Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Southern Vietnam
The tunnels, then the delta, without the eleven-hour day
Everyone in Saigon sells Cu Chi and the delta in one day. It works on paper. We split it over two, so each half gets a morning instead of a rushed hour.
Overview
Why we split the famous combination
The tunnels and a delta boat in one day is eleven hours with about four of them in the van, and both halves end up squeezed: the tunnels at the busiest hour and the delta in the heat of the afternoon. Two days costs you one night and gives you the tunnels at nine in the morning, the delta at its best in the early light, and an evening on a riverbank with nothing to hurry for.
We use Ben Duoc, the site nearer the river, rather than Ben Dinh, which receives most of the coaches. The tunnels are the same network; the difference is the crowd and the pace. On the second day we work the channels around Ben Tre, the coconut province across the river from My Tho, on the smaller waterways rather than the main tourist islands.
- Length
- 2 days, 1 night
- Cu Chi
- Ben Duoc site, morning
- Cu Chi to Ben Tre
- 2.5 to 3 hours
- Night
- Riverside lodge in Ben Tre
- Back in Saigon
- around 16:00
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Cu Chi tunnels, then south to the river
The tunnels before the crowds arrive
Pick-up is at 07:00. The drive to Ben Duoc takes about two hours, and we aim to be at the site before the midday groups. Your guide walks you through the forest, the kitchens built to vent smoke far from the cooking, the firing positions and the craters, and then offers you a section of tunnel. The widened stretch is thirty metres or so; there is a way out every few metres if you want one. Nobody is pushed underground.
We leave Cu Chi around 11:30 for lunch on the way and then drive south on the ring roads and the expressway, two and a half to three hours depending on traffic, crossing into Ben Tre in the middle of the afternoon.
You arrive at the lodge by about 16:00 with time to swim if it has a pool, or to sit on the jetty and watch the boats. Dinner is at the lodge: river fish, the local coconut in several forms, and a cold beer at your own expense.
Day 2
The Ben Tre channels by boat and bicycle
The small channels at half past seven in the morning
Breakfast is from 06:30 and the boat leaves at 07:30, when the water is cool and the channels are busy with people rather than tour boats. We stop at a coconut workshop where the whole nut is used, from the sweet to the rope to the charcoal, and at a brick kiln or a mat-weaving house depending on what is working that day.
Around 09:30 you swap the boat for bicycles and ride for an hour on the lanes, flat and shaded, with the boat collecting you further along. Lunch is at a garden house around 11:30. We then drive back to Saigon, about two hours, arriving around 16:00.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 215 | from 270 | from 410 |
| 4 travelling | from 175 | from 220 | from 335 |
| 6 travelling | from 160 | from 200 | from 300 |
Ben Tre has a few small riverside lodges and the tier you choose is mostly about the room and the pool. The rest of the cost is the car, the guide and the boats, which is why four people pay noticeably less each than two. Weekends in the dry season are the busiest time at the lodges and are priced accordingly.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Private car and driver for both days
- English-speaking guide throughout
- Entrance to the Cu Chi tunnels at Ben Duoc
- Private boat and bicycles in Ben Tre
- One night at a riverside lodge with breakfast
- Lunch on both days and dinner on day one; drinking water
What it does not include
- Drinks with meals, tips and personal spending
- The firing range at Cu Chi, which is optional and paid per bullet
- Travel insurance and visas
- Extra nights or transfers beyond the two days
Practical
Practical notes
Wear clothes you do not mind getting red with dust at Cu Chi and closed shoes for the forest paths. The tunnel sections are hot and low: anyone with a bad back, knee trouble or claustrophobia can see everything above ground and skip the crawl without missing the point.
The dry season from December to April is the most comfortable. In the rainy months the tunnel area can be muddy in the afternoon, which is another reason to visit in the morning. The delta day works in any month.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
If you have only one free day in Saigon, this is not your trip. Take the long day and accept its limits, or choose one of the two halves and do it well. If floating markets are the goal, go to Can Tho instead: Ben Tre is about channels, gardens and workshops, not trading boats.
It is also a lot of road for young children in a single afternoon. For families with small ones we would usually split the tunnels and the delta into two separate day trips from a Saigon hotel.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Do I have to go into the tunnels?
No. Everything important can be seen above ground, and the crawl is a choice you make on the spot.
Why Ben Duoc rather than Ben Dinh?
Both are part of the same network. Ben Duoc is further out and gets fewer coach groups, which makes a real difference in the morning.
Can we stay in Saigon and do this as two day trips?
Yes, and some people prefer it. You lose the river night but keep your hotel. Ask and we will price both.
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