Cu Chi Tunnels Ho Chi Minh City: Half-Day Tour & AK-47 Shooting

Underground kitchens and trap doors: what the Cu Chi fighters actually lived with

You're picked up from your Ho Chi Minh City hotel, driven two hours to the Cu Chi Tunnels, and spend several hours crawling through the actual underground network used during the Vietnam War. You'll see living quarters, kitchens, weapon rooms, learn about trap construction, and can fire an AK-47 at the shooting range before returning to the city by early evening or late afternoon, depending on your departure time.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour

• Pickup from Ho Chi Minh City
• Drive 2 hours to Cu Chi Tunnels
• Explore tunnel system and chambers
• Learn about guerrilla daily life
• Crawl through tunnels used in war
• See kitchens and living quarters
• Learn about traps and weapons
• Try shooting range with AK-47
• Return to Ho Chi Minh City

The experience

Most tours show you a place. This one puts you inside it: literally crawling through the same narrow passages where guerrilla fighters sheltered during the Vietnam War. The Cu Chi Tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City aren't a museum display. They're the real network, and you move through them on your hands and knees, ducking under roots and stone, seeing the living quarters, the kitchens carved into the earth, the weapon rooms where soldiers improvised their tools. Your guide is English-speaking and walks you through how people actually survived down there: the traps, the ingenuity, the daily rhythm of a war fought underground. It's the kind of history that doesn't land until you're bent over in a tunnel yourself.

The day starts early or midday depending on which slot you choose. Morning departures leave around 8:00 AM from central Ho Chi Minh City hotels in District 1. The afternoon option kicks off at 12:10 PM. Either way, it's a two-hour drive out to the tunnels, which gives you time to settle in and ask questions. Once you arrive, you have hours to move through the complex: crawling sections, standing sections, chambers where you can touch the walls and imagine the weight of earth above. The guide points out the different trap types and explains how they worked, and there's a weapon room where you see how limited resources became functional arms. After you've explored, there's a shooting range where you can fire an AK-47 if you want to (you have to be 18 or older). It's optional, but most people do it. It's surreal and loud and over in minutes.

The return journey takes you back to Ho Chi Minh City center by early evening. Morning tours land around 3:30 PM, giving you the rest of the day free. Afternoon tours wrap around 7:00 PM. Pickup is from your hotel if you're in District 1 (not Tan Dinh or Dakao areas), and drop-off is the same: no negotiating a ride back to the city. The vehicle is air-conditioned, and you get entry tickets, water, and a guide who's done this enough times to answer the questions you didn't know you'd have. If you want lunch after the morning tour, there's a restaurant nearby where you can grab something on your own time.

What’s included

Your tour includes hotel pickup from central District 1, round-trip transport in an air-conditioned vehicle, an experienced English-speaking guide, entry tickets to the Cu Chi Tunnels complex, one bottle of water, and drop-off in the center of District 1. The shooting range experience with an AK-47 is included but optional, and available only to guests 18 and older.

Options for this experience

4 options

Ben Dinh section, large groupGuide in English · 08:00 and 12:05

Ben Duoc section, quieter and smallerGuide in English · 08:00 and 12:05Explores the less-crowded Ben Duoc section of Cu Chi Tunnels in a small group, with pickup included.

VIP Ben Duoc with lunch and VIP vehicleGuide in English · 08:15

Private door-to-door Ben Duoc tourGuide in English · 6 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 13:00Private tour of the less-crowded Ben Duoc section of Cu Chi Tunnels, with door-to-door pickup and drop-off within Ho Chi Minh City, pickup included.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 13:00

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (3 to 9 years) · Infant (under 3): free

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.Operator's directions: “Kindly make your way to the meeting point (our office) located at: 123 Ly Tu Trong street, District 1 by 8:15am for the Morning Tour or 12:00pm for the Afternoon Tour.”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Saigon Cyclo Tours - Vietnam Adventure Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to understand the Vietnam War through the actual spaces where it was fought, without arranging your own transport or guide: the fixed schedule and included pickup mean you show up and go, while the two-hour drive gives you context before you arrive.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 9 years); Infant (under 3): free.

How long is the drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi Tunnels?

Around two hours each way. Total tour time is roughly 5–7 hours depending on whether you choose the morning (8:00 AM) or afternoon (12:10 PM) departure.

Do I have to crawl through the tunnels?

Yes, there are sections where you crawl on your hands and knees. The passages are narrow and low. If you have mobility concerns, mention them when booking so the guide can advise on what's accessible.

Is the AK-47 shooting mandatory?

No, it's optional. You must be 18 or older to participate. It's a short, supervised experience at a range on-site.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup from District 1, air-conditioned transport, English-speaking guide, entry tickets to the tunnels, one bottle of water, and drop-off in central District 1.

Can I get picked up from any hotel in Ho Chi Minh City?

Pickup is from central hotels in District 1 only, excluding Tan Dinh and Dakao wards. If you're staying elsewhere, you can meet at a central meeting point.

What time do I return to Ho Chi Minh City?

Morning tours return around 3:30 PM. Afternoon tours return around 7:00 PM.

Is there time for lunch?

After the morning tour, there's a nearby restaurant where you can grab lunch on your own. The afternoon tour doesn't include a dedicated lunch break.