Type: Culture, Historic Monuments, Local Cuisine, Vietnam War History
Length: 9 Hours
Walking: Medium
Mobility: No wheelchairs
Guide: Licensed Guide
Language: English

Ho Chi Minh City Shore Excursion - This shore tours gives you a better understanding of the situation in Vietnam during the war. You will visit the Cu Chi tunnels in the Vietnam War memorial park and also Reunification Hall, the location of the "fall of Saigon".

After meeting your guide you will depart for the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City where you have the chance to see and learn about the famous Cu Chi Tunnels which are now part of a Vietnam War memorial park and a popular tourist attraction. The Communist guerrilla troops known as Viet Cong dug tens of thousands of miles of tunnels including these below Cu Chi. The tunnels were used as infrastructure including tactical quarters, storage rooms, kitchens, a school and even an underground hospital. Most entrances were so well disguised that only a small portion of the system was ever discovered during the American war, despite the fact that some 125 miles ran under a U.S. military base. To combat these tactics the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces trained soldiers (known as tunnel rats) to navigate the tunnels in order to detect booby traps and enemy troop presence.

You will be guided by a veteran known as Uncle Nam, who lived in the tunnels for 12 years during the American War (as its known in Vietnam). Uncle Nam only speaks Vietnamese so he will speak to you via your guide at the tunnels. You will gain deep insight and personal accounts of the wartime era.

After visiting the Cu Chi tunnels you will drive to central Ho Chi Minh City to enjoy a typical Vietnamese lunch at Dong Pho Restaurant, which is the name of ancient Sai Gon. The restaurant follows ancient structure and is well decorated with plants and flowers.

This afternoon you visit the Reunification Hall, formerly known as the Presidential Palace. It was towards this modern building that North Vietnamese resistance fighters tanks (Viet Cong) rolled on the morning of April 30, 1975 as Saigon fell. This fascinating building is filled with history which is still fresh in the minds of many.

You enjoy a walk along historic Dong Khoi Street as your guide shares the stories this street has seen. The street was the height of glamor during the French colony days and then it became Freedom Street during South Vietnam's short existence. During the Vietnam War it was a street filled with sleaze and intrigue. When communists took over it became known as Revolution Street. Today you will see many important sites in this area such as the Old Post Office, the Opera House, City Hall and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

At the end of the tour you return to the pier.

Vietnam Entry Information - With these private tours, our partners in Vietnam will need the following information for each person in your private party at the time of your reservation.