Ho Chi Minh City & Cu Chi Tunnels: Full-Day Tour with Lunch

War Museum & 155 Miles of Underground Tunnels in One Day

You get picked up at your hotel, spend the morning touring Ho Chi Minh City's museums and markets with an English-speaking guide, eat lunch at a local restaurant, then drive out to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels: crawling through bunkers, hidden entrances, and living quarters. The van returns you to your hotel by evening. All entrance fees and transport are included. Lunch is on your own.

Step-by-step itinerary

Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

• Pickup at hotel
• Visit Ben Thanh Market
• Visit War Remnants Museum
• Visit Notre Dame Cathedral
• Visit Central Post Office
• Visit Reunification Palace
• Enjoy traditional Vietnamese lunch
• Drive to Cu Chi Tunnels
• Stop at handicraft lacquer workshop
• Explore Cu Chi Tunnels and bunkers
• Return to hotel

The experience

The van pulls up at 7:45 AM. You step out into Ho Chi Minh City's morning heat: motorbikes already thick on the streets, vendors setting up stalls, the smell of pho drifting from corner restaurants. Your guide meets you with a cold towel and a bottle of water, and then you're moving. Ben Thanh Market comes first, the old colonial structure packed with locals buying silk, spices, souvenirs. It's chaos in the best way: narrow aisles, haggling, the real city before the tourists arrive in force. After that, the War Remnants Museum. It's heavy. The photographs, the exhibits, the stories. You spend real time here, not a rushed walk-through. Your guide explains the context, answers questions. It's not easy, but it matters.

Lunch happens around noon at a local restaurant, and you eat what they serve: traditional Vietnamese food, not a tourist version of it. Then the drive out to Cu Chi Tunnels begins. It takes time to get there, and on the way you stop at a handicraft workshop where locals make lacquer pieces by hand. The tunnels themselves are the reason you booked this. You crouch, you climb, you see the hidden entrances, the tiny chimneys that let smoke out without giving away positions, the bunkers and traps. A 155-mile network built by hand, mostly by hand, over years. Your guide walks you through what life was like down there: sleeping, eating, fighting, hiding. It's not a theme park version. The spaces are tight. The history is real.

The drive back to your hotel takes until around 7:30 PM, depending on traffic. By then you've covered the main Ho Chi Minh City highlights (Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office), and you've stood inside one of the most significant tunnel systems of the Vietnam War. You're tired. You've seen a lot. The full-day tour with Cu Chi Tunnels does the heavy lifting so you don't have to figure out transport, timing, or which sites matter most.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned van, entrance fees to the War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, and the Cu Chi Tunnels, a stop at a handicraft lacquer workshop, an English-speaking guide throughout, a cold towel and one bottle of mineral water per person, and lunch at a local restaurant (at your own expense). If you book the limousine group option, lunch and dinner are included.

Options for this experience

5 options

Regular group city tour, half dayGuide in English · 08:00Regular group of 25 people. Duration: four hours. Ho Chi Minh City tour in an 18-seat minivan or a 29-seat bus. English-speaking tour guide. Pickup is included.

Luxury group city tour, half dayGuide in English · 08:00Luxury group of 12 people. Duration: four hours. Morning or afternoon city tour in a luxury minivan with 16 or 18 seats, which is comfortable, clean, and air-conditioned. English-speaking tour guide.

Regular group Cu Chi and Ho Chi Minh City tourGuide in English · 07:00, 07:30 and 08:00Regular group of up to 25 people. Duration: 10 hours. Lunch at Restaurant Bến Thành, Soul Bến Thành. Cu Chi Tunnels and city tour by 29-seat bus. English-speaking tour guide. Pickup is included.

See 2 more options

Luxury Cu Chi and Ho Chi Minh City tourGuide in English · 07:30 and 08:00Luxury group of 12 to 14 people. Duration: 12 hours. Lunch at a local restaurant, Soul Bến Thành. Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing: visit Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Central Post Office, visit the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace, and visit Ben Thanh. Minivan with 16 or 18 seats. English-speaking tour guide. Pickup is included.

Limousine group tour to Cu Chi and the cityGuide in English · 08:00Limousine D car for a group of nine people, with lunch. Duration: nine hours. Lunch at Soul, a lovely restaurant right behind Ben Thanh Market in Saigon. Saigon to Cu Chi and back to Saigon: the guide from Vietnam Travel Group collects you from your hotel at 8:00 and the trip begins. Minivan that is comfortable and clean, with an air-conditioning system. English-speaking tour guide. Pickup is included.

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

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:00, 07:30 and 08:00

Book up to8h before

GroupUp to 14

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 or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 3.87

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Vietnam Travel Group Co., LTD

Is this one for you?Book this if you want Ho Chi Minh City's main sights and the Cu Chi Tunnels covered in a single day without arranging your own transport or timing: the fixed schedule and included guide handle the logistics so you can focus on the history and the city itself.

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Top questions

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.

What time does the tour start and end?

Pickup is at 7:45 AM. Return to your hotel is around 7:30 PM, though traffic can affect the exact time.

Is lunch included in the price?

No. You stop at a local restaurant around noon, but lunch is at your own expense.

What is included in the tour?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, entrance fees to all sites, an English-speaking guide, a cold towel, and one bottle of mineral water per person.

Can you shoot guns at the tunnels?

There is a gun shooting area available, but it is optional and at an additional cost.

How many people are in a typical group?

Groups range from 9 to 25 people depending on the vehicle type: luxury vans hold 12–16, standard vans hold 25, and limousines hold 9.

Is this tour suitable for pregnant travelers?

No. The tour is not recommended for pregnant travelers or those with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health.

Where is pickup available?

Free pickup is available in District 1, District 3, District 4, and at Ben Thanh Market area.