Vung Tau or Sink!

Vung Tau, 2007

Vung Tau, meaning Bay of Boats, was to be our most important visit. From here we would be able to see, up close and personal, various battle and base sites that were important Australian contributions to the Vietnam War. 

But first, we had to get there! We strolled from our hotel in Saigon along the waterfront to the hydrofoil jetty for an 8am departure. Could that oddly shaped, rather neglected contraption possibly be our hydrofoil?  Yes, I'm afraid so....  (Coming from Sydney, you do have different expectations).  Despite my reservations, we really did glide down the river quite nicely and had many, many chances to almost graze our whiskers on somewhat larger rusting hulks; those that spend their lives busily plying oceans and rivers, although I'm not sure how they manage to stay afloat.

Map of Locations

On arrival to the port town of Vung Tau, we were met by our buses. They'd taken the long and winding road whilst we were carried downstream, along with large amounts of sediment (I wonder how much of that is rust?), in the Song Sai Gon currents. 

We were quickly transferred to our hotel, The Palace, conveniently central.  The landscape is quite different here with steep surrounding hills and a strong fishing focus; not too settled and very well cared for. Vung Tau, once a French resort town in colonial times, became a venue for local leave, or R&C, during the Vietnam War.

So with only a little time to recover from green gills and armed with our own stash of loo paper, we began, with varying emotions, to retrace those locations and events special to Australia's involvement 1962 to 1972.

Assembling the Task Force (1962-1972)

Nui Dat, 3 Cav Location

Nui Dat was home to the Australian Task Force Base. At one time it housed some 5000 troops. The site took in quite a large area (12k perimeter) and we visited a number of locations including Luscombe Field, took in views over the area from SAS Hill, inspected an Artillery command post bunker in the rubber trees and saw areas where specific groups, including 3 Cav were housed. Some in our group brought along old photos which helped us to visually reconstruct what the base had looked like during those years. Now it is a quiet home to Vietnamese army, rubber plantations, and small villages.

Vung Tau Port and Airforce Base. Very little infrastructure remains of the RAAF Airforce base on Quoc Lo Sia. Also due to government restrictions, we were unable to take photographs of the area.  Nearby is the infamous Alaska Barge Company, allegedly a front for the CIA at the time, and other buildings used as port facilities.

View over the ALSG

1ALSG (Australian Logistic Support Group) was established in May 1966.  The support base covered a huge area near the coast in Vung Tau. It is now hard to visualise because of developments, however an imposing VC Memorial provides a vantage point of the area and views out to the coast. 

Long Tan (18 August 1966)

Long Tan is remembered for a famous battle that took place in 1966. A large white cross in a rubber plantation marks the site where D Company, 6RAR, fought.  We attended a Commemorative Service (41st) with many others including the Australian Ambassador and Defence Attaché. 

Long Tan Veterans

Needless to say, I felt a bit guilty at knowing so little about what actually happened at the time. Like many, I mostly heard about the protests and the politics. However our guide, Garry, gave us an excellent overview of battle specifics, which was made all the more poignant by having details added by one of our group, a veteran of the battle itself. August 18th is also celebrated as Vietnam Veterans' Day; an opportunity to commemorate nationally those who served and died in Vietnam.    
 
Tet Offensive (29 January 1968)

Ba Ria Water Tower

In 1968, the Communists launched surprise attacks that coincided with Tet (Vietnamese New Year) celebrations on almost every major city or town, including military bases, in South Vietnam. The attacks were also undertaken during a time of agreed ceasefire. The town of Ba Ria, the provincial capital of then named Phuoc Tuy, saw some major skirmishes. A highlight was the story of the lone VC sniper on the water tower in the centre of town. 

Our stopover on the main road near the tower inadvertently caused minor traffic chaos, so we scarpered and left it all to the local authorities to sort out - as you do!

Dat Do VC Graves

Hoa Long township had become a resettlement area for displaced and therefore unfriendly villagers from Long Phuoc and Long Tan. It was the site of much sniper fire and many ambushes for the Aussies, particularly during 8-9 Feb 1968 post Tet. It's apparently as famous for its dances (taken in much the same vein as left handed screwdrivers)! 

Out of Dat Do village is a Warrior Graveyard worth visiting and fairly typical of memorial sites across the country. We seemed to be at the mercy of the site manager due to a change in itinerary, however we were eventually allowed in.    

Other

Taking Tea in the Long Hais

Long Hai Hills. A notorious VC enclave (an extensive bunker system) set in rugged mountains, the Long Hais were heavily mined. Unfortunately, it saw huge loss of life. The area was otherwise known as the Minh Dam Secret Zone. 

We struggled up a hill, HHHarrier style, to a Cao Dai complex with a nice view from their prayer point. Having suffered through a recent typhoon, their temple was little more than a rudimentary construction of salvaged materials. Still, we were kindly invited to tea and our greatest challenge for the day became managing the shoe "on/off" thing.

