The trapdoor is about the size of a sheet of paper folded in half, roughly 30 by 40 centimeters. Put the lid back, scatter a few dry leaves on top, and you could stand right next to it without noticing a thing. Most people only believe there’s a tunnel down there once the guide lifts it up.
If you want to see that trapdoor for yourself without giving up a whole day, a half-day tour is the easy way to do it. You leave District 1 in the morning and you’re back by early afternoon. Families and couples can go private, and bigger groups get their own van. Below is how a typical tour day actually runs, from the bánh mì in the car to the plate of cassava at the end. If you’d rather read up on the site first, our Cu Chi Tunnels guide covers tickets, Ben Dinh versus Ben Duoc and the history.
Quick answers
| Question | Answer |
| Where and when is pickup? | 195 De Tham Street, District 1 (Ben Thanh Ward). Morning tour at 8:00, afternoon tour at 12:00 |
| How long does it take? | The morning tour is back at De Tham around 2 pm, about six hours including the drive |
| Private or group? | Families and couples go private in a seven-seater, five guests max. Bigger groups travel in a 16- or 28-seat van |
| What will I see? | A documentary film, the Ben Dinh area, the Ben Duoc tunnels, then cassava and tea. No shopping stop |
| What’s included? | Breakfast bánh mì, entrance tickets, an English-speaking guide, a photographer, cassava and tea |
| Can I book for tomorrow? | Yes. Book 24 hours ahead: today for tomorrow morning or tomorrow noon |
| Do I have to crawl? | No. You can see everything above ground and skip the tunnels |
Pickup on De Tham, breakfast on the road
The car pulls up at 195 De Tham at 8 am. The backpacker street is still half asleep at that hour, shutters down, and the road out of the city hasn’t clogged up yet. On a private tour you get a seven-seat car with no more than five guests, so it’s just you and your people. Bigger groups get a van, same pickup time.
Breakfast is handed out as soon as you’re moving: a bánh mì made in The Rice Travel’s own kitchen, a bottle of water and a cold towel. The drive takes 60 to 70 minutes and goes straight to the tunnels, with no stops at souvenir shops along the way. Apartment blocks thin out, then rice fields and farmland take over, and the guide uses the time to give you the background so the tunnels make sense when you get there.
The private seven-seater, never more than five guests on board. @The Rice Tour
Film first, then Ben Dinh
You don’t go underground straight away. The first stop inside the site is a short documentary about how people in Cu Chi lived and fought beneath their own villages. Rushed tours often skip it. Honestly, it’s the part that makes everything else land, because once you’ve seen it, a hole in the ground stops being just a hole in the ground.
At Ben Dinh you meet that trapdoor from the start of this article. Nearby there’s a decoy well dug to throw off anyone searching for entrances, an underground meeting hall, and an M41 tank rusting among the trees. Every spot comes with a story, and because the guide isn’t herding a crowd of forty, there’s time to tell it properly and answer whatever you ask.
The trapdoor is about 30 x 40 cm, and vanishes once the leaves go back on. @The Rice Tour
Ben Duoc: your turn to go under
Ben Duoc is the part everyone waits for: an actual crawl. The tunnels here run on several levels. The stretch open to visitors has been widened and lit, and you’ll still spend the whole way bent double. In places, crawling is easier than walking.
Whether you go in is entirely up to you. If tight spaces, a bad back or bad knees put you off, stay up top. There’s plenty to see there, like air vents disguised as termite mounds and the displays of bamboo spike traps. If you’re up for it, though, try a short section. It’s only a few dozen meters, and it tells you more than an hour of explanations.
Air vents were hidden inside termite mounds like this one. @The Rice TourClose by is the old weapons workshop, where unexploded bombs and shells collected from the battlefield were taken apart and turned into weapons and traps. A little further on is the shooting range. If you want to fire an AK-47 or an M16, you buy the bullets there, since they’re not part of the tour. Even if you don’t shoot, you’ll hear it from all over the site.
Cassava, hot tea, and the ride back
The last stop is a bamboo hut, a plate of boiled cassava dipped in sesame salt, and a cup of hot tea. This is what people here lived on during the war years. It sounds plain, and it is. After a morning of crawling, though, a piece of warm cassava and a sip of tea is exactly what you want.
Boiled cassava and hot tea, the last stop before heading back. @The Rice TourThe order of stops can shift a little depending on traffic and what your group wants, but you’ll see all of them.
Want food or gifts before heading back?
There’s no shopping stop on this tour. If you’d like to take something home, just tell the guide when you get in the car and they’ll fit it into the timing.
Along the Cu Chi road there are small craft workshops where many of the artisans live with physical challenges and still turn out inlaid and embroidered pieces by hand. Buying something small there means a gift for you and real support for the person who made it.
