what is the ‘long tan trek’ tour? it’s a group of people who want to visit the area of...
TRANSCRIPT
WHAT IS THE ‘LONG TAN TREK’ TOUR?
it’s a group of people who want to visitThe area of Australian operationsDuring the Viet Nam war 1965-72.
It’s escorted by Dave Sabben MG –Former commander of 12 Platoon, D/6RAR
At the Battle of Long Tan, Aug 1966.
It’s informal, personal andRelaxed. While being very busyIt is not about pressure or rush.
it’s about enjoying the experiencewith others who are thereTo enjoy the experience.
It only happens once a year, in October.
2009 group
WHO GOES ONTHESE TOURS?
About 33% Vets;About 33% ladies;
The rest: family, matesAnd interested others;
Ages 18 to 80.
WHERE dowe GO
WEEK 1?Ben Cat
Tan Uyen
BIEN HOA
Ba Ria
Nui Dat
Bear Cat
15
23
1
1
20
Saigon River
Dong
PHUOCTUY
BIEN HOA
LONGKHANH
BINH DUONG
GIA DINH
20 Km
N
Mangrove Swamp
Vung Tau South China Sea
LongBinh
Xuan Loc1
2
SAIGON
Binh My
PHUOCTHANH
16
13
Nai River
“BlackHorse”1
PROVINCE BORDERS
* Saigon* Coral / Balmoral
* Dong Nai MuseumAt Bien Hoa* Route 15* 1ALSG
* Vung Tau* Ba Ria* Nui Dat
* Trek to Long Tan Cross* Long Tan Battlefield
* Horseshoe* Dat Do Minefield
* “Frankie” Mine Incident* Long Hai’s
* Boat Trip to Vung Tau* Hydrofoil back
To Saigon* Cu Chi Tunnels.
WHERE do we go onThe Extension Tour?
* Da Nang* Hoi An
* Marble Mountains* Hai Van Pass* Hue & citadel* DMZ:- - - - -
Vinh Moc TunnelsFreedom Bridge
Con ThienKhe SanhDa KrongLang Vei
*A Shau Valley* Hamburger Hill
* Hanoi:- - - - -‘Hanoi Hilton’
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum* Dien Bien Phu* Ha Long Bay
WHAT Do we DO WHEN We get there?
Dave explains thingsAlong the way
Where others haveMore or personalKnowledge, theyAre invited to addto the discussion
It’s a very‘hands-on’ tour
Questions are invitedAnd answered
(as much as possible)
Other tour passengersAre encouraged
To sharetheir experiences
Where do we stay?We stay in 4-star
Hotels or at the bestAvailable at the place.
In Saigon, it’s theMajestic Hotel on
The Saigon River…
In Vung Tau, it’s theGrand Hotel, beachside…
At each other stop, The hotels are comparable. Even the places we stop for lunch
Are generally the best Available in the area. There have been no complaints!
What about the battlefield trek?Starting from nui
Dat We trek about5 km to the longTan Plantation…
…where wehave lunch.
We then walk the Battlefield in real Time, Seeing where they had lunch, where the first
shots were fired, the 10, 11 & 12 Platoon Positions and the final CHQ / Company
position… …and Ending at the cross
(the 11 Pl position).
Is it all only about battlefields?
No – we visit at least two projects sponsored by our charity – the “AVVRG”…
The kindergarten near the former Nui Dat airfield……and the dentist near the village of
Long Tan.
We may sometimes be able to visit The Baria orphanage –
another AVVRG project.
So it’s all serious and heavy, is it?Certainly not.
On one trip, we managed to almost drown our ex-nva officer
guide…
…you meet some of the locals…
…you never know what you’re going to step in as you walk
through the bush…
…and you can still keep up with your usual hobbies…
Okay – so battlefields & fun. Any sightseeing?
Certainly. Street markets, hoi an, caves, ha long bay, hue citadel… …and that’s just on
the extension tour.
…and a few memorials, I suppose?One or two… Apart from
the Long Tan Cross, we’ll see (clockwise) the NVA memorial to their
fallen at Coral/Balmoral, the French one at Dien Bien Phu, Ho Chi Minh’s
mausoleum in hanoi, the Hanoi war museum (which is a memorial)
and other cemeteries & memorials.
Highlights?(clockwise) walk the
tunnels upright, make new friends, a cyclo
ride, bargain with the locals, visit places you’ll remember for the rest of your life, Relax, fire an AR16 or an AK-47…
…take your pick!
Join us?We take one tour each year, about the second
half of October.
Please contact judi at National network travel on (03) 9654 4000 [email protected]
Or contact Di ofNational network travel on (03) 9787 8888 or
Or email dave sabben direct at
We will also consider taking your own group of 25 – 35 on your own
tour.Ask us for a price.
…thank you for watching…