Cu Chi Tunnels are not only a national monument of profound historical significance but also a famous tourist attraction of Saigon, attracting millions of domestic and foreign tourists to visit each year.
For domestic and foreign tourists, Saigon is the largest city in the country and impressed by the dynamic pace of life, many beautiful architectural works and skyscrapers. In addition to unique style destinations such as cafes in District 1 , bustling shopping centers, and large entertainment areas, there is no shortage of tourist attractions with significant historical significance and mark. features of a war past. And most notably, to mention the Cu Chi tunnels – the land known as ‘Steel land into copper’ of an unforgettable historical period. Visiting this southern tourist destination, visitors will understand the grandeur of Vietnamese history and the past struggles of the Cu Chi people.
Let’s join to discover history lessons and many interesting things, interesting experiences when visiting this famous tunnel.
Where is the Cu Chi Tunnel Relic?
Cu Chi Tunnels is a famous tourist destination in Saigon . This place is only about 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh city center. The tunnel is known as the land of steel into copper with the system of tunnels, the body located under the ground nearly 250km long. This is also the place where the most creative and transformative battle map of the heroic Cu Chi militia and militia in the resistance war against the invading enemy, contributing towards achieving independence and complete freedom for the country.
Tourist tunnels are preserved in two locations. Photo: mau_thithi
Today, the tourist tunnel is preserved in two locations and is located 13km apart:
Ben Duoc Tunnel is located in Phu Hiep hamlet, Phu My Hung commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh city. This area was designated a National Historic Site in 1979.
The second tunnel is located in the Ben Dinh area of Ben Dinh hamlet, Nhuan Duc commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh city. This place was recognized as a National Historic Site in 2004.
Peaceful views of the tunnels. Photo: baovinhlong
Transportation to Cu Chi Tunnels
Bus
This is a popular means of transportation to travel from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi. Many tourists choose this means because it is both easy to travel and cheap and convenient.
To go to Ben Duoc Tunnel by bus, first you take bus 13 at Ben Thanh – Cu Chi station or bus number 94 (Cho Lon – Cu Chi route) to move to Cu Chi bus station. Once you arrive at the bus station, you should choose to take bus number 79 (Cu Chi – Dau Tieng route) to take you to Ben Duoc Tunnel.
You can reach the tunnels by bus. Photo: Baogiaothong.
If you choose the Ben Dinh tunnel, visitors take bus route 13 (Ben Thanh – Cu Chi route) or bus number 94 (tuye61b Cho Lon – Cu Chi) but do not go to Cu Chi bus station but go to An Suong bus station. . From here you continue to take bus number 122 to get to Tan Quy bus station and transfer to bus number 70 to reach Ben Dinh tunnel gate.
Car or motorbike
If you like to explore and experience and can stop at different points on the road to Cu Chi, you can choose to drive a motorbike or car to reach the tunnels. This journey will take about from 1:30 to 2 hours. In this self-sufficient way, you will follow the Truong Chinh route to reach the An Suong intersection in Hoc Mon district and down to Provincial Road 15 to reach the tunnel.
Most of the young people, especially those who love to travel, will love to travel to Cu Chi and visit the tunnels by motorbike or motorbike. And the large groups of tourists choose a car to visit and learn about this famous tourist destination in Ho Chi Minh City. Even if you go by these ways, you just need to go in the direction of An Suong overpass over Highway 22.
Tunnels help you understand more about the tough tradition of fighting and the hardships of Cu Chi people. Photo: muine-explorer
However, unlike the Saigon River bus journey or the Cu Chi trip by bus, just get on the bus and choose the stop to come, go by motorbike or car, you should note that The road is quite far and complicated. More specifically, if this is the first time, tourists should not choose this option, unless you already have someone familiar with the road to guide the way.
According to the experience of Cu Chi tourism and sightseeing of the tunnels, the bus is still the most convenient, safest and most economical means. However, this way of getting around has a downside: you’ll miss the Wildlife Rescue Station along with some beautiful views as well as other unique and interesting experiences along the way. Each movement has its own pros and cons, so depending on the schedule, weather conditions and the number of people you can choose the right plan.
Famous tourist destination in Saigon. Photo: wssssskyle
Ticket price to visit Cu Chi Tunnels
The tunnel ruins are quite large, so it will take you about 1 day to visit the entire area.
