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In Ho Chi Minh City, one of the most famous attractions is arguably the Cu Chi tunnels. There are in fact 2 tunnel systems in the city, where both remain open for visitors to take a look at the famed tunnel system. While most tour agencies and indeed tourists, will head to the Ben Dinh tunnel system, there is in fact a less-touristy tunnel system in Ben Duoc.
We headed to the Ben Duoc tunnels with Innoviet tour agency on a one-day private tour (Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta Excursion), where after our visit to the tunnels, we headed towards the Mekong Delta (Find out more about our journey to the Mekong Delta here!).
The Cu Chi tunnels in Ben Duoc are less frequented by international tourists and are generally catered more towards domestic tourists. It is not uncommon to see many locals visiting this tunnel system on your visit. However, the fact is that this particular system is considered more authentic, because some of the tunnels were actually used by the Viet Cong during the war. This definitely makes the experience that much better!
Perhaps one of the reasons why it is less frequented by tourists could be the distance between the city and the tunnels, where it takes longer to reach here. For tourists on day trips to visit Mekong Delta as well, this can make the car journey quite long, and you end up in the car for some 7 hours in total! However, if you are all about authenticity, we highly recommend heading to the Ben Duoc tunnels.
In your visit to Ben Duoc tunnels, you will find cabinets of small arms weapons used by both sides. Military personnel might find these weapons familiar, since you get to see the M16 rifle, M60 machine gun, as well as the M1 Garand. There are also casings of different bombs that were dropped over the area, including cluster bombs that were dropped from B-52s. When seen up close, it can be quite terrifying to realise the amount of damage one cluster bomb can do. There is also an actual crater still in place left behind by a bomb dropped from a B-52. These certainly bring out the effects of war that much closer to you.
We headed to the Ben Duoc tunnels with Innoviet tour agency on a one-day private tour (Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta Excursion), where after our visit to the tunnels, we headed towards the Mekong Delta (Find out more about our journey to the Mekong Delta here!).
The Cu Chi tunnels in Ben Duoc are less frequented by international tourists and are generally catered more towards domestic tourists. It is not uncommon to see many locals visiting this tunnel system on your visit. However, the fact is that this particular system is considered more authentic, because some of the tunnels were actually used by the Viet Cong during the war. This definitely makes the experience that much better!
Perhaps one of the reasons why it is less frequented by tourists could be the distance between the city and the tunnels, where it takes longer to reach here. For tourists on day trips to visit Mekong Delta as well, this can make the car journey quite long, and you end up in the car for some 7 hours in total! However, if you are all about authenticity, we highly recommend heading to the Ben Duoc tunnels.
In your visit to Ben Duoc tunnels, you will find cabinets of small arms weapons used by both sides. Military personnel might find these weapons familiar, since you get to see the M16 rifle, M60 machine gun, as well as the M1 Garand. There are also casings of different bombs that were dropped over the area, including cluster bombs that were dropped from B-52s. When seen up close, it can be quite terrifying to realise the amount of damage one cluster bomb can do. There is also an actual crater still in place left behind by a bomb dropped from a B-52. These certainly bring out the effects of war that much closer to you.
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Along the complex, you will also find innocent-looking rocks or ant hills surrounding trees. After an explanation by the guide, you realise that these are in actual fact ventilation systems used by the Viet Cong during the war. This means that you are standing on top of a tunnel system! Imagine being in that position during the war, and you get a small idea what the Americans were up against. Walk across a huge pile of dried leaves and you realise once again that there is in fact a small entrance that can be opened by the locals. By the time you see it, you are likely to be in trouble already.
You will also get opportunities to enter the tunnels proper, with different levels of difficulty for visitors. Try the easier ones first to test your fitness levels, before proceeding to head to the longest and most challenging tunnel. By crawling through the tunnels, you will also get to see entire rooms that were built for different purposes, including one for medical treatment, one for meetings, as well as sleeping quarters. Note that even in these rooms, there were booby traps in place, so that foreign invaders unfamiliar with their surroundings in the dark (yes, the tunnels were usually dark and unlit during war time!) will fall into one of the traps.
You will also get opportunities to enter the tunnels proper, with different levels of difficulty for visitors. Try the easier ones first to test your fitness levels, before proceeding to head to the longest and most challenging tunnel. By crawling through the tunnels, you will also get to see entire rooms that were built for different purposes, including one for medical treatment, one for meetings, as well as sleeping quarters. Note that even in these rooms, there were booby traps in place, so that foreign invaders unfamiliar with their surroundings in the dark (yes, the tunnels were usually dark and unlit during war time!) will fall into one of the traps.
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There are exhibits in place to show visitors some of the booby traps that were used against the American soldiers, and every single one of them was designed to disable the soldiers. They are quite disturbing when you realise what they do to the human body, and you also realise what war really means, where victory is simply necessary and demanded by both sides.
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At the end of the tour, do try out some tapioca that are provided, which was the staple food for the Viet Cong during the war. While you are provided with some peanut sauce as a condiment and fresh water to wash your hands before eating, understand that these were unlikely to have been provided when the tunnels were active and in use. Take a moment to realise just how precious peace is, and how important it is to ensure peace always prevails.
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Travel agency to choose and costs involved:
There are a few travel agencies that offer visits to the Ben Duoc tunnels. We took a one-day private tour of the “Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta Excursion” with Innoviet, which costs US$186 for one person (Find out more about our journey to Mekong Delta here!). It provides a free hotel pickup and drop off, along with all relevant entrance fees. We enjoyed our time with Innoviet and you may wish to consider their services too! Find out more about Innoviet and their other tours here (https://innoviet.com/)!
There are a few travel agencies that offer visits to the Ben Duoc tunnels. We took a one-day private tour of the “Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta Excursion” with Innoviet, which costs US$186 for one person (Find out more about our journey to Mekong Delta here!). It provides a free hotel pickup and drop off, along with all relevant entrance fees. We enjoyed our time with Innoviet and you may wish to consider their services too! Find out more about Innoviet and their other tours here (https://innoviet.com/)!