I was only 19 (Long Tan, Vietnam)

Ah, holidays. Whatever they are. The alarm was set for 6am, dear reader, but I was awake at 5:30 and there was no possibility of further sleep. We readied ourselves for the day’s excursion and went to the restaurant for breakfast. As one might expect, the array of food on offer was extensive. The menu listed breakfasts to cater to specific nationalities. There was no Australian breakfast amongst the Korean, Japanese, French and American offerings.

OK, let's get the obvious out of the way. This post is named after the legendary Redgum song, I was only 19. Our tour guide maintained the song was inspired by an incident here.

Allegedly Frankie's evacuation.

You don’t really need breakfast on an APT tour if you can make it to lunch. Although the coffee was appreciated. I never thought I’d be grateful to see a Nespresso machine, but here we are. A double shot long black is the only way to begin the day. Ok, I’m weak, I also had some pastries and yoghurt and fruit for a health balance. Jayne is in omelette world and enjoying the daily selection of eggs.

There were a number of activities on offer today, the Long Tan experience and a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels were the most popular. We opted for Long Tan and were definitely in the minority, our group was quite small and led by Young (pronounced Yung) whose storytelling prowess was characteristic of Tea. It was quite a drive to the memorial, duration 2 hours, during which Young provided us with commentary about Saigon vehicles, wages, interest rates, internet rates, education and real estate.

Then.

Now.

The first leg of the trip was through District 2 which has become a haven for ex-pats. A very expensive haven. It is now the most expensive area of HCMC and lacks the frenetic pace and feel of Saigon. Once we were outside the city limits, the main pastime was watching the scooters zipping in and out of traffic. We saw scooters carrying lives ducks, a roast suckling pig, family members, fishing gear, boxes and other items. We stopped briefly in Baria for morning tea and to pick up our local guide, Binh. In case you were sceptical about how hot it gets here, there was a misting system that stretched the length of the front of the open café.

Back on the bus, we drove out into the centre of Phuk Tuy Province, the focus area for the Australian Army involvement in the Vietnam War. Within this province lies the port of Vung Tau, the Nui Dat Air Base and the Long Tan battlefield, now site of the only memorial permitted in Vietnam to honour foreign soldiers.

Binh provided very knowledgeable commentary about the organisation of the Viet Cong. He was also well versed in the broader context of both Australian and American politics of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. As we drove from Baria first to the site of the Australian Nui Dat army base, we were reminded of the era of Robert Menzies and Harold Holt, supporting John Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson’s theory of the domino effect that would purportedly lead to world domination by the Communists. Realistically, Australia’s involvement had as much to do with Liberal Government philosophy and the white Australia policy as it did with the domino effect theory.

Binh also spoke about the locals’ respect for the Australian soldiers who were well trained and did their work effectively but never tried to destroy the local community or culture and in fact offered assistance and resources to help the Vietnamese people through a very difficult time.

There is nothing left to indicate that the Nui Dat site was once a strategically vital area – the physical terrain is still identifiable but we needed the photos and a map that Binh showed us to illustrate what the place looked like back in the 1960’s. It was the same when we drove a little further to the site of the airstrip. It is now an unremarkable-looking local road with houses on either side.

Then.

Now.

The memorial is located in the middle of banana and rubber plantations. Bananas! Jayne would have refused to fight there. Despite the bananas, it is now a very peaceful, rural environment but then, the scene of a very bloody battle in which the Viet Cong greatly outnumbered the Australian D company. The Australians who were surrounded, had superior gun power and expended 400,000 rounds of ammunition in the 4-hour battle. The casualties were much higher on the Viet Cong side but as Binh rightly pointed out, nobody wins in war – everyone lost fathers, brothers, sons, uncles who were all doing what their governments had told them was their duty.

The original cross. Now in the Canberra War Memorial.

Now.

Not often mentioned, when Long Tan is discussed in Australia, is the role the New Zealand artillery played. Constant bombardment by the 161st battery of the ‘enemy’ force provided vital support. Also rarely noted is that the Australian soldiers were trained and armed for battle, the VC forces were local farmers and fisherman who were recruited to defend their homeland, without any formal training and very little resourcing.

Before we walked the short distance from the bus to the memorial, we were told that the protocols for services are “no medals, no uniforms, no speeches.” Binh spoke briefly and then played the Last Post. We were fortunate to have a Vietnam vet as one of our fellow travellers. He was deployed there in 1969 with the 6th RAR and laid some flowers at the memorial. His presence added to the already sombre gravitas that we all felt as we tried to imagine the chaos and horror of what had taken place here over 50 years ago, as well as the ongoing impacts on those who lived through it.

Looking back from the memorial.

After the service, we headed back to Baria for lunch at the same establishment that we stopped at for morning tea. It was here that I saw something I have never seen before. Ice. Not so unusual. However, its use was amazing. The ice was placed in the individual urinal stalls. Apparently, the ice lowers the temperature of the surrounding area and assists in reducing the diffusion of aromas in a very hot climate.

Interesting.

Then it was time to bid farewell to Binh and to head back to Saigon for some free time in the city before dinner. Once again, our APT guide, Young, provided personal anecdotes to fill the 2-hour drive. We heard about his “official wife” and his only child, “the crown prince” who is apparently the “boss baby” in the household. Hmmm, official wife. I didn’t ask for an explanation. The other terms are obvious.

Once back in Saigon, we set out in search of the elusive Pandora shop, located in a large shopping mall a short walk from the hotel. After some examination of the local options, we decided on a piece, not dissimilar to the one purchased in Germany. After this success, we headed back to our accommodation, copping an afternoon shower that made the walk slippery on the Saigon footpaths. We can’t complain about the weather so far – this is the first time we have actually been rained upon since we arrived (although the wet season officially finished at the end of October).

Then it was time to change for dinner and another short stroll to Vietnam House, the restaurant operated by ex-pat, Luke Nguyen. We had high expectations as we have eaten at his restaurant in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. So, without going all ‘SMH Good Food Guide critic’, the food was average in a country where it has been pretty exceptional everywhere. While we felt sorry for the servers who had to negotiate many flights of stairs to serve and remove plates, the service was not co-ordinated and we’d had better meals, in our opinion, on the ship in Ha Long Bay. Perhaps this explains why the majority of diners were Caucasian.

Anyway, another day over, another series of firsts. A side trip to the money exchange on the way back to the hotel completed our activities. Bedtime.

Until next time.