Cu Chi Tunnels tour from Ho Chi Minh City: Morning departure

Walk through a 200km tunnel network built by hand, then taste how soldiers ate

A morning tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City includes hotel pickup from District 1 or 3, an English-speaking guide, entrance fees, and tapioca with tea. You'll explore the underground command center, fighting bunkers and booby traps, watch a documentary before departure, and learn how the tunnel system stretched toward the Cambodia border and served as a base for attacks on Saigon. The 90-minute drive each way means five hours total. The tour suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cu Chi Tunnels Morning Tour

• Depart from Ho Chi Minh City center
• Watch documentary film
• Visit command center
• Enjoy steamed tapioca and hot tea
• Discover Hoang Cam smoke-less stove
• Explore fighting bunkers and booby traps
• Optional shooting experience
• Travel 90 minutes to Cu Chi

The experience

The tour starts with pickup from your hotel in District 1 or 3, then a documentary film at the office before the 90-minute drive to Cu Chi. Once there, you walk through the actual tunnel network (over 200 kilometers of passages dug by hand without machinery, GPS or architects), and see the command center where decisions were made. The bunkers and booby traps are still visible, built from bomb shells and scrap metal collected from battlefields. You also get to try the Hoang Cam smokeless stove they used for cooking without giving away their position.

Between the tunnels and the bunkers, you taste steamed tapioca and hot tea, the kind of food soldiers ate in those conditions. An optional shooting range lets you fire a weapon if you want to try it. The guide walks you through how people breathed in such tight spaces, how they made weapons in poor conditions, and what daily life looked like underground. By the end of the five hours, you've seen the physical proof of how the tunnel system worked as a base (the meeting rooms, kitchens, ventilation shafts), and understand why it took such engineering to build without modern tools.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included for District 1 and 3 addresses. Provide your exact address and WhatsApp number when you book, and the operator will confirm the details the evening before. The drive back to Ho Chi Minh City takes another 90 minutes, so plan for a full morning and early afternoon commitment. Bring water and wear comfortable shoes for walking through the tunnels.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from District 1 or 3.
• English-speaking guide.
• Cu Chi Tunnels entrance fee.
• steamed tapioca and hot tea.
• Vietnamese beverage of your choice (coffee, fresh coconut juice, smoothie, beer or soft drink).
• documentary film before departure.
• access to the Hoang Cam smokeless stove and optional shooting range.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (10 to 80 years) · Youth (5 to 9 years) · Child (3 to 4 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

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 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by A Travel Mate And Trading Company Limited

Is this one for you?Book the morning departure if you want to see the tunnels and bunkers in daylight and be back in Ho Chi Minh City by early afternoon. The five-hour commitment includes 90 minutes of driving each way, so it fits a half-day schedule without eating into evening plans.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (5 to 9 years); Child (3 to 4 years); Infant (under 3).

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.

How far is Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City?

Cu Chi Tunnels is a 90-minute drive from Ho Chi Minh City without traffic, so the round-trip travel takes three hours of the five-hour tour.

What exactly will I see inside the tunnels?

You'll walk through the actual tunnel network, see the command center where soldiers made decisions, explore fighting bunkers, and view booby traps made from bomb shells and scrap metal. The tunnels stretched over 200 kilometers and included meeting rooms, kitchens and ventilation systems.

What food and drinks are included?

Steamed tapioca and hot tea are included, plus a Vietnamese beverage of your choice: coffee, fresh coconut juice, smoothie, beer or soft drink.

Is the shooting range mandatory?

No, trying the optional shooting range is your choice. The main tour includes the tunnels, bunkers, traps and the Hoang Cam smokeless stove demonstration.

What time does the morning tour depart?

The tour departs in the morning from your hotel in District 1 or 3. Exact pickup time will be confirmed by the operator the evening before your departure date.