Tours and Tickets to Experience Vinh Moc Tunnels

The Vinh Moc Tunnels are a network of tunnels used during the Vietnam War. Located right on the border of North Vietnam and South Vietnam (aka the DMZ), the tunnels were built to shelter people—civilians—from American bombs. Unbelievably, portions of the network are 100 feet (30 meters) deep into the earth.

The Vinh Moc Tunnels are about 2.5 hours from Hue. In other words, don’t hail a taxi—your best bet is booking a tour, hiring a private driver for the day (which can be surprisingly reasonable), or renting your own motorbike and making a road trip out of the adventure.

Simply put, both are impressive tunnel networks. The primary consideration for travelers is their location: The Cu Chi Tunnels are about 90 minutes away from Ho Chi Minh City, depending on traffic; the Vinh Moc Tunnels are about 2.5 hours from Hue. Odds are, one will be much closer to your destination.

The Vinh Moc Tunnels are considerably larger—you can stand in them instead of the crawl you’ll do through Cu Chi. They were also largely built for civilians to live in, unlike Cu Chi, which was for soldiers and civilians alike. Today, the Cu Chi Tunnels are more popular and crowded but have more tourist infrastructure (like a visitor center).

Yes, there are guided tours of the Vinh Moc Tunnels, typically run by third-party businesses. Most are some sort of “DMZ tour,” taking guests along Vietnam’s 17th parallel and stopping at the tunnels. Military-wise, there’s not too much to see here, but Vietnam War buffs will still be in their element.

Yes, the Vinh Moc Tunnels see far fewer visitors than the Cu Chi Tunnels. At Vinh Moc, you’ll see the underground tunnels—which you can walk into and see mannequins depicting daily life—plus some photos and artifacts, like shovels. The Cu Chi Tunnels can get quite crowded, but there’s more on display, including a short film.