Near the Horseshoe

FSB Horseshoe on Route 23. Said to be an extinct volcano, once heavily fortified is now quarried, so we were only able to see it from a distance.

Long Phuoc Tunnels. Restored and very touristy remains of tunnels used by the VC; they have caches for food, weapons and even hospitals. 

Battle of Binh Ba (6 June 1969)
Another famous battle was fought at Binh Ba village. It is considered one of Australia's most successful actions. 

A little R&C
The Flags.  Named for the flags of allied nations that were assembled in the square, "The Flags" was once a popular meeting spot for diggers visiting Vung Tau. Situated close to Front Beach (Bai Truoc), it is now the site for some heavy duty tourist bothering.  

Back Beach

Back Beach & Peter Badcoe Club. The area to the east of Vung Tau was known as Back Beach and site of the famous Peter Badcoe Club. This area is personally famous for a helicopter rescue of a certain person from a sinking sailing dingy out in strong bay currents. 
The Grand Hotel. Somewhat of an icon of the war years, this hotel was the "officers' club". I'm sure the walls could tell many an eyebrow-raising story. Instead, we were returned to more refined and cultured times as a troupe of classical musicians, all in costume and playing traditional instruments, serenaded us.  

Ned Kelly Bar. An Aussie favourite, with very attentive bar girls and a chance to relive old memories. We managed to recognise a few names on the "wall of signatures" inside the restaurant  After taking in the atmosphere, we managed a delicious seafood dinner over at the Blue Ocean Restaurant, on the nearby main wharf. 

Artillery Command Post

With the weather changing and some choppy seas pounding the esplanade, we were all somewhat relieved to be taking the bus back to Saigon and on to the end of the first part of our tour.

Some of the many informative resources I came across were:

•  Vietnam Veteran's Association; 
• A personal history  by Ern Marshall, which is extremely detailed; 
• Digger History also has some great photos from the period & importantly, maps; and
• Gary McKay's book "Australia's Battlefields in Viet Nam: A traveller's guide".

War Remnants

Tank of Destiny

These are some of the many "war" sites we took in on our battlefield tour. They are a mix of remnants from French conflicts (mostly in the north) and the American war (central & south) . Across the country we saw a number of huge war cemeteries. It seems essential to erect monuments, almost "Russian" in design, to commemorate fallen comrades and provide impressive, if not somewhat austere, community buildings in every town and village. So in "itinerary" order (not including Vung Tau yet) we prepared to learn more about the conflict.

HO CHI MINH CITY:

Reunification Palace

Now known as the Reunification Palace and formerly the Presidential Palace, this rather austere building set in park-like grounds, is a museum dedicated to recording the demise of the South Vietnamese government.

The basement, from where operations were controlled and briefings given, is a maze of airless rooms through which tourists, in large groups, are constantly on the move. Above are reception rooms, a residential area including a Catholic chapel, a library and theatre. A helipad sits on the roof incongruously beside a beautiful bonsai garden. 

The surrounding grounds are home to decommissioned Communist tanks, similar to those that crashed through the gates of the Palace in April 1975. I could also see one or two aircraft through the trees - these may be to recognise damages inflicted in 1975 from bombing by a renegade pilot.

The Quiet American (find on Amazon)

In the city centre, various hotels are settings for war remembrances. The Rex Hotel was used by American servicemen and journalists; the Continental was one of the settings for Graham Greene's novel "The Quiet American" (I'm still trying to read this);  the Caravelle housed journalists and photographers; and the beautiful People's Committee Building, once the Hotel de Ville dating from 1908, also housed servicemen during the war years. 

The War Remnants Museum is an eye-popping and rather disturbing display of photos and other memorabilia dedicated to recording the horrors inflicted during the war years. There are a number of other similar military museums to visit; essentially dedicated to the victors of the North at the expense of ignoring half a country.

Father Tam's Catholic Church

Cholon (HCM City's chinatown), specifically Cham Tam Church (Saint Francis Xavier) was the site from where President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother were captured and shortly afterwards executed in a 1963 coup.

Further out are the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extensive network of tunnels which were build during the French (1940's) and Vietnam conflicts by VC. There are some 250km of tunnels, in some places three levels deep making an extensive underground village. They speak heaps about dogged determination and power of the mind.

DANANG:

View from Marble Mountains, Danang

Danang, a fishing village seized by the French in 1859, was soon to become the main port of central Vietnam. Later in 1965, the US first landed troops at Red Beach and Danang became the site of the first US consulate in Vietnam.  Soon after, during a period that has locally been described as "the 70's unpleasantness", Danang became the site of a large base for the US Airforce and nearby China Beach a rest and respite area for servicemen. 

To the south, five large Marble Mountains, also of significant cultural interest, provide a excellent view over Danang and the South China Seas. The mountains and caverns were occupied by VC and provided a perfect vantage point to check over US military activities.

