Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station

Cu Chi

LoginSave

Just a few kilometres from the Ben Dinh tunnels, this centre is dedicated to the protection of wildlife that has been confiscated from owners or illegal traders. Animals include bears, otters and gibbons. There is an informative display on the rather depressing state of wildlife in Vietnam, including the ‘room of death’ featuring traps and baits. It’s tough to navigate these back roads solo, so talk to a travel agent about incorporating it into a Cu Chi Tunnels trip.

Phoning ahead before a visit is recommended to ensure centre staff are on hand.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Fighter planes outside War Remnants Museum.

    War Remnants Museum

    24.71 MILES

    To understand the US invasion of Vietnam, and contextualize its devastating impact on the country's civilians, this remarkable and deeply moving museum is…

  • Jade Emperor Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is one of the major tourists sights. 1517614391

    Jade Emperor Pagoda

    24.17 MILES

    Built in 1909 in honour of the supreme Taoist god (the Jade Emperor or King of Heaven, Ngoc Hoang), this is one of the most atmospheric temples in Ho Chi…

  • Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica on blue sky background in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. architecture, asia, asian, brick, building, cathedral, catholic, catholicism, chi, christ, christianity, church, city, colonial, culture, dame, famous, french, historical, history, ho, holy, indochina, landmark, mary, minh, monument, notre, praying, religion, religious, saigon, spirituality, symbol, tower, travel, urban, vietnam, vietnamese, virgin, worship

    Notre Dame Cathedral

    24.92 MILES

    Built between 1877 and 1883, Notre Dame Cathedral enlivens the heart of Ho Chi Minh City's government quarter, facing Ð Dong Khoi. A red-brick, neo…

  • Giac Lam Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

    Giac Lam Pagoda

    23.52 MILES

    Believed to be the oldest temple in HCMC (1744), Giac Lam is a fantastically atmospheric place set in peaceful, garden-like grounds. The Chinese…

  • July 8, 2015: Reunification Palace (Ngo Viet Thu) was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. 302965892 archaeological, architecture, asia, asian, attraction, building, capital, city, collection, colonial, country, culture, display, exhibit, exhibition, famous, grass, hanoi, historical, history, home, independence, landmark, major, museum, national, norodom, nutrition, office, palace, period, place, president, reunification, room, s, saigon, sightseeing, south, tourism, tourist, travel, tree, vietnam, vietnamese, war, workplace

    Reunification Palace

    24.96 MILES

    Surrounded by royal palm trees, the dissonant 1960s architecture of this landmark government building and the eerie ambience of its deserted halls make it…

  • Ho Chi Minh City Museum or Bao Tang Thanh Pho is a historical site and museum in Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon in Vietnam 1138819423 chi, ho, minh, thanh

    HCMC Museum

    25.17 MILES

    A grand neoclassical structure built in 1885 and once known as Gia Long Palace (and later the Revolutionary Museum), HCMC’s city museum is a singularly…

  • Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda

    Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda

    25.2 MILES

    Delightfully fronted by greenery and opening to an interior blaze of red, gold, green and yellow, this is one of the most beautifully ornamented temples…

  • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - April 15, 2019: the exterior of the central entrance and the tower of Cho Binh Tay market in Cho Lon (Cholon), a Chinatown. 1148759159

    Binh Tay Market

    25.34 MILES

    Cholon’s main market has a great clock tower and a central courtyard with gardens. Much of the business here is wholesale but it’s popular with tour…

View more attractions

Nearby Cu Chi attractions

1. Ben Dinh

2.38 MILES

The most visited of the tunnel sites, this small, renovated section is near the village of Ben Dinh, about 50km from HCMC. In one of the classrooms at the…

2. Ben Duoc

4.74 MILES

The tunnels here have been enlarged to accommodate tourists, although they’re still a tight squeeze. Inside the underground chambers are bunkers, a…

3. Cu Chi Tunnels

4.85 MILES

Two sections of this remarkable tunnel network (which are enlarged and upgraded versions of the real thing) are open to the public. One is near the…

4. Cu Chi War History Museum

8.53 MILES

The small Cu Chi War History Museum is not actually at the tunnel sites but just off the main highway in the central part of Cu Chi town. Like most…

5. One Pillar Pagoda of Thu Duc

22.85 MILES

Officially known as Nam Thien Nhat Tru, this Buddhist temple is often called the One Pillar Pagoda of Thu Duc. Modelled on Hanoi’s One Pillar Pagoda, the…

6. Giac Lam Pagoda

23.52 MILES

Believed to be the oldest temple in HCMC (1744), Giac Lam is a fantastically atmospheric place set in peaceful, garden-like grounds. The Chinese…

7. Le Van Duyet Temple

23.59 MILES

Dedicated to Marshal Le Van Duyet (1763–1831), this shrine is also his burial place, alongside that of his wife. The marshal was a South Vietnamese…

8. Pho Binh

23.86 MILES

A humble noodle-soup restaurant may seem an unusual attraction, but there's more to Pho Binh than meets the eye. This was the secret headquarters of the…