Taste of Vietnam

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Cu Chi Tunnels

If you are looking for a tour Off The Beaten Path, Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside shore excursion is for you. Unless you were in Vietnam during the war, we doubt you could begin to imagine what this tunnel system was like. It was incredible to see how the tunnels were constructed and how this underground world was so instrumental during the war.

Our Gateway to Ho Chi Minh post details our visit to Cu Chi Tunnels, as well as the other sights featured on that shore excursion.   Since it was an all day tour, it included lunch. 

Ad Ben Nay Restaurant

After a short drive from the tunnels we arrived at Ad Ben Nay Restaurant for lunch. It is as an open air restaurant located along the banks along a stream. It was quite a lovely setting with gentle breezes blowing through as we enjoyed our meal.

There was a set menu served family style. It consisted of grilled chicken (which was brought just as we were leaving), spring rolls, fried Basa filet fish with tomato sauce, braised pork in clay pot, seafood hot pot with noodles, steamed rice, and flan for dessert.   The meal included one beverage so everyone at our table opted for Saigon beer.

We walked around the grounds a bit and then boarded our motor-coach for the long trip back to Phu My.  Once again we made our way through the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh city.  

Some passengers wanted to stop for shopping, but since everyone didn't want to stop, we stuck to the schedule, making a brief bathroom stop and returned to the pier right on schedule. There were a few vendors selling souvenirs at the pier for those interested.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Ho Chi Minh
Cu Chi Tunnels
Saigon Lunch

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Gateway to Ho Chi Minh

Phu My 

Sapphire Princess arrived in Phu My, Vietnam around 6 am.  The port of Phu My (pronounced "Foo Me") is the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the seaside resort of Vung Tau. 

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Over three decades have passed since the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon. Today, the name of this bustling metropolis on the Mekong River is Ho Chi Minh City. Yet, the essence of the city, a major trading center since the 18th century, remains unchanged. The air is filled with the cries of street hawkers and honking horns. Bicycles, motorbikes and automobiles fly down the boulevards at dizzying speeds. We only saw one accident, which amazed us.  Everywhere there were friendly faces and warm greetings.  

We met in the Wheelhouse Lounge at 6:50 am for our Cu Chi Tunnels shore excursion. After a short wait we were led to the gangway where our landing cards were stamped. We proceeded ashore and to our awaiting motor-coach.   Our guide, Thang, explained that our drive to the tunnels would take us thru Ho Chi Minh city and take about three hours.

Saigon is a mix of old and new.  There are construction sites all over including skyscrapers which will tower as much as 80 stories.  Amongst the new are the last cal family run businesses which are seen along the side of the road.    Motorcycles dart in and out of traffic.  Most cyclists have helmets and face masks.  Two people are the legal limit but you often saw whole families on one motorcycle.   You could see motorcycles loaded with bags and boxes of all sizes.  

About halfway to our destination we stopped "to sing a song" (restroom stop) at a lacquer shop.  We purchased a small souvenir there.   If we only had  the wall space and didn't have to transport them home, we could have purchased multiple section murals which were beautiful.

Our next stop was at Rice Paper Village where we saw a woman making rice paper.   Outside there were many racks drying in the sun.  After about two hours the rice paper is dry and ready for use.  Each circle yields two spring rolls.   She makes about a thousand rice paper circles a day.   She let one of the passengers try it.

We arrived at Cu Chi, made another restroom break while our guide retrieved our entrance receipts.   Entrance to the sight is via a long steep ramp.   There is a lot of walking on uneven ground during this tour so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and be able to walk a distance.

First stop was at a one of the tunnel entrances.  It is basically a hole in the ground which is just wide enough for a slender person to enter.  It has a cover which would be pulled over the soldier.  Covered with leaves you wouldn't even know it was there as you walked past it.  I attempted to get in but it was too narrow.  Several other passengers had their photos taken inside  he entrance.

Our guide also pointed out termite hills which were really a camouflage for air ducts which were a source of fresh air for the troops living underground.   They e en cooked underground.  We saw how they vented the smoke so that you wouldn't be able to detect it.

Other sites included training facility, troops in the different uniforms, booby trap demonstrations, bummed out tank, various guns and ammunition, and exhibit showed Ng how tunnels were dug.  The main attraction was a tunnel which had its entrance enlarged so that it could be entered and explored.   
You need to go down several steps an bend / crawl through the tunnel for 20 to 40m.  I didn't go in but my husband went down to take a photo of the entrance, but turned around at that point.  About 20 out of 30 in our group did go into the tunnel.   

After leaving Cu Chi we had a lunch stop which we will describe in another post.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Ho Chi Minh
Cu Chi Tunnels
Saigon Lunch

Additional photos can be found on our Southeast Asia Shutterfly page

View Our Other Shutterfly Share Pages

Follow Us On

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat