Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City Private Shore Excursion

Underground passages, a market full of vendors, and the history behind them

A private shore excursion from Phu My Port to Cu Chi Tunnels with an English-speaking guide, Vietnamese lunch and hotel pickup and drop-off. You explore a section of the 125-mile tunnel network, watch a documentary about the tunnels' role in the war, see storage facilities and weapons factories built underground, and taste wartime foods like rice tapioca. The itinerary includes Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City and may add Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office or Independence Palace depending on your ship's schedule.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Cu Chi Tunnels3h · entry included
2. Ben Thanh Market30m

Cu Chi Tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City tour

• Drive to Cu Chi Tunnels
• Watch documentary about tunnels
• Explore underground tunnel network
• Learn about war history and tunnel features
• Try local war-time foods
• Optional shooting range visit (own expense)
• Transfer for lunch
• Visit Ben Thanh Market
• Optional visit to Ho Chi Minh City landmarks

The experience

The tour starts with a scenic drive northwest from Phu My Port toward the Cambodian border, ending at Cu Chi Tunnels. A guide gives you an overview of the tunnels' history before you watch a short documentary about how the network withstood bombing campaigns. Then you descend into the passages themselves (a section of the roughly 125-mile system) to see trap doors, storage rooms where the Viet Cong kept supplies, weapons factories and kitchens carved into the earth. The guide walks you through how the layout was engineered to survive the destructive power of the attacks.

After the tunnels, you try local wartime foods like rice tapioca and hot tea in the same way soldiers ate them underground. The tour then transfers to lunch before heading into Ho Chi Minh City. You visit Ben Thanh Market in District 1, where eating stalls serve hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine and the perimeter fills with restaurants at night. If time allows before your ship departs, the guide can add stops at Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Independence Palace or the People's Committee Building.

The whole excursion runs 7 to 12 hours depending on your cruise schedule. Your private guide and driver coordinate pickups and drop-offs with the port, and the tour includes bottled water, tissues, all entry fees and a Vietnamese lunch. Note that a shooting range operates nearby where you can fire an AK47 or machine gun, but that costs extra and is at your own risk.

What’s included

• Vietnamese lunch.
• bottled water and tissues.
• all entry tickets and fees.
• private guide in English.
• private driver.
• cruise port pickup and drop-off.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (12 to 85 years) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 9 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Maximus Travel Vietnam

Is this one for you?This is a private tour timed to your ship's departure, which means the guide coordinates everything with the port instead of you managing the schedule yourself: useful if you want to see the tunnels and the city without tracking departure times or arranging transport back to the dock.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 11 years); Infant (under 4): free.

How much of the Cu Chi Tunnels do I actually get to walk through?

You explore a section of the network: the tunnels stretch roughly 125 miles total, so the tour covers a portion of that system. The guide shows you trap doors, storage facilities, weapons factories and kitchens built underground, and you climb inside to see how they were constructed.

What happens if my ship leaves before the full 12 hours are up?

The tour is flexible and coordinated around your cruise ship's schedule. The guide and driver work with the port to time pickups and drop-offs so you get back in time to board, which is why the tour can run anywhere from 7 to 12 hours depending on when your ship departs.

Is lunch included, and what if I'm vegetarian?

Vietnamese lunch is included in the tour price. A vegetarian option is available. Just let the operator know at the time of booking if you need it.

What is Ben Thanh Market actually like to visit?

Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 is one of Saigon's oldest landmarks. You can buy local handicrafts, branded goods and Vietnamese art, eat at stalls inside serving hawker-style cuisine, or browse restaurants around the perimeter that open at night and fill the air with the smell of wok-fried noodles and grilled meats. The market is large and can be hard to navigate, and it's best to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Can I visit other Ho Chi Minh City landmarks besides Ben Thanh Market?

If time allows before your ship departs, the guide can arrange visits to Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Independence Palace or the People's Committee Building. What gets added depends on how much time remains in your schedule.