How to get to Cu Chi tunnels from Ho Chi Minh city center with the most affordable fee is often a popular question for many backpackers. There are 3 ways to go to Cu Chi tunnels from district 1 of Ho Chi Minh city from the cheapest way to the most expensive way. 😀
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Distance between Cu Chi tunnels and Ho Chi Minh city center
Cu Chi tunnel historical monuments is about 70 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh city center (district 1). Cu Chi tunnels are now preserved in two areas including: Ben Duoc tunnel and Ben Dinh tunnel. These areas are on the same road (Provincial Road 15 – Tinh lo 15). From Ho Chi Minh city center, Ben Dinh tunnel is closer than Ben Duoc tunnel about 20km. However, for my opinion, Ben Duoc tunnel have more things to see than Ben Dinh tunnel. It is about 2.5 hours – 3 hours to visit Ben Duoc tunnel while it is just 1.5 hour to visit Ben Dinh tunnel.
A summary origin of tunnel
Trying to hide in an original tunnel in Cu Chi tunnels
During years of the resistance war against French colonialism (1945 – 1954), revolutionary soldiers hid under secret basements in an enemy region, protested by local people. The structures of these basements are different but mostly underground, only having one hatch in shoulder width to go up and down and one air hole to breathe. When closing the basement hatch cover, it is very hard for enemies to discover these basements. But one negative point is that when they are found out these basements, the soldiers are easily caught by the enemy.
From that reason, people thought that they should make these basements extend more like basement roads which connect with the ground by many secret hatch doors to not only shelter but also fight against the enemy, and escape from the danger area to another place. In Cu Chi district, the first tunnel appeared in Tan Phu Trung commune and Phuoc Vinh An commune in 1948. The structure of this tunnel is very simple and was used to keep documents, weapons, and a place to shelter for the soldiers in the enemy area.
A structure of Cu Chi tunnels with 3 levels and the third level deep from 8-10 meters underground
From 1961 – 1965, the guerilla war of people in Cu Chi has developed drastically. Six communes in northern Cu Chi district have accomplished spinal tunnel roads. During the period of resistance against American Empire, Cu Chi tunnels have strongly developed, especially in the first months of year 1966, Until Jan 1967, the tunnel system is about 250 km in length.
Ben Duoc tunnel
Visiting a tunnel in both Ben Dinh tunnel and Ben Duoc tunnel
Address: Hiep Phu hamlet, Phu My Hung, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh city
Ben Duoc tunnel is a base of Regional Party Committee and Saigon- Gia Dinh military Command, with a tunnel system, basements of the leaders of Regional Party Committee and Saigon- Gia Dinh military Region used to live and fight during the war. This is a unique architecture with a system of tunnel deep into the ground, with many floors, many nooks, and crannies like spider web, for the accommodation, meeting, and fighting.
At Ben Duoc tunnel, you can visit many attractions as follows:
- Visit the tunnel
- Seeing M48 tank, C- 130 transport aircraft, Cannon 105
- Ben Duoc temple of martyr memorial
- National Defense Sport Shooting Range
- Characteristic forest of three regions and landscape lake simulating east sea
- Watching 3D Cinema Simulating Cedar Falls campaign to portray vividly details of the battle and the guerilla’s living and fighting underground and operation model of Cedar Fall
3D Cinema simulating defeating Cedar Falls campaign in 1967 in Ben Duoc tunnel
Operation model of Cedar Fall in Ben Duoc tunnel
- Simulation of the liberated area (reappearing space of Cu Chi liberation zone – Base of Saigon – Cho Lon – Gia Dinh military zone)
- Swimming pool
- Water amusement area
Besides, after entering the ticket gate, you can see a forest at first sight in Ben Duoc tunnel while in Ben Dinh tunnel, you must cross a modern tunnel to go to the ticket gate and a large area before entering a forest.
Ben Dinh tunnel
The tourist attraction map in Ben Dinh tunnel, in Cu Chi dist
Address: Ben Dinh hamlet, Nhuan Duc, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh city
Ben Dinh tunnel is a revolutionary historical relic, a leader base of Cu Chi District Party Committee in the war against the US, a place of accommodation, meeting, and a unique battle position.
Tourists can visit:
- The tunnel, similar in Ben Duoc tunnel.
- Carcass of M41 Tank of the US troops stuck with guerrillas’ mines in 1970
Carcass of M41 Tank of the US troops in Ben Dinh tunnel
- National Defense Sport Shooting Range
- Souvenirs selling area
| >>>>>>> Find more: How to get to Phu Quoc from Ho Chi Minh |
How to visit to Cu Chi tunnel
There are 3 main ways to get to Cu Chi tunnel from the city center in Ho Chi Minh city. These are by bus, by motorcycle, and by taking a half day/ a day Cu Chi tunnel tour.
By public bus
Bus to Ben Dinh tunnel
To get to Ben Dinh tunnel (Dia dao Ben Dinh in Vietnamese) from district 1, Ho Chi Minh city center by bus, you need to take 3 buses as follows:
First, take Bus no.65 – Ben Thanh – BX An Suong (6.000 vnd)
(Ben Thanh bus station – An Suong bus station)
Next, take Bus no.122 – Ben xe An Suong – Tan Quy (6.000 vnd)
(An Suong bus station – Tan Quy bus station)
Finally, take Bus no.70 – Tan Quy – Ben Suc (7.000 vnd)
(Tan Quy bus station – Ben Suc bus station)
And get off the bus at “Dia Dao Ben Dinh” bus station.
