Cu Chi Tunnels is one of the famous attractions of Ho Chi Minh City. This place was once a strategic base for the Vietnamese army during the war against the US. Currently, Cu Chi tunnels have become a tourist destination attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. However, to move from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi tunnels, there are 3 most popular means of transport: motorbike, taxi and bus. The cost of motorbikes and taxis is often much more expensive than buses, so many packagers choose this as the best way to visit the tunnels. On this post, Vietdreamtravel would like to provide detailed information about bus routes to Cu Chi tunnels.
The advantages and disadvantages of visiting Cu Chi tunnels by bus
There are 2 famous tunnels in Cu Chi: Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc.
Most of the tour agencies take their guests to Ben Dinh as it more touristic and located just more 30 km from the city centre. However, Vietnamese people, especially middle age or elderly people usually choose to visit Ben Duoc , located around more than 45 km from the centre, which is more local.
You can reach the tunnels by bus, taxi, or motorbike. It takes about 1.5 hours by taxi, around 2 – 2.5 hours by bus, or 2 hours by motorbike. Traveling Cu Chi tunnels by taxi is comfort, fast, but quite expensive. It cost around 50 USD for a private car from Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Dinh, or 70 USD to Ben Duoc.
Source: collected
In case of love driving, you can rent a motorbike at the price 100,000 -150,000/VND/day, fill the fuel and drive from the city to visit the tunnels. 2 – 3 liters of petrol would be enough, however, its seem not a good way to travel during a raining season or when the sun light is too strong. You would become exhaust when traveling under these weathers. Furthermore, self-driving in Vietnam is not easy, especially if you’re first time traveler.
In comparison to other means of transportation to Cu Chi tunnels, traveling by bus take a longer time however its cheap, safe and comfort. Some of the main advantages of taking bus to the tunnels include:
- Bus ticket fare cost less than 01 USD/1way/1stop.
- Equipped with soft seat – air conditioners, sometimes sun protecting glass.
- Great chance to admire the views along the way such as chaos traffic road, endless rice fields, busy life of local people…
However, there are some disadvantages that go along with benefits such as pickpocket, long of traveling time…
Bus station & routes from Ho Chi Minh city centre to Cu Chi Tunnels
There are some bus routes to Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City center:
Going to Ben Duoc Tunnels:
From Ben Thanh take bus No.13 (Ben Thanh – Cu Chi) to Cu Chi bus station. From Cu Chi bus station, take bus number 79 (Cu Chi – Dau Tieng) to Ben Duoc tunnels.
Bus number 79 has color depart from HCM city center to Cu Chi and return
From Cho Lon bus station, take bus No.94 (Cho Lon – Cu Chi) to Cu Chi bus station. From Cu Chi bus station, take bus number 79 (Cu Chi – Dau Tieng) to Ben Duoc tunnels.
Ben Thanh Bus Station
Going to Ben Dinh Tunnels:
From Ben Thanh, take bus No.13 (Ben Thanh – Cu Chi) to An Suong bus station. Then from An Suong bus station, take bus number 122 to Tan Quy bus station. From Tan Quy bus station, take bus No.70 to Ben Dinh bus station.
Bus number 70 to Cu Chi tunnels
From Cho Lon bus station, take bus No.94 (Cho Lon – Cu Chi) to An Suong bus station. Then from An Suong bus station, take bus number 122 to Tan Quy bus station. After, you have to take bus number 70 to reach Ben Dinh tunnels.
Cho Lon Bus station
Below are the location of the bus station from Ho Chi Minh to Cu Chi or return:
- Sai Gon Le Lai Bus Station: located on 23/9 Park, District 1, near by Saigon backpacker area.
- Cho Lon Bus Station: 46 Le Quang Sung Street, Ward 2, District 6; right in the heart of China Town.
- Ben Thanh Central Bus Station: 23 Pham Ngu Lao, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, next to Ben Thanh Market.
- An Suong Bus Station: situated on Highway 22, Ba Diem Ward, Hoc Mon District.
- Tan Quy Bus Station: situated in Tan An Village, Trung An Commune, Cu Chi District.
- Cu Chi Bus Station: located in Tan An Hoi Ward, Cu Chi District.
Bus routes to Cu Chi Tunnels
| Bus No | Routines | Operation time | Distance | Trip time | Trip spacing |
| 13 | Sai Gon Bus Station – Cu Chi Bus Station | 04:00 – 19:30 Pm | ~ 36km | 80 minutes | 15 – 20 minutes |
| 79 | Cu Chi Bus Station- Ben Duoc Temple | 05:00 – 18:00 Pm | ~ 25km | 45 minutes | 20 – 25 minutes |
| 94 | Cho Lon Bus Station – Cu Chi Bus Station | 04:30 – 19:00 Pm | ~ 30km | 75 minutes | 20 minutes |
| 04 | Ben Thanh – An Suong Bus Station | 05:00 – 20:15 Pm | ~ 17km | 50 – 70 minutes | 8 – 10 minutes |
| 122 | An Suong Bus Station – Tan Quy Bus Station | 04:45 – 19:30 Pm | ~ 19km | 50 minutes | 7 – 12 minutes |
| 70 | Tan Quy Bus Station – Ben Dinh | 0:4:00 – 20:20 Pm | ~ 26km | 60 minutes | 15 – 20 minutes |
For details about bus routes from Ho Chi Minh to Cu Chi and return, please take a look directly at the official website of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation: http://buyttphcm.com.vn/en-us/Route.
Although bus is not the most comfortable mean of transportation to visit to Cu Chi Tunnels, it is a favorite choice of many tourists who would like to minimize their budget, experience city’s view, local life, and explore tunnels. Let us tell you how to get to Cu Chi Tunnels by bus!
