The Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of hand-dug underground passages northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. During the Vietnam War, fighters of the National Liberation Front, known in the West as the Viet Cong, used them as hiding places, supply and communication routes, field hospitals and living quarters, and the area saw several military campaigns. After reunification the government of Vietnam preserved about 120 km of the complex as a war memorial park with two sites open to visitors: Ben Duoc, which keeps part of the original tunnels, and Ben Dinh, closer to the city, with reconstructions and passages widened for visitors.

What to look for

• The tunnels - narrow passages that visitors can crawl through in the safer sections, some of them widened.
• The hidden entrances - concealed trapdoors and camouflaged openings.
• The traps and exhibits - reconstructions of the bamboo traps and displays on life in the tunnels.
• The film and displays - shown at the site, telling the story of the war from the Vietnamese side.

When to go

December to April for the drier season; go early to beat the heat and the largest tour groups. Most visitors come on a half-day tour from Ho Chi Minh City, often combined with other sights.

Things to know

The tunnels are very narrow, hot and confined, even the sections widened for visitors, so not everyone goes underground. Above ground there are souvenir stalls and a shooting range. It is a long, hot trip from the city.

Nearby

Ho Chi Minh City with its War Remnants Museum and the Mekong Delta are within reach.

Key facts