Cu Chi Tunnels by Speedboat & Cao Dai Temple Tour

Departure Time:  7:00 AM

Finish Time:  4:00 PM

This combined tour is designed to take you on a journey of discovery through two of the most popular destinations near Ho Chi Minh City. In just one day, you’ll explore the historic Cu Chi Tunnels and experience the fascinating Cao Dai Temple – the world’s youngest and most mysterious religion.

Your Les Rives tour guide will meet you at your hotel lobby and escort you to the Saigon Water Bus Station, where a modern speedboat awaits you. Relax as you enjoy a light breakfast on board, while cruising comfortably along the Saigon River and taking in the lively sights of riverbank life.

Your first stop is the Cu Chi Tunnels, a small but significant sample of the vast network of tunnels used during the US-Vietnam conflict. Your expert guide will lead you through the historic tunnels, dug by resourceful guerrilla fighters to provide communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches, and living quarters during numerous conflicts. You’ll learn about the incredible ingenuity and perseverance of the guerrilla fighters and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges they faced.

Next, hop on a comfortable minivan and travel to Tay Ninh Province to visit the famous Cao Dai Holy Temple. This unique temple is a fascinating fusion of Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, and a few other religions, and it boasts a stunningly ornate and colorful architecture. Learn about the temple’s organization and the unique Cao Dai religion, which espouses a philosophy of universal love and peace. Watch the noon mass, and soak in the tranquil atmosphere.

After an insightful and enriching day, enjoy a traditional Vietnamese lunch before the van brings you back to your hotel, with memories of an unforgettable Les Rives tour that blends history, culture, and adventure.

*Minimum 4 peopler per booking is required for this tour. If your group size is less than 4 people, kindly contact us to check for availability.

Premium servicesAvailable in small group tourGuided by local experts Meal included (breakfast & lunch)Pick-up and drop-off included

7:00 am: Early in the morning, your guide will meet you at your hotel’s lobby and bring you by car to your boat at Saigon Water Bus Station.

7:20 am: Then you will depart Saigon by speedboat. Within 15 minutes, the banks of the river change from city sprawl to lush jungle. A light breakfast of sandwiches or pastries, fresh tropical fruits and Vietnamese iced coffee (Ca phe sua da) is served, as your guide explains rural traditions and aspects of riverbank life.

8:50 am: You will arrive at the Cu Chi Tunnels site before the majority of larger bus tours arrive. Watch a brief introductory ‘propaganda’ video to the Cu Chi area.

9:00 am: Explore the Cu Chi site, which includes weapon and booby trap exhibitions, navigating authentic Viet Cong tunnel, visiting different underground bunkers (kitchens, meeting rooms, ammunitions etc.), a firing range and much more. Try the local cassava root that sustained Viet Cong fighters for years.

11:00 am: Depart for Cao Dai Holy See Temple, a mixture of a few different religions, located in Tay Ninh province.

12:15 pm: Walk around the temple to see its marvelous and mysterious architecture and watch the noon mass.

1:15 pm: You will have lunch at a local restaurant for a delicious Vietnamese cuisine.

1:45 pm: Depart for Ho Chi Minh City

4:00 pm: Arrive back to Saigon to be dropped off at your place of stay.

Please note that due to the individual nature of the tours, times are approximate and can vary slightly.

Dress code: Proper wear is strongly recommended when visiting Cao Dai Temple and pagodas.

Inclusions: lunch, unlimited refreshments and local fruit, English-speaking guide, all entrance fees, pickup and drop off at centrally located hotels.

Exclusions: Food and drinks (unless specified), gratuities (optional), bullets at shooting range (optional), surcharge for halal meal options (if required)

Please note we only pickup and drop off at hotel located in district 1 and district 3.

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Explore the winding, underground passageways in your Cu Chi Tunnels tour

Cu Chi Tunnel Historical Site tour will include visiting an American weapons gallery, and later on even a bullet riddled tank. You will be shown a variety of ingenious and rather brutal booby traps used by the VC. And you’ll try to discover secret entrances hidden by fake termite mounds and other creative disguises.

You’ll learn everything from how the kitchens fed up to 10,000 fighters in the tunnels (and how they disguised the smoke), to how they defended the tunnels from American bombs and infiltrators. You’ll even see the huge crater formed by an American B52 bomber.

And of course, you’ll be able to explore the 1-metre high tunnels themselves. These tunnels have been enlarged slightly, but it can still be a pretty claustrophobic experience – imagine living down there for months! Fortunately, there are regular that allow you to exit easily if you wish. Original, unchanged tunnels can also be explored, although this is certainly not for the faint hearted!

At the end of the Cu Chi Tunnels tour, there is a firing range that allows you to fire real war-era weapons including the M66 and AK47.

Visit the Cao Dai Temple, a unique representation of the world’s youngest and the most fascinating religion

Cao Dai is a combination of Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism and a few other religions. Founded in 1926 in 4 km east of Tay Ninh, the Cao Dai Temple, like the religion, is a fusion of world influences. The temple is charming in its colorful, mysterious, marvelous architecture.

As well as being a major center of pilgrimage, the Cao Dai temple is also one of Vietnam’s major tourist attractions.

What to know in advance of Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi Tunnels Tour …

Bring your camera! There are amazing photo opportunities both traveling to and from Cu Chi tunnel location and at the actual site itself.

Please request vegetarian or Halal food options 24 hours in advance of your tour. Please note for Halal food a $10 surcharge will be incurred.

Soft drinks ( Coke Zero), matcha green tea, water and fruit provided during the boat journey are included in the overall price and not subject additional charge.

Les Rives will provide insect repellent, waterproof ponchos and umbrellas.

From November to February, we suggest you bring a jacket for the early starts.

We also recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes, light clothing and a hat.

Some of the tunnels at Cu Chi have been enlarged, yet they can still be claustrophobic. However, there are always plenty of exits.

Please note that the abundant water hyacinth on the Saigon River can cause the boat to stall, meaning sometimes we’ll have to go at a gentler pace than usual. Occasionally there are slight delays.

We are happy to say that no tour is exactly the same with Les Rives, and as result scheduled times can vary slightly.

All guides speak excellent English and will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.