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Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc: which Cu Chi Tunnels site should I visit?
The short answer
Choose Ben Dinh for the nearer site, about 90 minutes' drive from central Ho Chi Minh City, if you don't mind large tour groups. Choose Ben Duoc, about 13 km further on, for the memorial temple, the former regional command base and fewer crowds. Foreign visitors pay 135,000 VND a visit from 1 February 2026.
What is the difference between Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc?
Both are sections of the Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, run by the same management and about 13 km apart. Ben Duoc was the base of the Saigon-Cho Lon-Gia Dinh regional Party committee and military command, and became a national relic in 1979. Ben Dinh was the base of the Cu Chi district Party committee, beside Provincial Road 15, and became a national relic in 2004.
The tunnels are a Special National Monument under a 2015 decision of the Prime Minister, and on 15 July 2026 Vietnam submitted them to UNESCO's Tentative List.
| Ben Dinh | Ben Duoc | |
|---|---|---|
| History | Base of the Cu Chi district Party committee | Base of the regional Party committee and military command |
| What you see | A tunnel under Provincial Road 15, an M41 tank wreck, a weapons workshop | Leaders' bunkers, meeting and surgery bunkers, a smokeless kitchen, the Ben Duoc Martyrs' Memorial Temple |
| Tunnels | Some sections widened for visitors (Les Rives) | Described as narrower by Les Rives; TNK Travel describes a 100 m widened section |
| Extras | Shooting range, riverside restaurant | Shooting range, paintball, a re-created liberated-zone village, riverside restaurant |
| Crowds | More popular with large groups (Les Rives); Rusty Compass describes a theme-park feel here | Usually quieter, according to Les Rives and Rusty Compass |
| Time from central Ho Chi Minh City | About 90 minutes by road (Rusty Compass) | About 15 minutes beyond Ben Dinh (Rusty Compass) |
| Commune since July 2025 | Nhuận Đức, Ho Chi Minh City | An Nhơn Tây, Ho Chi Minh City |
How much does it cost to visit?
From 1 February 2026, foreign visitors pay 135,000 VND a visit: a 35,000 VND site fee set by Ho Chi Minh City plus a 100,000 VND service and guiding ticket, according to the site's notice of 19 January 2026. Before February the service ticket was 90,000 VND.
The notice covers the relic complex as a whole, and Les Rives, a tour operator, says the same price applies at both sections. Check whether your tour includes the ticket, and budget extra for the shooting range, which is paid per bullet.
How do I get there from Ho Chi Minh City?
The site's own website says the complex is about 70 km north-west of the city centre and opens from 7:00 to 17:00 every day.
- By road: tours take 1.5 to 2 hours each way, and Les Rives suggests allowing 2 to 3 hours on busy mornings.
- By speedboat on the Saigon River: about 1 hour 20 minutes to Ben Dinh with Les Rives, from Bach Dang pier.
- By public bus: the site's 2014 guide lists bus 13 to Cu Chi bus station then bus 79 for Ben Duoc, and buses 13, 122 and 70 for Ben Dinh. We could not confirm these routes for 2026.
Which site suits which traveller?
Both sections show the tunnel network, so choose by time, interest and tolerance for crowds.
- Short on time: Ben Dinh, the nearer section, reached by bus tours and by speedboat.
- Interested in the command history or the memorial: Ben Duoc, with its leaders' bunkers and the memorial temple listing 45,666 names.
- Wanting fewer people around you: Ben Duoc, which tour operators and travel writers describe as quieter.
- Wary of tight spaces: either, since going underground is optional and the exhibits are above ground.
Where are the sites now that Cu Chi district is gone?
Vietnam abolished district-level government on 1 July 2025, so Cu Chi district no longer exists as an administrative unit. Under Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15, Ben Dinh now lies in Nhuận Đức commune and Ben Duoc in An Nhơn Tây commune, both in Ho Chi Minh City. The site's own website and tour operators still use the Cu Chi name.
Questions people ask
Do I have to crawl through the tunnels?
No. Going underground is optional at both sections, and the parts open to visitors have been widened, though they are still tight. The bunkers, exhibits and grounds can be seen without crawling. TNK Travel advises closed shoes, as sandals are not suitable on the paths.
Are the Cu Chi Tunnels a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Not yet. Vietnam submitted the Cu Chi Tunnels to UNESCO's Tentative List on 15 July 2026, a step that comes before any nomination. In Vietnam the complex is already a Special National Monument, under a Prime Minister's decision of 23 December 2015.
Can I visit both sites in one day?
Yes, with your own transport: they are about 13 km apart, and Ben Duoc is about 15 minutes' drive beyond Ben Dinh. If you book a tour, check that it names the section it visits; one operator's page we read said Ben Duoc in one place and Ben Dinh in another.
Sources
Checked on by the Top Tours Vietnam editor. Rules and prices change: the sources below are where we checked them.
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, introduction checked . The site answers over plain http only.
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, notice of 19 January 2026: ticket price from 1 February 2026 checked
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, notice on the 35,000 VND site fee from 2021 checked
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, Ben Duoc checked
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, Ben Duoc Martyrs' Memorial Temple checked
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, Ben Dinh checked
- Cu Chi Tunnels historic site, getting there from Ho Chi Minh City (2014) checked
- UNESCO Tentative List, Cu Chi Tunnels (submitted 15 July 2026) checked
- Ho Chi Minh City government portal: the 168 wards and communes after reorganisation checked
- Resolution 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 (full text, Hoa Tieu) checked
- Les Rives, Cu Chi Tunnels: Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc checked
- Les Rives, Cu Chi Tunnels Tour by Speedboat checked
- Rusty Compass, Cu Chi Tunnels (updated 18 May 2025) checked
- VnExpress, 11 April 2025: Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc are 13 km apart checked
- TNK Travel, Cu Chi Tunnels half day tour checked
- Tuoi Tre News, 16 June 2025: district-level administration abolished checked
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