A preserved underground network dug by resistance fighters in the French and American wars, now a national memorial site
The tunnels lie beneath rubber plantations and secondary forest in what was once Cu Chi district. Over decades local villagers and fighters dug a network of narrow passages, bunkers and chambers, linking hamlets and allowing people to live, hide, store food and weapons and treat the wounded underground. Accounts of the total length vary; Vietnamese sources generally give a figure of more than 200 kilometres.
Visitors see two preserved sections. Ben Dinh, closer to the city and the more visited, shows camouflaged entrances, air vents, kitchens built to hide smoke and displays of booby traps, with stretches of tunnel widened so visitors can crawl through. Ben Duoc, further north, includes part of the original system and a memorial temple honouring those who died. The site presents the history from the Vietnamese revolutionary perspective, and many visitors find it a sobering experience.
According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, the first short tunnels were dug in 1948, during the war against French colonial rule, in the communes of Tan Phu Trung and Phuoc Vinh An. The network expanded greatly in the 1960s as the area became a stronghold of the National Liberation Front close to Saigon, and it served as a base for the 1968 Tet Offensive and for the final 1975 campaign.
The area suffered heavily. In 1966 Operation Crimp sent about 8,000 US and Australian troops to search for the tunnels, and in 1967 Operation Cedar Falls brought bombing, defoliation and specialist soldiers known as tunnel rats; later B-52 strikes devastated the surrounding land. Many tunnels collapsed but much of the system survived. After reunification the government preserved sections of it as a memorial park, which has become one of the most visited historical sites in southern Vietnam.
The surrounding countryside, once heavily bombed, is now farmland, rubber plantations and growing suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City. Roadside eateries along the way serve simple southern dishes to visitors returning to the city. For many Vietnamese families the site is a place of remembrance, and school groups and veterans visit regularly, so a respectful manner is appreciated.
A visit takes two to three hours on site, usually as a half-day trip from Ho Chi Minh City by road. Guides lead groups along forest paths to bunkers and entrances, demonstrate how the trapdoors were concealed, and offer the chance to crawl through a short lit section of tunnel; those who prefer not to go underground can follow on the surface. Many visits include a short documentary film and a taste of boiled cassava, the staple food of wartime. A shooting range is also on site, which some visitors choose to avoid.
The site is open all year. The dry season from December to April keeps the forest paths firm, while in the wet season from May to November afternoon storms are common, so morning visits are best. Arriving early also avoids the heat and the largest tour groups.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
Ho Chi Minh City's War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace complement a visit. Many tours also stop at the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh, north-west of Cu Chi. The Mekong Delta lies to the south of the city.
The vast, flat delta where the Mekong reaches the sea, covering more than 40,000 square kilometres of southern Vietnam. It is the country's rice bowl and fruit garden, and visitors come for boat trips along palm-lined canals, early-morning floating markets and the slow rhythm of river towns such as Can Tho.
ExploreAn archipelago of 16 mountainous islands and islets about 230 kilometres off Ho Chi Minh City, much of it protected as Con Dao National Park. Visitors come for forest trails, clear water, coral reefs and nesting sea turtles, and to learn about the colonial-era prison that made the islands infamous.
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Vietnam · 11 nights4★ HotelVietnam · 7 nights4★ ResortThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
