Private Tour: Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple Full-Day Tour from Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The private tour to Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai is a great day trip from Ho Chi Minh. Visit Tay Ninh, home of the unique Cao Dai sect which is a mix of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. After lunch, visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an amazing underground labyrinth from which the Vietnamese fought during the American/Vietnam war.

The private tour begins with a visit to Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, home to the unique Cao Dai sect, whose patron saints include Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill to name a few. The religion is an odd mix of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The trip to Tay Ninh is combined with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life in the war must have been like. The tour includes a local Vietnamese lunch.

This tour operator is the 2007 Conde Naste winner of the Best Operator category in the World Saver Awards

USD $56.00

Review by: j a f	January 2012
my favourite trip - really good fun, only downside is not enough time was spent at the tunnels. originally I was not too fussed about visiting Cau Dai but the guide got us there for the midday service which was unbelievable - do not miss this!

Review by: Stephen J M	January 2012
Wonderful. The tunnels are interesting, the temple is very spiritual but the drive through the country is even better. It lets you see a unique part of Vietnam.

Review by: Lynette S	December 2011
Enjoyed our tour. We were picked up at the stated time. Car was clean. Driver and Guide were very good

Review by: Mark S	November 2011
If you only have time for one tour I would definitely pass this one up for the Mekong River Cruise. We both enjoyed this tour but the Cu Chi Tunnels was a little bit of a let down for me. We had the same tour guide for both tours and he was excellent.

Review by: Gra	September 2011
Really enjoyed this day tour. The guide--Duong, was very informative. Traveling took about three hours but all worth it.The day was hot and the humidity high in the jungle so bring sun lotion, hat and plenty of water. Would recommend -defiinately!!!

Review by: Robert P	August 2011
Top guide. Better than expected tour. Highly recommend.

Review by: Jason H	August 2011
Absolutely brilliant...loved it all!!! Amazing guide with outstanding English and knowledge beyond belief. Great tour operator. Definitely recommend.

Review by: Hong Keat T	April 2011
Very interesting and we're glad that we're small enough to get in!

Review by: Victor	January 2011
We couldn't believe the tunnel system worked so well for the people back then. Incredible experience._br/_ The temple was magnificent. Super.

Review by: LISA M	December 2010
Tunnels were interesting, although very anti-American movie before the tour

Review by: Daniel V	December 2010
Very interesting and our guide was really top ! Thanks !!!

Review by: Sofia I	July 2010
covered everyting we wanted

Review by: Mark W, Australia	May 2010
Although the itinerary states the Cao Dai Temple is the first stop before lunch and then the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Guide showed great foresight and took us to the Cu Chi Tunnels first to beat the crowds and the heat of the day. we practically had the place to ourselves which was great We then went to the Temple and arrived in time to see the prayer ceremony which was a memorable experience. From here we went to lunch. Make sure you bring your appetite as the food just keeps coming and is delicious. We then made the long trip back to HCMC. A great day and would recommend the tour itinerary be done this way.

Review by: Clyde V, United States of America	May 2010
Overpriced. Too rushed at the tunnels. Lunch was marginal. The 10 hour tour was over in 7 hours.

Review by: Susan M, Australia	March 2010
Great trip although we felt a little rushed at the tunnels by the tour guide. Did not spend alot of time at the tunnels which was a shame, more time at the temple was given which was not necessary. The whole day was rushed from the start and we were back at the hotel well before the expected time.

Review by: Mark D, United States of America	February 2010
Recommend if you are interested in seeing the country side of Vietnam. It is a long trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh but gives you a perspective of how people live in the villages. The Cu Chi tunnels are OK if you enjoy learning about the Vietnam War. But the accuracy of information provided was questionable. The Cao Dai temple was one strange place.

Review by: Lai Chan T	January 2010
Thought the tour was good, the tour guide was great however just a slight issue with confirming with the agency as they said they didn't have the booking. They ended up having to confirm with Viator then having to call my mobile to say they did have it so that was slightly inconvenient as it cost me a bit for that call but nonetheless, good tour and the food was great!

Review by: Valerie D, United States of America	November 2009
The tour was enjoyable. Tour guide was friendly and his English was good.

Review by: Romulo G, Philippines	October 2008
The Cu Chi tunnel Tour was well worth the 2 hour drive! It showed us the ingenuity and resilience of the Vietnamese during the war. Cao Dai temple was ok. It was extremely hot when we arrived, but we were there just in time for the noon time worship. Lunch was exquisite! Hefty servings and fresh ingredients! The drinks were not inclusive though. For this long drive, we were glad we had a private vehicle all to ourselves.

Review by: Christine G	October 2008
The Cu Chi tunnel Tour was well worth the 2 hour drive! It showed us the ingenuity and resilience of the Vietnamese during the war. Cao Dai temple was ok. It was extremely hot when we arrived, but we were there just in time for the noon time worship. Lunch was exquisite! Hefty servings and fresh ingredients! The drinks were not inclusive though. For this long drive, we were glad we had a private vehicle all to ourselves.

Review by: Anonymous, Ireland	August 2008
Delighted with tour. Great guide and driver and comfortable car with air conditioning which was needed.

Review by: Anne B, Australia	July 2008
Our tour guide was very friendly and turned up on time. We didn't feel the tour was value for money because the guide didn't give us enough background information on the sights and we could have done the trip on our own. It was supposed to be a 10 hour trip but we were back in our hotel in much less time.

Review by: Kevin B	July 2008
Our tour guide was very friendly and turned up on time. We didn't feel the tour was value for money because the guide didn't give us enough background information on the sights and we could have done the trip on our own. It was supposed to be a 10 hour trip but we were back in our hotel in much less time.

Review by: Amanda S, Australia	April 2008
We had a great tour guide and driver. The private tour was much better then going in a bus! Crawling through the tunnels was a great experience!

Review by: Caroline Y, United Kingdom	March 2008
This is a great combination of tours.

Review by: Colin M, United Kingdom	March 2008
This is a great day out and an eye opener to the ravages of war. We loved the tour. Cao Dai is a nice place too, although you may think it's not worth the extra few hours on the tour.

Review by: Stacey W, United Kingdom	January 2008
Really enjoyed this trip. We didn't have a lot of time at the tunnels due to time constraints to get to Cao Dai Temple but we were so glad we had decided to do both as seeing the Cao Dai worshipers was really the highlight of the day for us. We felt privileged to have an insight into their prayer practices. Our guide was lovely, spoke great English and was very open with information about life in Vietnam which we were really grateful for.

Review by: Lorraine B, United Kingdom	October 2007
We had a private guide who spoke very good English and was very friendly. Nothing was too much trouble.

Review by: LORRAINE B	October 2007
We had a private guide who spoke very good English and was very friendly. Nothing was too much trouble.

Review by: Ian W, United Kingdom	September 2007
It was an unbelievable experience going inside the tunnels. We even managed to crawl through the tunnel with a guide. The war museum was very moving. Once again, a fabulous tour with a wonderful guide.

Review by: Teow Seng T, Singapore	July 2006
My family enjoyed the whole tour very much, the guide was friendly and made a good effort to explain every part of it with clear English. Well done. Cheers.