Part Three
CFN Shannon Carey
Before this trip, I had been to Vietnam twice previously. Before my first trip, I thought that it would be a totalitarian society and that I would see lots of military and government officials everywhere. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to much without some sort of government minder. I have proven myself wrong and that’s why I keep coming back.
The best thing about Vietnam is my wife. I met her on my second trip to this country while visiting friends in Tay Ninh. Whilst on this trip we were married in a traditional ceremony and hopefully she will be joining me here in Australia in the near future. It is truly a beautiful country full of beautiful people that are only too happy to welcome Australians.
While on this trip visiting my wife and family, my wife and I made a trip down to Vung Tau for a bit of a get away from the family. Whilst there we made a trip out to Nui Dat to explore the old support base and in particular the position that 161 Recce Flight had occupied during the Vietnam conflict. I have read a few books about the area and it was great to actually be able to assimilate what I had read and thought with the actual area. While there we visited the school that was built with support from the Vietnam vets and spent some time with the school kids there. Whilst on the way back we made a visit to Long Tan Battle ground and the memorial. Even though the rubber trees where new, you could still see the lack of cover and how exposed the Australians were during the battle. This was a real eye opener and proved to me how good discipline and even better training can overcome just about anything.
Out of this I have found that the Vietnamese don’t hold anything against us for the war or anybody for that fact They still remember, but look at it as a bad part of history and as something to learn from so they don’t make those mistakes again.
Vietnam has had an enormous influence on my life and visiting the country is a great source of enjoyment for me as I now have family there. It has changed me for the better in that it has opened my eyes to how lucky we are in some ways and how unfortunate we are as well. Happiness is much more than the material possessions that Western people place in such high esteem.
I recommend that if you are to visit Vietnam, go over with a phrase book and always attempt to converse with the locals as they are very friendly. You should limit your exposure to other tourists as it will make it more enjoyable and a hell of a lot more fun.
CFN Darren Goldsmith
I had previously travelled overseas to Magnetic Island and East Timor and was very worried about travelling to Vietnam. The reason for my trepidation was the fact that I would be accompanied on the trip by my wife Rebecca and two children, Bradley aged ten and Emma aged eight.
The culture shock began the moment we boarded the Brunei Airlines Boeing 737 to be greeted by a Muslim stewardess wearing a veil! After a refreshingly cold towlette to wash the faces and hands clean (we were obviously dirty), we said a quick prayer to Allah to ‘protect us from the unseemly view’, and we were off. We were veterans after a few connecting flights and following a stopover in Singapore, we were eager to finally reach Vietnam.
After clearing customs we stopped at the foreign exchange, and were pleasantly surprised to find that we were instant Multi-Millionaires! With the exchange rate at approx AUS $1 = V $10,000, we were in for some bargains! The first thing we noticed outside the airport were the crowds. There did not appear to be any road rules and we were often confronted with traffic in our lane heading in the opposite direction! This did not seem to phase the Taxi driver though who would take his hand OFF the horn every now and then, presumably to give it a short rest! The kids were goggle eyed and Rebecca’s nerves were frayed before we had even reached the hotel.
Eventually Rebecca and the kids calmed down as we explored our new surroundings, with the cyclo rides providing the best opportunity for a warts and all adventure. The kids were having a ball and we were figuring out the road rules in Vietnam, which are quite simple – the biggest vehicle has right of way and all the rest beep their horns! The sights and smells of Ho Chi Minh City were amazing and we were bold and adventurous at times, sampling the local cuisine, which turned out to be quite delicious (At times I was not sure what it was). We found the people friendly and hospitable, they went out of their way to make us feel welcome with big smiles and handshakes. They also adored my two kids, with some ladies unable to contain themselves and would come over to hug the children or pinch their cheeks. The kids were overwhelmed and unsure of all the attention they were getting!
We visited the war museum where there was a number of American aircraft captured during the war on display. One aircraft of interest was the Bell UH-1H Huey, proudly bearing the red communist star! A sign proclaimed that this particular Huey had been stolen from the Americans by a Vietnamese pilot, who overcame technical difficulties and flew the aircraft against the enemy, using it to destroy a convoy of American vehicles and smashing vital supply lines. I just had to have a closer look and stepped across the barrier to open up the nose avionics compartment. To my surprise, I found that some of the instrumentation and wiring was still intact including the flight instruments!
