea and boiled tapioca as VC fighters did during the war years, plus a five-course Vietnamese set menu lunch before returning to your drop-off point in town.