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Viet Nam Tours - The Long Tan Trek Tour Report - 2013 This page records the October 2013 Long Tan Trek
Tour.
(Last updated 23 December 2013) |
q Battlefield Tours - Long Tan Trek Tours - VN Decisive Battles Tours - Europe Battlefield Tours q Site - Home Page - Feedback/Contact Dave q Dave's
WebSite q National Network
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WebSite
Tour guide 'Tina' welcomes The Majestic Hotel is centrally located, riverside and retains its elegant charm and quiet luxury - a perfect place to start the Tour.
The War Remnants Museum
...and we ended up at the
We paid our respects at the Shrine
One of the map/diagrams of the battle of Long Tan...
The place on the north-south road where the first contact of the battle occurred.
Dave stopped regularly to give the then-current status of the battle and what was happening at the 1ATF base.
Some of the caves require a short trek through the hills... ...but once there, they're worth the visit.. ...many being really only the dirt excavated from between huge boulders.
The Hydrofoil is a 90 minute trip up (or down) the Saigon River, between Saigon and Vung Tau on the Cap St Jacques Peninsula.
Our thanks to:
And as we get other
Finally, a big vote of
thanks (again!) to National Network Travel's
All the best... |
Di and Dave's fifth Long Tan Trek Tour departed Australia Tuesday 8 October with 14 passengers, including 9 Viet Vets and 2 ladies, and with ages ranging from the 40s to a fit, young 80.
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The 2013 Tour flew Singapore Airlines from several State
capitals to Singapore, where the Tour Group assembled. From there, a
short flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC, but we'll call it 'Saigon').
We were met at the airport and booked in to the Majestic Hotel - the tour uses 4-star hotels where
available: Then it was on to lunch..... After which we called
in at the Dong Nai Museum to view the
original Long Tan Cross. The Cross
had been loaned to the AWM in Australia for most of 2012 but was returned in April 2013
and was again on display..... After viewing the original Cross, we bussed down Route 15 to Vung Tau.
There's nothing of note remaining of the 1ALSG site. However, we
swapped the bus for individual cyclo's around where the Badco Club used to
be and had a great ride around Lighthouse Hill to the Palace Hotel... After an evening briefing on the Australian presence in
Viet Nam generally and on the Long Tan battle in particular... ...we bussed to the hill at Nui Dat, where Dave
and others explained the base
layout and the NVA's intentions for a huge
attack on the base set for the night of the 18th of August 1966. Next stop was a visit to the Nui Dat Kindy. The kids were expecting us... The
promise of toys and long-life milk in exchange for a song or two made
everyone happy. (We also made a drop of a similar amount of long-life
milk to the Ba Ria orphanage the following morning...)
After lunch, with the rain threatening,
it was on with the battlefield Trek... Along the way, Dave described what was happening in "real time" "sitreps" - that is, since the Trek took the same time as the battle, those on the tour "experienced" the timings of the events, the delays and the sequences in detail - what took ten minutes in the Battle took ten minutes for the Tour. And those on the tour were able to ask questions and get details along the way. At 600 and 1000 metres from the main battlefield, Dave also pointed out the places where the APC reinforcement column with A/6 aboard contacted the enemy on their way towards D/6. Very little of the topography has changed in 44 years, tho' the slight rise that D/6 used for its final redoubt is now a slight depression.
The Tour ended the Trek at the Cross - the site of the
gallant 11 Platoon action - at 5:00pm, in time for a short ceremony and
photos: Then back to Vung Tau and the Palace. On the next day, the Tour visited an AVVRG-supported
dental clinic at Long Tan to leave some gifts for distribution to the local
folk... We then visited the Horseshoe and stood on what was
formerly the infamous minefield - now rice paddy... ...before venturing into the Light Green to the vicinity
of the mine incident on Operation Mundingburra (on day 3 - 21 July 1969) which gave rise to the song "I Was Only
19". Lunch was at the beachside "VC Retreat", currently
undergoing refurbishment... After this, it was a visit to the Minh Dam temple in the Long Hai's.
Next morning it was goodbye Vung Tau and hello hydrofoil to
Saigon... ...where some elected to do more sightseeing and shopping
in Saigon while most opted for the visit (after another lunch!) to Cu Chi...
After another 'Farewell Dinner' in Saigon, at which we handed a Trek plaque to each 'Trekker', we had a final night at the Majestic. Next day was a free day in Saigon until time for the bus from the Majestic to the airport and RTA (Return to Australia). The Tour was well accepted by those on it. A selection of passenger comments follow: *
What a great week! Really good job
both of you.
You've got it [the Trek Tour] dead right. Enjoyed your company, and your very professional tour. My compliments also to Judi - all contact with the tour was smooth and professional.
I will be recommending the trip widely.
Cheers,
Gordon * Thank you for trekking with
Mick. *
The trek will happen again in 2014 and I
highly recommend
the experience - moving, interesting, varied, good value and also a great deal of fun. Frank P * Rick is a man of few words
- he didn't say all that much, * Take care and again
thanks for the life changing experience * We made it home safely
and * It was a great tour... * Did the 2013 Long
Tan/Australian Battlefields tour. * ...as soon as I heard about
this venture, * Hi Dave and Di. I appreciate that the
behind-the-scenes organisation and changes of plans I would describe the Trek as
exceeding all my expectations in every respect. My one suggestion for the Trek:
Don’t change a thing! *
As a non-Vietnam veteran, I was initially
concerned that the tour The 2014 Tours - the Long Tan Trek and the Decisive
Battlefields Tour - have been planned with very much the same content and
sequence as the 2012 and 2013 Tours. In the south, we've added an extra night
in Vung Tau giving a free day to revisit old haunts, and retained the Cu Chi
visit. And in the north, we include a two-night stay at Hoi An and
two nights in Ha Long Bay - BOTH World Heritage listed locations - AND have
added an extra night in Hanoi. (...keep going - there's more below...) |
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*** The Group Photo taken at the Opera House, Saigon, 9 Oct, 2013... ***
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*** The Group Photo taken at the Reunification
Palace, Saigon, 9 Oct, 2013... ***
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*** The Group Photo taken at the Long
Tan Cross, 11 Oct, 2013... ***
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*** OTU Scheyville graduates group photo taken at the Long
Tan Cross, 11 Oct, 2013... ***
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----- =====THE OUT-TAKES ===== -----
Patrizia wasn't impressed when her cyclo driver insisted on a TWO dollar tip!
Neither was Dave impressed when he looked back on the Trek and saw everyone facing in a different direction.
James warned all the golfers to beware the greens traps on the
They liked the size of the holes on the tees... until they took a closer look...
Tina noticed that everyone had gone looking for a 'happy tree', but she gave her commentary anyway...
Di wondered if the idea of pedicures in fruit shops might take off in Australia...?
Davo (Coke), James (canned beer), John (bottled beer) and Debra (water [yeah!, that's what we said too!]) said "you can only jump in if you have a different drink..."
Rick was astounded when, at 8 o'clock next morning, the Rolex knock-off he'd bought at 8 o'clock the night before finally showed the correct time!
The optional street-side buffet breakfast didn't seem to attract much
business at all... Spot the
When Gordon was asked "if the bus broke down and we needed to walk back to
the airport for our departure, what would he do?" |
Got a pic and a caption? There's room for more - your photo next..?
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