Cu Chi Tunnels & Tay Ninh

Best Dec – Mar Southern Vietnam Culture & Heritage Full-day trip

Cu Chi and Tay Ninh make one of Vietnam's best day trips — two completely different experiences combined in a single outing from Saigon. In the morning, you crawl through sections of the famous 250-kilometre tunnel network that sheltered fighters during the war. By noon, you are standing in the Cao Dai Great Temple, a pastel-painted cathedral where Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Islam merge into one of the world's most visually extraordinary religions.

The contrast between underground darkness and kaleidoscopic colour makes this pairing unforgettable. Most couples slot it in as a day trip before or after Saigon.

Why Visit Cu Chi & Tay Ninh?

The Cu Chi tunnel network stretches 250 kilometres through the clay earth northwest of Saigon. Built over two decades from the late 1940s, the tunnels housed command centres, hospitals, kitchens and weapons workshops across three underground levels. Two visitor sites operate today: Ben Dinh is the more accessible, with widened tunnel sections for visitors, while Ben Duoc is the original, narrower experience with far fewer crowds.

At both sites, you crawl through tunnel sections, see camouflaged trap doors that are almost impossible to spot, and examine the ingenious ventilation and smoke-dispersal systems. A short video and displays cover the broader history of the network during both the French and American wars.

Tay Ninh is 90 minutes further northwest. The Cao Dai Great Temple is the headquarters of a syncretic religion founded in 1926 that blends elements of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Islam and Confucianism. The building is extraordinary — a pastel cathedral with a dragon-wrapped column nave, a giant Divine Eye above the altar, and daily ceremonies performed by white-robed priests. The noon ceremony is the most atmospheric, with hundreds of followers filing in beneath clouds of incense.

Highlights of Cu Chi Tunnels & Tay Ninh

Tunnel Crawl Experience

Crawl through original tunnel sections — narrow, low-ceilinged passages that bring the wartime experience to life.

Trap Door Demonstrations

Camouflaged forest-floor trapdoors almost impossible to spot, revealed by guides as you walk over them.

Ben Duoc Site

The quieter, less-visited tunnel site with original narrow passages, far fewer tourists and a deeper experience.

Cao Dai Great Temple

A pastel-painted cathedral with dragon columns, a giant Divine Eye and noon ceremonies by white-robed priests.

Wartime Displays

Recovered weapons, booby-trap models and a short film covering the 20-year history of the tunnel network.

Underground Kitchen

A smoke-dispersal system channelling cooking fumes through metres of tunnel to hide the entrance locations.

Best Time to Visit

December to March is the dry season, with sunny days of 30 to 33 degrees. Both sites are partially outdoors with limited shade, so bring water and a hat. April and May are hotter but still dry. The monsoon runs June to November with short afternoon downpours that rarely last more than an hour.

Getting There

Cu Chi is 70 kilometres northwest of central Saigon, about 90 minutes by car depending on traffic. Tay Ninh is a further 60 kilometres west. Most couples combine both in a full-day tour departing at 7 am and returning by 4 pm. We arrange private car and guide for all our honeymoon packages.