Ho Chi Minh: Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi Tunnels Day Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/32

Duration9h–10h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Vietnamese spirituality and wartime echoes in one day from Saigon

You’ll join midday prayers at Cao Dai Temple surrounded by color and song, then share lunch before heading into the Cu Chi Tunnels’ silent depths with a local guide. Expect moments of awe—and maybe a little humility—as you listen to stories of faith and survival that still echo long after you return.

9h–10h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnels

Pick up from Ho Chi Minh City
Travel to Tay Ninh
Explore Cao Dai Temple
Join midday mass and listen to chants
Lunch at local restaurant
Visit Cu Chi Tunnels
Watch documentary and visit command centers
Crawl through tunnels and see war traps
Taste local tea and cassava
Return to Ho Chi Minh City

The Experience

“You see the eye? It’s always watching, even when you leave,” our guide Hien said, pointing up at the painted symbol above the entrance of the Cao Dai Temple. I’d never seen anything like it—this wild swirl of colors and people in bright robes, chanting softly as sunlight spilled in. The air inside was thick with incense, sweet and a little dizzying. We slipped off our shoes and just stood there for a while, listening to the prayers. It felt both theatrical and deeply sincere. At one point a woman caught my eye and smiled; I think she knew I was trying to take it all in without looking too lost.

The drive out from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh is longer than you expect (maybe two hours?), but you get these glimpses of daily life—kids on scooters, street food smoke curling up, fields that go on forever. Lunch was at a local spot Hien picked—rice, something spicy with lemongrass chicken, and this soup I still can’t name. He laughed when I tried to say “thank you” in Vietnamese (I probably butchered it), but everyone seemed pleased we tried.

After that came the Cu Chi Tunnels. Honestly, I thought I knew what to expect—I didn’t. The tunnels are tiny, dark, hot; crawling through even a short section made my heart pound. There’s this moment where all sound drops away except your own breathing and you wonder how anyone could live down here for months. We watched an old black-and-white documentary outside first, sitting on wooden benches under trees while cicadas buzzed overhead. Cassava dipped in peanuts tasted earthy and plain but somehow comforting after being underground. On the way back to Saigon, nobody talked much for a while—we were just looking out at the dusk settling over rice paddies, thinking about everything we’d seen.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from your hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City (District 1), entry fees for both Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnels, an English-speaking guide who shares stories along the way, mineral water to keep cool, plus lunch at a local restaurant before heading back into town as evening falls.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by TNK Travel