Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai Temple and Black Virgin Mountain Tour
Overview
A full day of history, faith and scenery in one tour from Ho Chi Minh City. You explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, watch the colourful Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh, and visit Black Virgin Mountain, the highest peak in southern Vietnam. A Vietnamese lunch, an English-speaking guide, entry fees and hotel pickup are included on every option. Choose a large bus, small-group minibus or van, or a limousine, and pick a version with or without the mountain cable car.
Highlights
- Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels and crawl through a section of the wartime network
- Visit the Cao Dai Temple, one of Vietnam's most colourful religious buildings
- See Black Virgin Mountain, the highest peak in southern Vietnam, with an optional cable car ride included depending on the option you choose
- Traditional Vietnamese lunch included, with a vegetarian choice available
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included on all options
- Choose a large bus, a minibus or van, or a limousine of up to 9 guests
- Entry fees, tapioca and tea, bottled water and English-speaking guide included
Full Description
The Cu Chi Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels are the network of hand-dug underground passages north-west of Ho Chi Minh City, used during the Vietnam War for living, cooking, healing and moving unseen. On this Cu Chi Tunnels tour you learn how the tunnels were built, see camouflaged trapdoors and reconstructed traps, and can crawl through a widened section.
Your visit includes tapioca with hot tea, a simple wartime snack. The site is one of the most visited in southern Vietnam, and because it sits on the way to Tay Ninh, it fits naturally into a full-day route. Optional shooting is offered on site, with bullets paid for separately.
The Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh
Cao Dai is a religion founded in Vietnam in the 1920s, blending ideas from Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. Its Holy See in Tay Ninh is a spectacular building in pink, yellow and blue, with dragons on the columns and the all-seeing eye above the altar. A Cao Dai Temple tour from Ho Chi Minh City is one of the region's most photographed stops.
When timing allows, you can watch the midday prayer ceremony from the upper gallery. Because it is an active place of worship, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, stay quiet and follow the guide's advice. Flash photography is not allowed. Opening and ceremony times change, so the itinerary may be rearranged on the day.
Black Virgin Mountain (Nui Ba Den)
Black Virgin Mountain rises about 986 metres above the flat plains of Tay Ninh, making it the highest peak in southern Vietnam. It is a place of pilgrimage as well as sightseeing, with temples and shrines on its slopes and a legend attached to its name.
Depending on the option you choose, the cable car ticket is included and lifts you towards the upper slopes for wide views across the countryside. On options without the cable car, you have free time around the base of the mountain. The best time to visit Black Virgin Mountain is on a clear morning or afternoon, and time here depends on weather and queues.
How the day runs: transport, lunch and timing
The day begins with hotel pickup around 7:00 AM and lasts about 12 hours. A traditional Vietnamese lunch with a vegetarian option is included on every option, and you also get tapioca, hot tea and bottled water. The order of the stops can change with traffic and weather, but all attractions are visited.
Many travellers search how to get to Tay Ninh from Ho Chi Minh City; the drive takes about two hours each way, which is why a guided tour is the easiest way to combine Cu Chi, Cao Dai and Black Virgin Mountain. Your choice of large bus, minibus or van, or limousine changes comfort and group size, not the route.
Itinerary
- Hotel pickupPickup from hotels in the pickup area around 7:00 AM; the exact time is confirmed after booking.
- Drive to Cu ChiAbout an hour and a half from central Ho Chi Minh City.
- Cu Chi TunnelsGuided visit with tunnel crawl, tapioca and tea, about two hours.
- Drive to Tay NinhContinue north-west to Tay Ninh Province.
- Vietnamese lunchA traditional lunch at a local restaurant, with a vegetarian option.
- Cao Dai TempleVisit the temple and, if timing allows, watch the midday ceremony.
- Black Virgin MountainPhoto stop and free time, with a cable car ride if your option includes it.
- Return to Ho Chi Minh CityDrive back and drop-off in the evening, around 7:00 to 7:30 PM depending on traffic.
What's included
- Transport by large air-conditioned bus
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Entrance fee to the Cu Chi Tunnels
- Admission to the Cao Dai Temple visit
- Traditional Vietnamese lunch (vegetarian option available)
- Tapioca, hot tea and bottled water
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Not included
- Black Virgin Mountain cable car ticket
- Public-holiday surcharge where applicable
- Tips and gratuities
Not suitable for
- Pregnant women
- Travellers with back problems
- Wheelchair users
- Travellers who dislike long days by road, as the tour lasts about 12 hours
Meeting point
Hotel pickup is included on all options. On the large-bus option, pickup is within about 1 kilometre of the tour office in District 1; if your hotel is outside that area, meet at the office at 102 Cong Quynh Street, District 1. The small-group option covers central Districts 1 and 4, and the limousine option covers central Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5. The tour ends with drop-off at your hotel area or a central point such as Bui Vien Street or Ben Thanh Market.
Important information
- Wear comfortable shoes and modest clothing for the temple, with shoulders and knees covered
- Bring a hat, sunscreen, a camera and water
- Flash photography and smoking are not allowed at the sites
- The Black Virgin Mountain cable car ticket is included only on the options that say so
- A public-holiday surcharge and tips are paid separately on site where applicable
- The order of the attractions can change with traffic, weather and operations; all will still be visited
Good to know
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to what travellers ask us most, before they book.
How much does the Cu Chi, Cao Dai and Black Virgin Mountain tour cost?
The price depends on the option you choose: large bus, small group or limousine, and with or without the cable car. The booking panel on this page shows the current price for each option, adult and child.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, hotel pickup and drop-off are included on every option. The pickup area varies by option; if your hotel is outside it, you meet at our tour office in District 1.
How long is the tour?
About 12 hours, starting around 7:00 AM and returning to Ho Chi Minh City in the evening.
Is the tour suitable for children?
Yes, children join with a child rate for ages 7 and under. It is a long day, so bring snacks and keep younger children entertained in the vehicle. The tunnel crawl is optional.
What should I wear and bring?
Comfortable shoes, light clothes and, for the Cao Dai Temple, modest clothing covering shoulders and knees. Bring a hat, sunscreen, a camera and water.
Is lunch included?
Yes, a traditional Vietnamese lunch is included on every option, with a vegetarian choice available. Tapioca, hot tea and bottled water are included too.
Can I book for today or tomorrow?
The booking panel shows the open dates. Choose the earliest one and we send your pickup time within a day of booking.
What is the difference between the options?
The options vary by vehicle (large bus, minibus or van, limousine) and by whether the Black Virgin Mountain cable car ticket is included. The route and the sites visited are the same.
Is the cable car included?
Depending on the option you choose. Three of the options include the cable car ticket; the other three do not, and you have free time around the base of the mountain instead.
Is the Cao Dai Temple worth visiting?
Yes. Its architecture and ceremony are like nothing else in southern Vietnam, and seeing it in one day with the Cu Chi Tunnels gives you a broad picture of the region's history and belief.
