The Wandering Hart

Before arriving in Vietnam I had booked a day trip to both Cu Chi Tunnels, which we’re tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, and the Mekong Delta through Kim Travel. They picked us up right from our AirBnB in the morning and we left the city to go see these sites outside Ho Chi Minh!

The first stop was unfortunately at a souvenir manufacturer that somehow benefits Agent Orange victims. The cause of course is great, but I’m not a fan of unadvertised stops where we’ll be sold things. Fortunately this was a short stop and then we made our way to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The site of the tunnels was much larger than I had expected with a lot of (aboveground) displays on traps used by the Viet Cong against the GIs and the original entrances to the tunnels. We only spent a few minutes fully in the tunnels themselves but that was definitely enough to understand how insanely cramped it was. And apparently the tunnels we were in had already been expanded for tourists! We also got to go into some of the hidden entrance holes (shown below) which were also tight but already expanded from the original. It was a really cool and educational site.

After the Cu Chi Tunnels we made a long drive down to the Mekong Delta to take a boat along the river. The boat ultimately took us to a bee farm where we sampled some of their products. Then we were carted over to a place to enjoy some local fruit and traditional music before being shuttled into row boats to go down a small canal. The row boats dropped us off at a coconut candy manufacturer where we sampled some candies. All of this was pretty cool (I especially liked the short rowboat ride) but it did feel a little like being shuttled to different places quickly only to be sold things or pushed for tips. If I were to do this again I’d likely only book a half day tour of Cu Chi Tunnels to be honest.

Overall though it was a great tour! If you’re ever in the area I’d recommend Kim Travel, but maybe book their morning trip to only the tunnels. Then you can also enjoy more time in Siagon/Ho Chi Minh!