Certainly, for the travel gurus who have ever paid a visit to Saigon, Vietnam, Cu Chi Tunnels are not strange to them anymore. Here is actually an ideal spot for your itinerary to get to know more about the history of Vietnam; not only that, it is also a chance to challenge yourself to a real shooting gun.
Where is the site of Cu Chi Tunnels?
About 70 kilometers away from the heart of downtown Saigon, Cu Chi Tunnels may be reached by bus, taxi or motorbike. This site is supposed to be the pride of Vietnamese people in general, and the locals in Cu Chi District in particular. Of course, the most impressive thing about the site is a 250-km network of tunnels under the ground, which was made by hand. It is difficult to imagine how Vietnamese people in the past were extraordinary to create this system while they did not have any state-of-the-art equipment.
Why should you look for new experiences at Cu Chi Tunnels?
If many people said that a trip to Cu Chi Tunnels is to touch the history of Vietnam and understand more Vietnamese people during the wartime, some recommend you to this site for its firing range. This is seen as a new experience at Cu Chi Tunnels, and more interestingly, you take chance to hold and fire a real gun. Compared to a sightseeing trip which just lets you witness landscapes, a challenge added to the itinerary will be a good point.
What is about firing a real gun at Cu Chi Tunnels?
Shooting sport is well-known as an interesting activity of many young people. Apart from paintball and electronic shooting game, firing a real gun surely gives players big thrills.
Because such firing is not popularized as much as paintball, you will not find much information about it on the internet. Instead, paintball offered at Cu Chi Tunnels is probably the result you will get after some clicks. Nowadays, the most common spot for firing a real gun is shooting range at Ben Duoc site – Cu Chi Tunnels. With quite good facilities, this place specializes in serving both domestic and international visitors. However, the price for the service at Cu Chi Tunnels is pretty higher than that in other places. It costs VND20,000 – VND40,000 per rental AK, M16 or firearm.
It is easy to experience the game of firing a real gun since you do not need to gather a group of more than one person. Instead, you just pick your favorite gun type and are showed how to use it. The target may be a fixed or moving item; it is amazing to get such challenge. The game requires your shooting skills and confidence. Why don’t you try your hand at this sport as it is fairly interesting?
Besides the shooting range at Cu Chi Tunnels, you can find another in the Mekong Delta; exactly it is Phi Long shooting range in Can Tho City. It almost specializes in serving those who are working for the State or students in their military training course. Nevertheless, you still take a chance to visit here and try firing a real gun. Although the facilities at Phi Long shooting range are not as good as those at Cu Chi Tunnels, the price is better. Here, it just costs VND10,000 for each ammunition type.
All gun types and rifle types you see at Cu Chi Tunnels or Phi Long shooting ranges were allegedly used during the Vietnam War; some of them are AK-47, M-16, CKC and K54. If you are lucky enough, you can take Carbine M1 or M1 Garand since their destructive capacity is high, and nowadays producing ammunition for those rifles in Vietnam is almost no longer.
If you find yourself interested in the above activity, but you still want to explore more for only one day, the tour of Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta is surely what you never put out of your itinerary to Vietnam. With this tour, you not only try shooting a real gun, but also learn more about the history, culture, and people in Vietnam.