HAI VAN PASS:

We were fortunate enough to take the long and winding road over the Hai Van Pass, or Pass of the Ocean Clouds, on a clear day. It was indeed like climbing the back of a dragon!! The views were spectacular from this natural barrier and strategically significant vantage point. 

The summit and pass are marked by a remarkable construction which boasts a first level from centuries past with a gate wide enough for an elephant to pass. Border patrol necessary even then!  Surrounding pillboxes and gun placements were added in more recent years by French and Americans.

HUE:

Hue is the former imperial city although it was badly damaged during the Tet Offensive in 1968. If you can, read Gavin Young's account of his time as a war journalist in Hue during that period in World's Apart. (Try the Book Depository for it). 

The Thien Mu Pagoda houses an important war and religious artifact; the car used by Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc.








DMZ:

DMZ

The bridge at the DMZ (demilitarized zone) is over the Ben Hai River. The road north of Hue had been dubbed the "road without joy" by the French who fought fierce battles against the Vietnamese along it. 

We continued to be amazed by the large, overpowering sculptures that seem to mark every important venue or cemetery.   

HANOI:

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

We were unable to take our visits to a grey and forbidding Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and his modest House due to a delayed flight from Hue which never took off!  So, we drove - a long but rewarding day in a bus!!  These sites were closed when we came by but at least we were able to stand, almost alone in the rain, in Ba Dinh Square where Ho read the Declaration of Independence on 2nd September 1945. 

Nearby is the Military History Museum which houses a collection of uniforms, maps, photos and other memorabilia documenting Vietnam's battles for independence and reunification. An imposing, crumpled B52 bomber stands in the grounds, resembling a modern sculpture  Its meaning is not lost on us.

Inside a Prison Cell

Many prisoners-of-war were incarcerated in Hao Lo Prison or Hanoi Hilton,  Before 1954 it was used by the French to imprison, torture and guillotine thousands of revolutionaries and later by the Vietnamese to secure political detainees and prisoners-of-war, whose fate was probably not much better that those under French governance. Despite modifications in 1994, I'm sure many ghosts remain in those cells to haunt us. It is indeed, a grim and very sobering reminder of the cruelties of war.

Don't mention the war....

Not that war!

Our primary reason for travelling to Vietnam was for the old salt to revisit his past; he had served with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment many years ago. 

Vietnam has an interesting history of occupation and conflict well worth the reading. Choosing where to begin a brief description of the Vietnam War is difficult enough and for the record, I am no military historian, just an interested traveller. I just like to know how and where things fit in with broader histories. 

So to set the scene, some background information:

In 1946, the Vietnamese fought a War of Resistance against French colonialists, a struggle for national independence. The outcome in 1954 was a divided Vietnam when a Geneva Accord divided the country at the 17th parallel pending elections in 1956. The north became the Democratic Republic of Vietnam under the Loa Dong Party (the Workers Party, under communist leader, Ho Chi Minh) and the south became an unsettled Republic of South Vietnam under Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem. North Vietnam continued the struggle for reunification through armed and revolutionary activities, so in effect a state of war existed between the two; the second Indochina War. The US began providing military assistance to the South in 1955, so the connection and relationship between the two countries was established.

Cu Chi Tunnels

North Vietnam continued its struggle however.  Group 559 were established in 1959 to infiltrate the South via the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos and Cambodia. Also, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF), better known as the VC or Viet Cong, grew from strength to strength.  Their low technology, guerrilla warfare techniques were achieving results whilst politics in South Vietnam continued to cause upheaval.  Bao Dai, the last Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty was deposed by Diem, who assumed the mantle of President.

Venerable Monks

In June 1963, a 66 year old Buddhist Monk, Thich Quang Duc, immolated himself in Saigon in protest against repressive measures against Buddhists. That same year, Diem was murdered by his own officers and a series of cout d'etat followed adding to the general malaise.

The Vietnam War began in 1965 with the escalation of US involvement. The US began to bomb military targets in North Vietnam and the first US ground combat troops landed in Danang.  By the end of 1967, allied troops, including Australians, had been sent to Vietnam. In 1968, the VC's Tet Offensive (Lunar New Year, Tet) saw a series of surprise attacks on Saigon and other cities, including a raid on the American Embassy in Saigon. Peace negotiations began in Paris that same year, however hostilities were not resolved until 1973 (Paris Peace Agreement) and the last of the US troops had gone. Despite the Agreement, the war continued. In 1975, North Vietnamese troops entered Saigon and the South Vietnamese government surrendered.   The Communist Party in a long struggle had achieved not only its own political victory but national liberation and reunification.  

Hai Van Pass

We were lucky to have Guide Garry, who has a strong interest in and personal knowledge of the Australian contingent's activities, locations and operations. 

This added enormously to the authenticity of our experience; that and of course two buses full of ex-servicemen and their families all sharing stories, beers and laughs in the true Aussie style. 

Never a Dull Moment