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Ho Chi Minh City
Good Morning Vietnam! Start the day the right way - with an up close and personal history lesson on guerilla warfare. Climb into the underground tunnel system that played a crucial part in the war and imagine what it would have been like to eat, sleep, work, cook... even go to school underground as a conflict raged above.
Highlights
- Delve into an underground world of guerrilla warfare in the incredible Cu Chi tunnels
- Gain insight into the tenacity and resourcefulness of the Vietnamese
- Visit the former Viet Minh underground stronghold at Cu Chi
For the small group tour, we will meet at the front entrance of the Central Post Office - 2 Cong Xa Paris St, District 1 (next to Notre Dame Cathedral). For the private tour, we will pick you up at a centrally located hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
Drop off centrally located hotels in Ho Chi Minh City
5-6 hours
For shared tours, the maximum group number will be 12 passengers. For private tours, there must be a minimum of 2 passengers. A solo traveller may still book a private experience, but they will be charged a base rate for two travellers.
For this tour, we can cater for the following dietary requirements: vegetarians, and lactose intolerance. Please provide this information at least 24-hours prior to your travel date. You can do so by emailing us at info@hochiminhcityurbanadventures.com. Unfortunately, we are not able to cater for any other dietary requirements that are not listed above.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity.
If you have any issues on the day of your tour, please call +84 90 990 41 00
Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour:
Built by local fighters during the Indochina conflict, the Cu Chi tunnels served as a base from which the Viet Cong could operate from close to the Southern Vietnamese capital. For this HCMC tour, leave the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City to explore one of the relics from one of the most significant local historical events in recent memory. Journey 2 hours west towards the Cambodian border and arrive at the Cu Chi tunnels. The location of the tunnels was of significant strategic importance: they're at the end of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail, and within striking distance of the southern Vietnam capital. Initial construction started in 1948 when the Viet Minh required somewhere to hide from French air attacks, and by 1965, the tunnel complex was estimated to consist of 200 km of tunnels. It included, hospitals, schools, meeting rooms, kitchens, and sleeping quarters. Life was difficult for the inhabitants, and to protect against outside intruders, booby traps were laid throughout the complex. Today, the Vietnamese government have preserved approximately 75 km of the Cu Chi tunnels as a memorial park, and in some areas the tunnels have been widened and low powered lights installed so that tourists can now fit through the complex.
Your local guide will take you on a fascinating tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, where you'll learn more about the conditions the people lived in, the hardships they faced, and the amazing ingenuity employed to maintain life in the tunnels. We walk past huge bomb craters - evidence of the heavy bombing campaigns in the region during the Indochina conflict, discover hidden entrances right beneath your feet, wander past tiny little chimneys in the ground that dispersed smoke from the underground kitchens, sample some of the simple cuisines that local fighters would have survived on, and have an opportunity to venture into the tunnels and explore the complex.
After exploring the Cu Chi Tunnel, you will enjoy a local sandwich on the way back to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll end this historical Ho Chi Minh City tour with a greater understanding of the local impacts of the conflicts of the 20th century.
Please note that this tour covers 1.5 km (1 mile) of walking.Copyright © Intrepid Urban Adventures 2024