– The entrance fee to the tunnel is 20,000 VND for Vietnamese visitors and 110,000 VND for international visitors.
– Opening hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm all days of the week, including Saturday and Sunday.
Tunnel relic area is quite large.
The distance from the ticket gate to the tunnel area will be quite far, about 2km, but the path is full of green trees, making the atmosphere extremely cool and comfortable. So if you want to walk under the shade of trees, you can walk. If you go to a family or a tour with elderly people and children, you should choose to take the tram to quickly move to the main tunnel.
The work has many historical meanings
Cu Chi tunnels are known as “a unique battle against the enemy” with a total of 250km of tunnels spread underground. Many visitors to the tunnels said they felt like they were walking through giant spider webs in the ground.
After digging the tunnels, Cu Chi militias have built more integrated works inside, to serve the needs of living and fighting such as many trenches, mounds, fighting nests along with the food cellar sleeping, meeting place, activities, military medical zone, food hidden storage, water well and Hoang Cam kitchen – a unique cooking initiative in wartime, ..
Famous destination. Photo: adayroi
The tunnel is built on an area of clay mixed with laterite with high strength, solidity and less landslides. With the structure of the tunnels located deep underground, from the 3 main floors and then radiates out countless different branches in many directions. A special feature is that the branches are connected to each other, even to the Saigon River.
Specifically, the first floor is located 3m from the ground, playing the role of anti-artillery shell and the weight of a tank or armored vehicle. The second floor is the next floor, located 5m from the ground. This floor can withstand small bombs and the last, deepest floor of the tunneling system is 8 to 10m from the ground. Each floor has a connecting path up and down, and between floors, there is a secret lid that only the stationed unit and the people here know.
A corner of the tunnel. Photo: who-is-radio
In addition, in the tunnel area there are blocking buttons at special positions to prevent the enemy from spraying with toxic chemicals. Along the tunnels in the tunnels also have vents above and are disguised very discreetly. The exits and entrances to the tunnels are linked – exposed to the ground by many secret doors with countless different doors that do not act as doors but are structured into combat pods with very flexible sniper rifle mounds .
More uniquely, there are tunnels in the critical area and around the main tunnel door there are pit tunnels, nail holes, traps … These are the war-time tactics that Cu Chi people used to trap the enemy . Today when visiting this area, remember to follow the instructions of the leader or the tour guide to keep it safe.
Exciting ride in the narrow tunnel in the tunnel. Photo: @holly_sandford
After the war ended, the country gained complete independence, Cu Chi tunnels – the old revolutionary base have become a national historic site as well as a famous tourist attraction. a lot of tourists come to visit and explore. The tunnel is also ranked by the famous US television channel CNN as one of the 12 most attractive underground works in the world.
Super cool shooting experience at shooting range. Photo: @vietnam_travel_motorcycle
Attractive sightseeing experiences in Cu Chi tunnels
Explore tunnels
This is definitely the main sightseeing area in your tunnel exploration journey. Because when you come here, you will experience eyes and ears, feel the life under the tunnels like his father during the war.
Before starting the journey to test your own stamina while going through the tunnel, visitors will see historical documentaries, introduced by the guides about the process of formation as well as the role and importance of Cu Chi tunnels during the war against American heroes. In addition, you will also be introduced to the geological structure model to have an overview of this place.
The work has many historical meanings. Photo: mary-mijares
After listening to the introduction, visitors are instructed to move and begin to explore the nooks and crannies of the tunnel. The tunnel you are about to visit and go through is 120m long, 2 floors deep. Due to being embellished as a tourist destination, the visitor tunnels have been enlarged wider to accommodate visitors who move freely, but for many people, the passageway is still quite small and narrow. especially for those of you with an adult size. Even in some places you have to bend your back and move with your knees to get over and in such a narrow space, the feeling of shortness of breath due to lack of oxygen is easy to appear.
Therefore, it is recommended for those who have a fear of narrow spaces or are having problems with heart diseases is not to try to enter the tunnel.
After visiting and finding out, start tunneling, crawling properly through every corner of the 120-meter-long tunnel system with 2 main floors following the guide to the end of the tunnel, you will rest and wash away dirt clinging to people during tunneling.
