Page 44 - Explore Spring Summer 2019

VIETNAM,

PAST & PRESENT

While New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War was highly controversial,
more than 3,000 New Zealand soldiers served in "The American war", as
the Vietnamese call it, which spanned over 17 years. My wife Sue and I had a
personal interest in taking a Vietnam Past & Present Tour with Mat McLachlan
Battlefield Tours – a preferred supplier to the helloworld Travel network – as
Sue's father had served in the region and was attached to an Australian Infantry
Unit for several years. It was a unique opportunity to experience the diversity of
the people and culture of Vietnam and to learn about the turbulent past.
Our first impression of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) was of a vibrant city of nine
million people and five million motor scooters – fun and crazy, but it somehow
works! We found we were in a country that seems to drink only coffee and beer,
which is cheaper than buying water, and we soon discovered that the local
markets in Saigon and Hoi An are excellent places to buy good-quality but super
cheap clothes.
We began our tour in Saigon with a special welcome dinner in the former
residence of the US Ambassador to Southern Vietnam, Mr Henry Cabot
Lodge. We gained an insider’s perspective on this historic home which
had hosted senior US officials such as Robert McNamara when they were
planning offensive countermeasures against the North.
Our first impression of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh
City) was of a vibrant city of nine million
people and five million motor scooters –
fun and crazy, but it somehow works!

The next day we explored the Cu Chi tunnels, a network of over 100 km of tunnels
built by the Viet Cong during the war. Our Historian led us to an area away from
the main tourist spot and we gained a deep respect for the builders of the
immense web of multilevel tunnels that were used to house troops, transport
communications and supplies, lay booby traps and mount surprise attacks, after
which the Viet Cong could disappear underground to safety.
To combat these guerrilla tactics, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces trained
soldiers known as “tunnel rats” to navigate the tunnels and detect booby
traps and the presence of enemy troops. The Cu Chi Tunnels were largely
cleared by tanks and B-52 bombers but the North Vietnamese slipped
back in. In 1968, the tunnels were the key area of the launch into Saigon
for the Tet Offensive. Horrifically, over 45,000 Vietnamese were killed in
the area during the war, a true reminder of the harshness of war.
Over the next days we ventured to the main base for Anzac Troops at Nui
Dat and visited the area of Long Tan where New Zealand and Australian
soldiers, with just a little over 100 troops and support from New Zealand
artillery, somehow managed to hold off an advancing force of over 2,500. It
was an unfathomable experience to stand on the ground where this action
took place. The battle of Long Tan has become a legendary story of survival
against the odds (and now a soon-to-be-released movie called Danger
Close) and a further testament to the determination and character of the
Anzacs. As part of this moving experience, we visited the Long Tan Cross,
a ceremonial site dedicated to Anzac troops and one of only a few such
memorials in Vietnam, where the Last Post was played.
The full 12-day Vietnam Past & Present Tour takes you across the entire
country, including Saigon, the Cu Chi Tunnels, Vung Tau, Minh Dam, Binh
Ba, the former imperial capital of Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang and Hanoi. The
name of the tour is very apt as the itinerary includes a mix of general
sightseeing, culinary adventures (I ate frog and it tasted better than
the chicken!), as well as wartime history. It is definitely a tour I would
recommend for those wanting a diverse experience of the country. It
perfectly complements a Mekong river cruise, and offers an optional
extension to include a night in famous Ha Long Bay.

42 HELLOWORLD TRAVEL : EXPLORE : SPRING/SUMMER EDITION