Part One of Four
During the period 13 – 25 July 2004, a much-anticipated tour of Vietnam occurred for 21 members of 161 Recce Sqn TST. With the list of names constantly changing due to courses and personal changes in circumstances, it was a relief to the members that they finally boarded Brunei Flight BI 174, secure in the knowledge that they had a berth on a trip of a lifetime. Despite the in-depth planning and constant banter in the brewroom about what the country is like, it was with apprehension that the group approached the journey once it had begun, not helped by the recitation of the ‘travel prayer’ in Arabic whilst the plane was on the piano keys. The group would have been amazed to consider that in ten days they as individuals would have changed so much as a result of their Vietnam experiences. What returned to Australia was a group of culturally enriched, washed-out soldiers who had experienced enough life to live out the next ten years of bar room tales.
This well organised tour consisted of groups of four to five members rotating through a planned itinerary. This allowed for a more personal experience by not travelling as a large group as the guides were friends, and in some cases relatives, of 161 Squadron members. It also provided an opportunity for visits to areas that are normally off limits or not accessible by Westerners and this local assistance certainly proved beneficial on a number of occasions.
The places visited on the tour were centred around the south of Vietnam. This included an accommodation base in Ho Chi Minh City, two days in the Mekong Delta, three days at Vung Tau exploring the history of 161 Sqn, visits to war sites and museums as well as a visit to Tay Ninh. Travel between these places was achieved by a variety of sources including cyclo, honda scooters, ferries, taxis and the dreaded bus system. If nothing else, the tourist will never again complain about the standard of public transport in Australia.
There is no doubt that this tour could not have been the success that it was without the assistance of a number of organisations and individuals. Firstly, our thanks go to the Australian Army Aviation Association for their assistance in providing a grant for the tour and to Helitech for the grant of $5000. Without this financial assistance, the tour would have been limited due to financial constraints of members. This money allowed all members to travel to Nui Dat and experience the rich history within this province. A special thanks also goes to Mr Ian Nancarrow who worked tirelessly before, during and after the tour to ensure its success. Without his efforts the tour would never have eventuated. A special thanks is also expressed to his family and friends both here and in Vietnam for their openness and willingness to share their beautiful country with us.
These series of articles are taken from a cross section of the touring group and will present an individual’s insight into their tour highlighting their differing experiences. After reading these articles it leaves no doubt that this country touched the hearts of those who visited.
CAPT John Partridge
Prior to this trip, I had only travelled overseas to New Zealand. Vietnam was a place that I had read about only in books dealing with the Australian operations there in the 1960s and 70s, as well as snippets of major events on news broadcasts. My perception was of a third world country that had not advanced out of the 70s technologically and was firmly under the Communist hammer and sickle. I was expecting the police and military presence in Vietnam to be all pervasive and impact on my travel. Given that Australia had been in Vietnam as an enemy of the current regime only 30 odd years ago and our current political climate, I did not expect Australians to be treated in an overly friendly manner by the local population.
Stepping off the plane and going through customs I thought that all my preconceptions had been correct. The customs and immigration hall was full of unsmiling men and women in military style uniforms and a rather intimidating welcome to Vietnam. On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, I was too busy being amazed at the mass of humanity that makes up this city to be worried about police or military types, who faded into the background very quickly on leaving the airport. After coming to grips with sheer volume of people in the place I started to fear for my life in the traffic. Ho Chi Minh traffic is something that cannot be described and must be experienced to fully understand.
In Vietnam it appears that every homeowner runs a shop from the front room of their house and lives in the back portions. Nowhere in our travels did we sight an area that looked remotely like a residential suburb in an Australian city. The local markets are something that should be experienced by all, although the smells of the meat, seafood and fruits on display in the food markets can tip a delicate stomach into turmoil.
Eating in Vietnam can be an experience. All the meals we ate in Vietnam, in small out of the way cafes, in restaurants, or at our guide’s family home, the food was excellent and cheap. I would encourage travellers going over to step outside the tourist trip and sample life in Vietnam as the locals see it.
The trip to the Cu Chi tunnels brought home to us the nature of the war that the Australians and Americans in Vietnam were fighting. This extensive network of tunnels held out throughout the war and was a constant source of annoyance for the US forces. The visit to the War Remnants Museum proved to be very much an eye opener, providing a Vietnamese view on the war and atrocities committed. This gave me a whole new perspective on the actions of US troops throughout the conflict.
The main purpose of the trip was to visit the sites that 161 Recce Flight operated out of during the conflict. The three day visit to Vung Tau provided this opportunity. We travelled from Vung Tau to Nui Dat by scooter along the same route that members of 161 Recce flight would have taken during the conflict. I would imagine that the scenery has not changed all that much, with maybe the inevitable urban encroachment being the only significant difference.