Details of Bus 65- Ben Thanh – An Suong
Details of Bus no.122 – BX An Suong – Tan Quy
Details of Bus 70- Tan Quy – Ben Suc
Bus to Ben Duoc tunnel
There are 2 ways to get to Ben Duoc tunnel (Dia dao Ben Duoc in Vietnamese) from district 1 by bus.
- Option 1:
First, take Bus no.13 – BX buýt Sài Gòn – BX Củ Chi (20.000 vnd)
(Sai Gon bus station – Cu Chi bus station)
Next, take Bus no.79 – BX Củ Chi – Đền Bến Dược (7.000 vnd)
(Cu Chi bus station – Ben Duoc temple bus station)
And get off the bus at “Dia Dao Ben Duoc” bus station.
Details of Bus no.13– Sai Gon bus station – Cu Chi bus station
Details of Bus 79 -Cu Chi bus station – Ben Duoc temple bus station
- Option 2:
First, take Bus no.65 – Ben Thanh – BX An Suong (6.000vnd)
(Ben Thanh bus station – An Suong bus station)
Next, take Bus no.74 – BX An Suong – BX Củ Chi (6.000vnd)
(An Suong bus station – Cu Chi bus station)
Finally, take Bus no.79 – BX Củ Chi – Đền Bến Dược (7.000vnd)
(Cu Chi bus station – Ben Duoc temple bus station)
And get off the bus at “Dia Dao Ben Duoc” bus station.
Details of Bus 74 -An Suong bus station – Cu Chi bus station
Details of Bus 79 -Cu Chi bus station – Ben Duoc temple bus station
Note: Both Ben Dinh bus station and Ben Duoc bus station are in front of Ben Dinh tunnel and Ben Duoc tunnel. So, it is very easy to walk to these tunnel areas to visit.
Bus timetables, route lists and fares
To get updated timetables and fares of public buses in Ho Chi Minh city, you can download Go!Bus HCMC on your smartphone.
It is very easy to use and friendly for user experiences. I really like to use this application to update coming buses.
A Look up screen of Go!Bus HCMC application
In the Go!Bus HCMC application, there are some Vietnamese phrases which have not been translated into English, but these are important information, bus fare. 😀
Bus no.13– BX buyt Sai Gon – BX Cu Chi
Here are some translated into English so that you can understand.
Vé lượt trợ giá (Government – supported bus fare on a single ticket): 6000 VNĐ
Vé lượt trợ giá HSSV (Government – supported bus fare on a single ticket for students, pupils): 3000 VNĐ
Vé miễn (Free fare ticket): 0 VNĐ
Vé tập (A volume of bus tickets paid in advance for 1 year): 135.000 VNĐ
In general, if taking a bus from Ho Chi Minh city center to Cu Chi tunnels (Ben Duoc or Ben Dinh), you just pay around 20.000 vnd – 27.000 vnd = about 1 usd. Besides, it takes about 3 hours – 3 hours 30 minutes for the whole trip. People often buy a bus ticket with “Vé lượt trợ giá“.
| >>>>>>Find more: How to book a bus to Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh |
By motorbike
In case you can drive a motorbike in Ho Chi Minh or you have local friends, experiencing to visit Cu Chi tunnels by motorbike would be interesting as the route to Cu Chi from Ho Chi Minh city center is smooth and easy to drive. There are not much curved roads on the way and the Provincial Road 15 (Tinh lộ 15) that leads to Cu Chi tunnels is large and beautiful with not much large vehicles.
Route from Ben Thanh market to Ben Duoc tunnel
If you are lucky like me, you can encounter a troop of Vietnamese soldiers walking on that road. In fact, they are students of National Military School located near this area. Just google the address of Cu Chi tunnels, you can easily drive to Cu Chi tunnels from district 1 like me.
It takes about 2 hours by motorbike from Ben Thanh market to Ben Dinh tunnel and my kilometer o’clock showed 44 km in total. From Ben Dinh tunnel, you still drive more than 20km on the same road (Provincial Road 15) to arrive Ben Duoc tunnel.
Route from Ben Thanh market to Ben Dinh tunnel
By a half-day/ a day Cu Chi tunnel tour
In case you don’t want to take a bus or drive a motorbike to Cu Chi tunnels, you can book a half-day/ a day Cu Chi tunnel tour at tour companies around Bui Vien street, De Tham street, Pham Ngu Lao street, or at your hotel or in the internet. The tour costs about 420.000 vnd – 1.000.000 vnd (including entrance tickets) depending on each company providing services.
Entrance fees of Cu Chi tunnels updated Oct 2023
Vietnamese: 35.000 Vnd (entrance fee)
Foreigners: 125.000 vnd (including Entrance fee: 35.000 Vnd and English guide: 90.000 Vnd)
In summary, discovering Cu Chi tunnels from Ho Chi Minh city center by bus or by motorbike or booking a a day Cu Chi tunnel tour depends on what suits you. I hope you have a wonderful experience to Cu Chi trip! 🙂
| >>>>>>>Find more: How to go to Ha Giang from Ho Chi Minh |