For edible souvenirs, Cu Chi is known for its cassava and its rice paper. If your group isn’t in a hurry, you can stop to eat Cu Chi’s young beef, served at a row of restaurants along the highway: thin slices of boiled beef rolled in rice paper with herbs, or beef skin stir-fried with turmeric. Gifts and extra meals are paid separately.
The car gets back to De Tham around 2 pm, which leaves time for a late lunch or a nap at the hotel. A few days later the photographer sends you the full set of photos, from climbing through the trapdoor to sitting down with your cassava, so nobody in the family has to be the one behind the camera.
Private tour or group tour?
Families and couples usually go private: a seven-seat car, no more than five guests, and a guide who’s there just for you. At busy times Cu Chi fills up with groups of thirty or forty crowding around a single tunnel entrance while a guide rattles off a few lines and moves them on. Going private is a different pace entirely. Ask anything you like, stay longer where something grabs you, rest when someone gets tired.
There’s also a photographer with you the whole time, so everyone ends up in the pictures. With small kids or grandparents along, that matters more than you’d think.
For company outings, extended families or a big group of friends, book a group tour. Depending on numbers you’ll get a 16-seat or 28-seat van, and the seats are never filled to the last one, so there’s room to stretch out. The itinerary is the same as the private tour. You just share one vehicle and one guide.
The 16-seater for bigger groups, with seats left free so nobody is squeezed in. @The Rice Tour
Morning or afternoon?
The morning tour picks up at 8:00. Going early means the tunnels are still cool when you crawl, and you have the whole afternoon free once you’re back.
Late risers, or anyone with a busy morning, can take the afternoon tour at 12:00. It’s a bit hotter, but you get your sleep, and the site tends to be quieter after lunch. If you’d rather keep going after Cu Chi, the full-day Cu Chi and city tour does the tunnels in the morning and old District 1 plus a Saigon Waterbus ride in the afternoon, back around 5:30 pm.
Want to go further? Tay Ninh is not far past Cu Chi. You can combine the tunnels with the Cao Dai Holy See and Ba Den Mountain in one full day. Message us and we’ll plan it around your group.
What’s included
Car, tickets, breakfast, guide and photographer are all taken care of. All you have to do is be at De Tham on time. The table below follows the half-day tour page. Prices depend on group size and date, so check the latest on that page or ask us on WhatsApp.
| Item | Details |
| Vehicle | Private: air-conditioned seven-seater, five guests max. Group: 16- or 28-seat van |
| Included | Breakfast bánh mì, water, cold towel, entrance tickets, guide, photographer and full photo set, cassava and tea |
| Not included | Shooting range bullets, gifts, extra meals such as young beef, tips, VAT if you need an invoice |
| Booking | At least 24 hours ahead, so booking today for tomorrow works |
| Cancellation | More than 48 hours before: full refund. 24 to 48 hours: 50% fee. Within 24 hours: 100% fee |
FAQ
How long is the Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour?
The morning tour picks up at 8:00 and gets back to De Tham around 2 pm, so about six hours including the drive.
Is breakfast included?
Yes. You get a bánh mì from The Rice Travel’s own kitchen, handed out in the car on the way.
Does the tour visit both Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc?
Yes. You watch the documentary, walk through Ben Dinh, then move on to Ben Duoc. The order can change with traffic.
Do I have to go into the tunnels?
No. If you’d rather not crawl, you can still see the trapdoors, termite-mound vents, traps and displays above ground.
How much does the tour cost?
It depends on how many people are in your group and the date. Check the tour page or send us your date and group size on WhatsApp for a quote.
Is it physically hard? What should I wear?
Most of it is walking on forest paths, and crawling is optional. Wear sneakers and clothes you can bend in, since you’ll be stooping in the tunnels, and bring insect repellent because the site is in the forest.
Can I book today for tomorrow?
Yes. The tour runs daily and needs 24 hours’ notice. Book before 8 am today for tomorrow’s 8:00 departure, or before noon today for tomorrow’s 12:00 departure.
Can a big group or company book?
Yes. Groups travel in a 16- or 28-seat van on the same itinerary. Send us your group size and date and we’ll arrange the vehicle.
Is there an afternoon Cu Chi Tunnels tour?
Yes, there’s a 12:00 departure for anyone who wants a slow morning. Message ahead so we can schedule it.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 48 hours before for a full refund. Between 24 and 48 hours there’s a 50% fee, and within 24 hours the fee is 100%.
Got a free morning or afternoon in Saigon and want to see that 30 x 40 cm trapdoor for yourself? Send us your date, group size and whether you’d like the morning or afternoon tour, and The Rice Tour will hold your spot.
Contact
- Office: 180, 01 and 169 Bui Vien Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Tour pickup: 195 De Tham Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Email: daiviettherice@gmail.com
- Phone/Zalo/WhatsApp: +84 962 333 621
- Website: thericetour.com
