By TANIA PHILLIPS
TREVOR Sheahan of Travel Direct of Kingscliff will escort a tour that will visit Bangkok, then Vietnam, for the dawn service at the Long Tan Memorial near Nui Dat in southern Vietnam.
Like Gallipoli in Turkey and Villers-Bretonneux in France, Long Tan is now becoming a place of pilgrimage for persons who want to pay respect to the 18 Australian soldiers who died in the battle of Long Tan on 18 August, 1966.
This special tour will spend two nights in Bangkok to “acclimatise” to the Asian temperature and humidity. A city tour and plenty of time for the shopping malls of Bangkok are part of the itinerary.
Arrival in Vietnam will be in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), where three nights are spent to allow you to explore the former capital of “South” Vietnam.
Highlights will be a city tour taking in the Reunification Palace and also the War Remnants Museum. There is also a choice of either a tour to see the Cu Chi Tunnels to learn how the some of the Viet Cong lived underground during the war, or a visit to the Mekong River to see how life exists along this infamous and important waterway.
The tour then moves to Vung Tau on the south coast, where many Australian military personal were based during the Vietnam War. Free time here to explore this popular beachside resort, and learn about the city’s part in supporting Australian soldiers on the battle-front.
An early morning drive to nearby Long Tan will allow participants to join an ever-increasing number of Australians and New Zealanders who now witness the ANZAC day ceremony conducted by officials from the Australian Consulate in Vietnam.
After the quite moving service, the tour will make a visit to the school at Nui Dat, built with donations from the Vietnam Veterans Reconstruction Group. This school is at the end of “Luscombe Field” – the major runway that served fixed wing aircraft at the First Australian Task Force base. The group will then return to Vung Tau for a breakfast and the chance to enjoy a few drinks at several of the bars where both Australian visitors and “locals” gather.
The following day the tour returns to Ho Chi Minh City for a final night and to enjoy a dinner cruise on the Saigon River.
Tour dates are 19-28 April, 2014. For more information on the tour, visit Travel Direct of Kingscliff at 2/98 Marine Parade, or call 02 6674 2577 and speak with Trevor or Helen.