Salted sesame potatoes – a specialty of Hoang Cam kitchen in the tunnel. Photo: ivivu
More especially, visitors are invited to sample the dishes that the Cu Chi army and people used to eat while in the tunnel before. Favorite and highly impressed by many visitors is the potato, cassava (yam) dipped with sesame salt in the Hoang Cam kitchen area. According to the experience of visiting Cu Chi tunnels in Cu Chi of many tourists, especially young people, even though this is just a rustic dish, normally we can still eat every day, but after a long journey in the cellar, step on the face. The earth welcomes the sunlight and breathes the fresh air, the belly is also a bit hungry, the potatoes, cassava roots sprinkled with sesame salt become delicious, extremely attractive dishes, no less than a plate of broken rice. Saigon is not so delicious.
Visit the reenactment area of the war zone
This area is exactly as its name suggests, is the place for visitors to the tunnels to watch the once heroic slow-motion “footage” of the entire war in this famous steel land.
War reenactment area. Photo: vietcenter
You can also visit around and take pictures with carcasses models, battle tanks, and guns and ammunition or artillery that were used during the war against the US, still being saved. be careful here.
This is also a place for visitors who love to learn about the functions of the trenches, mounds, combat nests and how the Cu Chi militia build a tunnel to combat destructive plots from enemies by water. , the army of “rats” or sniffing dogs, … Also here you will discover the mechanism of action of different types of traps, tunnels, …
Moreover, in this area, there are also many famous models of monuments and landscapes of Vietnam on display such as Nha Rong wharf, Saigon bridge, One Pillar pagoda, Long Bien bridge, Hoang Sa archipelago. Changsha, …
Don’t forget to take photo check-in with the tank. Photo: @ 13lakes
Try shooting a gun
This is an area that many tourists, especially young people and foreign visitors love in Cu Chi Tunnels because entering here, after choosing the right gun, you will be instructed to take care of how to disassemble. gun and experience the ability to shoot real guns at the cool beasts. Fares for each type of gun and ammunition are as follows:
AK and M16: 55k / member and must buy at least 5 members.
M60, M30,…: 50k / member and must buy at least 10 tablets.
Shooting zone. Photo: vietcenter
If you are in a group and want to play a group game, you can choose to play paintball. This is a game that is extremely loved by young people because it can train team spirit, judgment ability, reaction speed, improve health.
Not only are you instructed on how to disassemble a gun, but also test your shooting skills. Photo: lilynduong
Check in the swimming pool simulating the East Sea
After a lot of time adventuring in the underground, both dark and narrow with lack of air, you will surely want to immediately return to the ground to welcome the sunshine and especially to immerse yourself in the clear blue water. are not?
The swimming pool simulates the East Sea at the tunnel. Photo: Dulichfun.
No need to return to the center of Saigon to enter Suoi Tien or Dam Sen tourist area , just take the time to walk for about 15 minutes to reach the simulated swimming pool of the East Sea next to the Cu Chi tunnels. famous. This attractive amusement park has a ticket price of about 20,000 VND / person.
The tunnel is only about 15 minutes walk from the swimming lake simulating the East Sea. Photo: vietcenter
Visit Trung An orchard
In particular the South East and the South in general which is known for its fruit orchards near famous Saigon v sprawled fruit Lai Thieu and near the tunnel complex is centrally An orchard. Coming here, visitors will really get lost in the spacious and cool orchard and will spoil the freshness of each purchase such as durian, rambutan, plum, jackfruit …
Trung An fruit garden is located near the terrains. Photo: ivivu
Stop by at the wildlife rescue station
The Wildlife Rescue Station is located in Cu Chi district, in particular between Duoc and Dinh wharf. This ideal stop for wildlife lovers is about 1km from Cu Chi Tunnels . This is a place to care and restore health for individuals of wildlife, confiscated from illegal trade and captivity.
Wild animal rescue station.
This is also the first rescue station in the South, established in 2006, capable of caring for many rare and wild animals. After being cared for and restored to their health, these rare animals will be released to the nature.
Since its establishment up to now, the largest wildlife hospital in the South has rescued more than 3,600 rare species of animals and released many wild animals. Tourists come here not only to visit and observe rare wildlife but also listen to the guide staff tell touching and interesting stories about them. On the way to the area of two tunnels and Ben Duoc Temple, remember to visit this place.
Both a famous historical relic and an attractive tourist destination with many interesting experiences, Cu Chi tunnels are waiting for you to explore and learn in your upcoming tour. Quickly schedule a trip to Cu Chi with relatives and friends!
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