On reaching the Nui Dat area we proceeded to SAS Hill. On climbing the hill we were treated to a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. Looking north from SAS Hill you overlook the runway and 161 Recce Flight location during the conflict. The runway is now the main street of a small village, and is now the only sign that this area was once home to about 3000 Australian soldiers. Scanning around through east to the south where Task force HQ was located, you see rice paddies, rubber plantations and areas of scrub. There is still not much urbanisation in this area. This is repeated as you turn through west and back to north, with a range of hills in the distance starting just south of west and continuing to NW. My thoughts as I took in this view were that this place looked too much like a picture postcard to be the AO that I had read about in the history books, and heard described by veterans, but I guess that appearances can often be deceptive.
From SAS Hill we rode into the village that has the airstrip as its main street. Riding down the street was eerie at first, as there were no locals in the street, and with the old vehicles off to the side, grass growing through the tarmac and rubbish and grass blowing across the tarmac, the place looked like it had been abandoned. On arriving at the village proper we found that the locals were the smart ones and were out of the midday sun.
From a mud map we were able to identify the approximate location of the 161 Recce Sqn area and aircraft parking and refuelling areas. To be able to walk around these areas after seeing photos from the conflict and hearing the descriptions put everything in context and provided a link back to that time that we would otherwise not have experienced.
After a visit to the school that has recently been built in the village with assistance from Vietnam Veterans associations and Australian Government agencies, it was back to Vung Tau. We toured around the sites including the Grand Hotel, a favourite with Australians in Vung Tau on R and R.
Leaving Vietnam was clouded with mixed feelings. I had enjoyed my stay in Vietnam and would have liked to stay and enjoy the sites more, but I was also glad to be going home and looking forward to a big steak, something the Vietnamese do not offer. For me, the best thing about the trip (aside from the opportunity to visit Nui Dat) and something I will always remember, is the overwhelming friendliness of the locals. Once it was established that you were Australian (and not American) the locals were very forthcoming and friendly.
WO2 Jason Dunn
My previous travel experiences in Asia did not prepare me for the pure shock of Vietnam. I had the perception that this country would be generally unfriendly to Australians and I would need to be careful in terms of personal safety and hygiene. Continued world violence, bird flu, military briefs concerning overseas travel and the worries of visiting a Communist country all played on my mind and was not far from the thoughts of all members of the tour. Despite the reassurances from Squadron members who had been over before, I was wary.
Ho Chi Minh City is the craziest destination I have been too. I was fortunate to sit in the front seat of the taxi van on the way from the airport to the hotel and I’m sure I should have died several times. It perturbed me greatly that the driver kept looking at me with mirth and not the road as we narrowly avoided collisions in the chaos that Vietnamese call a traffic system. To make matters worse, I had to attempt to cross the road when I got out of the taxi and I’m sure that some of the city residents still recount this incident with amusement.
The culmination of much research and reading in the Squadron history room paid dividends during the tour of Nui Dat and Long Tan. It was interesting to see most members produce hand drawn maps and copies of photos to attempt to marry up areas that were utilised during the conflict around Nui Dat. It is fortunate that within this area there are two prominent features in SAS Hill and the remains of Luscombe airfield to enable visitors to orientate and imagine what it all would have looked like 30 odd years ago. It is so hard to believe that this peaceful rural area could have seen the harsh reality of war and not be physically scarred forever by this chapter of history. The most enduring and thoughtful monument to Australia’s presence in the area is the school that was built by Australians including Vietnam Veterans. This made me feel immensely proud to be Australian and the children and teacher certainly appreciated the books and sports equipment that we gave them. This was my highlight of the trip to Nui Dat and although it nearly ended in cardiac arrest as I played soccer with the children, I am sure these people enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed theirs.
As a member with a large frame, I proved to be something of a novelty in Vietnam. It was explained to me within the first few hours by one of the family guides that Vietnamese do not see Westerners very often where we were taken, especially not one of my size. I was a bit taken aback by this as I thought after that that I may have been viewed as a food source from all the stares I got, but after the first few days I realised it was just curiosity. Indeed it did not take me long to say a few self-deprecating remarks to get a few giggles. Towards the end of the tour I relished the role of ‘freak’ and even when I broke a farm bridge and wrote off a cyclo the locals didn’t take offence. The gentle and friendly nature of the Vietnamese was something that I was constantly surprised by and even these potential incidents were treated lightheartedly.
A trip to Vietnam is one that I recommend to any Australian. I intend to revisit next year with my family and I can honestly say it is a friendly and safe destination that has much to offer both culturally and historically.
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