Uncover the best of Cu Chi Tunnels the local Way

"Our trip to Cu Chi with Huyen was fantastic. We could not rate her highly enough - very knowledgable and friendly. She was able to cater for a larger group and the transport was very comfortable. Perfect for a family. Highly recommended. "

"Thien was easy to connect with as soon as we hired her on with locals. She began messaging us and answering any questions we had regarding our travels in Vietnam. She met us at the airport, took us to our hotel and even made a stop at a local laundry to drop off our clothes. We had a city tour the first day of a Taoist temple, post office, book street and to a non tourist part of the city for the best pho. Before getting back to the hotel we made a stop for ban mi at a street food stand. The next day we went to the area called the US apartments , walked through the bustling markets where she helped us make some purchases and took us to a street side coffee shop recently reviewed in the New York Times where she knows the owner who gave us a private demonstration of her coffee making process. She arranged an excursion to the Mekong delta where we rode on a private boat through the delta to a coconut workshop for tea, fruit snack and a private musical performance and coconut candy tasting. Then on to a lovely open air restaurant right on the river for a lovely lunch. Thien arranged the day to locations where we were the only tourists. Then we continued on a rowboat to learn how to make rice paper wrappers. Next on to the tuk tuk to the home of an old woman who weaves fiber rugs where we were able to try weaving. The little children in the village came running to Thien for hugs and wanted to meet us . Our third day was to the cu chi tunnels. Thien has access to a non-tourist area. We saw the simulated village and how the people lived before the French and American soldiers came. I did not see any other tourists in the area. Then on to the tunnels . Again, Thien has access to tunnels where there are no other people. Just Thien and I and sometimes a park ranger guide through the tunnels. After a long drive back to the hotel Thien suggested a delicious restaurant near the hotel for our last night in Vietnam. Be sure to hire Thien. She is a smart woman with very strong opinions on life in current day Ho Chi Minh City. "

"Thien first took us to the oldest Vietnamese coffee shop in Ho Chi Min City which was fabulous. Three sisters run it and we saw how all the traditional methods and are still being used today. It was fascinating and the coffee was absolutely delicious - we tried both the hot and cold versions. Definitely worth a visit. We then went off to the Cu Chi tunnels. The tour started out with a very interesting film and then we moved to a traditional village set up which was both interesting and informative. Lastly we went to the Cu Chi tunnels themselves. Despite initially being apprehensive, we explored a number of tunnels as Thien relayed the history of how the tunnels were used and various other aspects showing how the entrances and exits were disguised. Thien was a fabulous guide and we thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic day."

"Good day out and good guide and gives insight into the war."

"Tu was a great host and guide for a one day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels from HCMC. Communication was great. We met at the appointed time, and headed out. Tu was very kind, bringing us some food to eat during the car ride. It was very enjoyable talking with Tu, and learning more about Vietnam, Vietnamese culture and politics, how he grew up and about his life. We went to a quieter section of the Cu Chi tunnels, and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. It was nice to be able to absorb the energy of the area, and reflect upon what it must have been like for all involved during the war. Thank you!"

"Getting to explore the Cu Chi tunnels and have a cooking class with Tan was the most unexpected day - we didn’t realise we would be visiting an organic farm outside the city, learning about the different ingredients, picking them ourselves and getting to cook 4 different meals. All this before visiting the Cu Chi tunnels with a private tour guide. It was the hottest day ever but we had a wonderful time getting to chat, cook and explore!"

"Tu was a gem. Everything we look for in a guide. Informative, engaging and knowledgeable. We had a fantastic day and would choose Tu to do another tour. Visiting cu chi tunnels was an interesting but somber experience. We were happy we chose to drive further to the “less touristy” site rather than visit the closer spot. Thanks again Tu for the amazing time "

"We were picked up by Linh at our hotel. The farm was lovely and peaceful. We picked fresh ingredients for our meal and then were instructed in cooking a huge lunch. We learned some shortcuts and were also given the recipes at the end. We had a tour of the tunnels after lunch which was pretty standard…being less crowded there in the afternoon was a bonus."

"I had a great day in cooking class and the food was excellent! Nice Guide ZanGiang! Also the Tunnels we visited, my guides Knowledge about the history of his Country is overwhelming. Thanks a lot! I'll come back"