Cu Chi tunnels: what they are and what to expect

The Cu Chi tunnels: 121 km of them, and what a visit is like

Short answer

The Cu Chi tunnels are a 121 km complex in Cu Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City, and were the Viet Cong base for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The sections open to visitors have been widened and lit, with displays of booby traps and the underground rooms where the offensive was planned.

Last checked: September 21, 2026

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What it is

	Figure
Network length	121 km, about 75 miles
Location	Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City
Used as	Viet Cong base of operations
Key event	Tet Offensive, 1968
For visitors	Some sections widened, low-power lights installed
On site	Booby trap displays, underground conference rooms

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The scale is the point

A single tunnel is a curiosity. A 121 km complex is something else: a second settlement, dug underneath a district, with rooms, kitchens, hospitals and meeting spaces, that functioned as the Viet Cong base of operations through the war and from which the Tet Offensive was planned in 1968.

Understanding that figure before you arrive changes the visit. The crawl is the part people photograph. The scale is the part that matters.

What you will actually see

Sections of tunnel have been enlarged for visitors and fitted with low-power lights, so what you walk through is not the original dimension. The site says so, and the original cross-sections are displayed nearby.

There are reconstructed sections, displays of the types of booby traps that were used, and the underground conference rooms where campaigns were planned. There is also a firing range on site, which some people find an uncomfortable neighbour to the rest, and which is entirely optional.

Going, and going well

Arrive early. Heat and coach parties both build through the morning.
Wear something you can kneel in. The floor is red earth.
Decide about the crawl beforehand rather than at the entrance with people behind you.
Give it the time it deserves. This is a war memorial before it is an attraction.

Getting there

Cu Chi is a district of Ho Chi Minh City, so this is a road trip within the city’s own boundaries rather than a journey. A car booked in an app is straightforward, and how those fares work is in Grab in Vietnam. Organised trips and public buses both run, and the platforms that sell coach seats are in sleeper buses in Vietnam.

Getting into the city in the first place is covered in Tan Son Nhat to District 1, the southern dry season runs December to April as set out in when to go to Vietnam, and what your phone needs is in how much mobile data for Vietnam, with the plans in the Vietnam eSIM store.

Questions

How big is the network?

A 121 km complex, which is the figure that makes the place comprehensible. It is not a tunnel, it is a district with a second layer underneath it, and it served as the Viet Cong base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968.

Are the tunnels the original size?

Not the ones you walk through. Some sections have been made larger to accommodate visitors and low-power lights have been installed. The original dimensions are shown elsewhere on the site, and the gap between the two is the part worth paying attention to.

What if I am claustrophobic?

Then skip the crawl and do not feel obliged. The widened sections are still narrow, low and warm, and there are exits at intervals but not everywhere. The surface parts of the site, the displays and the underground conference rooms carry most of the history without the crawl.

What else is on site?

Displays of the different types of booby traps that were used, reconstructed sections, and the underground conference rooms in which campaigns including the Tet Offensive were planned. There is also a firing range, which some visitors find jarring next to the rest of it.

How do I get there?

It is a district of Ho Chi Minh City rather than a separate place, reached by road in a morning. A car booked in an app, a tour bus or a public bus all work. Going early avoids both the heat and the coaches.