Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City

Thien was easy to connect with as soon as we hired her on with locals. She began messaging us and answering any questions we had regarding our travels in Vietnam. She met us at the airport, took us to our hotel and even made a stop at a local laundry to drop off our clothes. We had a city tour the first day of a Taoist temple, post office, book street and to a non tourist part of the city for the best pho. Before getting back to the hotel we made a stop for ban mi at a street food stand. The next day we went to the area called the US apartments , walked through the bustling markets where she helped us make some purchases and took us to a street side coffee shop recently reviewed in the New York Times where she knows the owner who gave us a private demonstration of her coffee making process. She arranged an excursion to the Mekong delta where we rode on a private boat through the delta to a coconut workshop for tea, fruit snack and a private musical performance and coconut candy tasting. Then on to a lovely open air restaurant right on the river for a lovely lunch. Thien arranged the day to locations where we were the only tourists. Then we continued on a rowboat to learn how to make rice paper wrappers. Next on to the tuk tuk to the home of an old woman who weaves fiber rugs where we were able to try weaving. The little children in the village came running to Thien for hugs and wanted to meet us . Our third day was to the cu chi tunnels. Thien has access to a non-tourist area. We saw the simulated village and how the people lived before the French and American soldiers came. I did not see any other tourists in the area. Then on to the tunnels . Again, Thien has access to tunnels where there are no other people. Just Thien and I and sometimes a park ranger guide through the tunnels. After a long drive back to the hotel Thien suggested a delicious restaurant near the hotel for our last night in Vietnam. Be sure to hire Thien. She is a smart woman with very strong opinions on life in current day Ho Chi Minh City.

Tu was a gem. Everything we look for in a guide. Informative, engaging and knowledgeable. We had a fantastic day and would choose Tu to do another tour. Visiting cu chi tunnels was an interesting but somber experience. We were happy we chose to drive further to the “less touristy” site rather than visit the closer spot. Thanks again Tu for the amazing time

Made the tour of the ‘lesser known’ Cu Chi tunnels really enjoyable with her enthusiasm and energy. Incredibly Knowledgeable on every subject and happy to answer and explain any questions we had. Would highly recommend Thien !

We had a really good time with Thien. She speaks very good English and knows lots about Vietnam its culture and history. Including lots of stories regarding her own family. She worked really hard to make the tour feel special and private. Taking us off the main tourist trails. This definitely paid off. One thing to know is that the traffic can make journeys quite long but we saw places we’d never see otherwise, so it was well worth the effort. We’d highly recommend Thien to be your guide in Vietnam.