The highlight of our trip was the stay at Vung Tau. The moment we got off the ferry, we noticed a difference, there were hardly any people around, the roads were wider and countryside was cleaner and we instantly felt at ease. Travel here was awesome as we rode around Vung Tau on Honda scooters eating incredible seafood where we never spent more than AUS $15 to feed the whole family, including drinks!
As part of the stay at Vung Tau, we rode our hondas out to Nui Dat and went up SAS Hill. It amazed me that there is very little left to suggest what a large and busy base this once was. The area is now farmland with corn growing on the hillside and goats running around. Once at the top I could only imagine what it must have looked like thirty years earlier and I did not appreciate this experience until recently, after I had returned to Australia when I spoke to a Vietnam Veteran by the name of Jack Dempsey who had served two tours. He told me that there used to be an area named the ‘Horseshoe’ visible when looking down from the hill and said that the area had been heavily mined and anything that moved was shot at. This led to a scouring of the photos we took and research via the internet which made me realise I should have done more before I left.
We also visited Luscombe Airfield and the Australian built school that is nearby. It proved near impossible to explain to the children what this place must have been like given that it is so peaceful and rural today. Long Tan proved to be the most moving experience of the trip for the family. As we approached we could see the white cross and large stone memorial visible through the rubber trees. Standing at the memorial was like standing in a church, it was eerily silent as the rubber workers quietly moved from tree to tree collecting the bowls of sap, and it was hard to imagine the huge battle that was fought there. We headed back to Vung Tau and like many Australian servicemen probably dreamed about, we decided to spend an extra day there, it was so nice compared to the city and the beach was irresistible.
A trip to Cu Chi tunnels was an experience the kids will never forget. They thoroughly enjoyed scurrying around as their small size was a distinct advantage. The guide was continually worried about the kids getting ahead of him and for good reason too, as the tunnels still contained booby traps including death pits complete with punji stakes placed there to injure, hamper and kill the tunnel rats. I had to spare a thought for those brave tunnel rats as they had no lighting, mines and booby-traps at every turn and water obstacles thrown in for good measure.
Our itinerary also gave us an opportunity to go to Tay Ninh mountain, which is a holy place to the Vietnamese people. After a ten-minute cable-car ride up the mountain, we were close to the summit where four great temples had been built, and the view was just spectacular! Our guides said their prayers to budda and it was down to the bottom again riding toboggans on wheels down a stainless steel track. I reached the bottom in record time only to be severely reprimanded in Vietnamese by the park operator for going too fast!
Also at Tay Ninh we attended a traditional Vietnamese wedding. To our surprise we found out that the guests actually form part of the wedding party and are expected to participate. Before I knew it I was in the temple with a Buddist monk telling me “ying yang” bow to budda, so down I went, prostrate in front of Budda! (Sorry Jesus).
The trip to Vietnam is something that my family will treasure as an unforgettable experience. My children gained a wealth of knowledge in other cultures and have a newfound respect and appreciation for things back home that they previously took for granted. I definitely recommend to others, that if given the opportunity, go, explore, and don’t be afraid of taking the children, they loved the adventure as much as I did!
CFN Michael Smits
I had no previous overseas travel prior to this trip and was a little worried about going to Vietnam as my first tour abroad. I had no idea what to expect or what their culture was like.
The excitement and adventure that I experienced in Vietnam was different to anything I had ever previously known. Simple tasks such as ordering coffee at a local shop from a family’s home to being gridlocked in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City on the back of a honda scooter were so foreign to anything I had ever known. One thing was for sure, there was never a dull moment, with action wherever you looked.
It seemed as though I was laughing the whole trip with so many humorous incidents occurring to us. To see WO2 Dunn after he had fallen into the sewerage drain was priceless as was our conversation about emus and kangaroos with the drunkest man in the world, a Vietnamese bloke who could speak no English. Incidents like these helped ease our concern that these gentle people held any grudges against Australians.
My highlight from the trip was definitely the trip to Nui Dat. To visit the school founded by Australians and to walk the main street (Luscombe Airfield) made me feel proud of the rich history associated with this area. It was hard to imagine the uncertainty and fear that would have existed in this now peaceful area. Many of us wondered about what the children of this school are taught about the Vietnam conflict and whether they are made aware of the significant part their village area played in the violence.
The trip was a great opportunity for me to experience something so different to my usual life. Memories from this trip will stay with me a lifetime and has helped my understanding of what occurred in the Vietnam war, in particular the role played by Australian aviation. I highly recommend a trip of this kind to be considered by everybody.
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