The Long Tan Nui Dat Battlefield Day Trip

At 8:00 am, depart from Ho Chi Minh City and travel to Ba Ria—Vung Tau Province in the southeast of Vietnam. Walk through Nui Dat Task Force Base, the initial area where the Australians along with New Zealand and American allies set up camp. The columns of the main gate still stand, and the helicopter pad and airport runway have transformed into a football field and a wide avenue in the newly established local village, respectively. Nearby, returning Australian veterans have established a school.

Next, we head past Horseshoe Hill, the location of the ANZAC’s fire support base, where artillery had a good view of the surrounding countryside. We explore the Long Phuoc Tunnels, which had an important hand in some of the more successful ventures for Vietnamese troops against the French and American armies in the region throughout both resistance wars. Located at the rubber plantation where most of the fighting took place, the Long Tan Cross Memorial honors the ANZAC soldiers who lost their lives here, serving as a powerful symbol of the combined Australian and New Zealand forces' strong resistance against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. We explore the battlefield, looking at the key vantage points of the ANZAC as they inflicted heavy casualties on the Vietnamese troops.

We head to Vung Tau City for lunch and free time to relax on the beach before taking the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon.