Day 1 & 2: (Sunday - Monday, 22 - 23 September 2024) – Enroute

Report to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by 8:00 p.m. and proceed to ticketing counter.  Depart Los Angeles, CA on our flight to Taipei.  Lose one day crossing the International Dateline.

Day 3: (Tuesday, 24 September 2024) – Teipei to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

After a short layover in Taipei where we endure the Big Speech, we depart for Vietnam.  We arrive at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airfield (once the busiest airport in the world) and proceed through immigration, retrieve our bags, and clear customs.  As we depart the airport, we pass the U.S. Army's 3rd Field Hospital and the MACV Headquarters.  Heading into the center of the city (still called Saigon by most Vietnamese) we tour the War Remnants Museum.  After time to get settled into our hotel rooms, we enjoy our Welcome Dinner.

Meals: B (in flight) /_/D

Day 4: (Wednesday, 25 September 2024) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

This morning we visit Reunification Hall (the old Presidential Palace), Notre Dame Cathedral, and the old Post Office (a great place to purchase gifts and trinkets).  We drive by the site of the U.S. Embassy compound (now the U.S. Consulate) to see the place where Viet Cong sappers blew a hole in the compound wall and gained access to the Embassy grounds during the 1968 Tet Offensive.  After lunch, we enter Cholon (considered the largest Chinatown in the world by area).  While here we visit Cha Tam Church (Saint Francis Xavier Church) where SVN President Diem had fled and disguised himself as a priest during the 1963 coup.  It was from this place that Diem and his brother were captured, taken away, and assassinated.  Our last stop of the day will be 197 Ngo Gia Tu Street, in District 10.  AP Photographer, Eddie Adams, received the 1969 Pulitzer Prize For Spot News Photography for his photo of Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing Viet Cong Captain Nguyen Van Lem.  The VC captain had, allegedly, just murdered SVN Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tuan, his wife, and his six children, as well as his 80-year-old mother.  That 1968 Tet Offensive photograph published (with no explanation) worldwide spurred the anti-war movement to new heights.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 5: (Thursday, 26 September 2024) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

After breakfast, we travel south to the village of Tan An and Dong Tam.  We then continue south to the town of My Tho in the Mekong Delta where we take a boat trip on the Mekong River to visit Thoi Son Island (Coconut Island), local houses, and various workshops.  After our cruise, we return to Saigon.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 6: (Friday, 27 September 2024) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We rise very early this morning and head northwest on old Highway 1, now Highway 22, to the Trang Bang Cao Dai Temple.  It was here that on 8 June 1972, a SVN Air Force Skyraider dropped napalm on suspected VC positions in front of the temple where Kim Phuc (The Napalm Girl) and her family had sought shelter.  Phuc was badly burned and was the photo subject of AP Photographer Nick Ut's 1972 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography.  There had already been three days of the VC, NVA, and SVN soldiers fighting in her village.  Our next stop will be the Cao Dai Holy See Temple.  After stopping in Tay Ninh for lunch, we head northeast to view the eerie 3,000' monolith known as Nui Ba Den (Black Virgin Mountain).  On our way back to Saigon, we visit the Cu Chi Tunnel Complex.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 7: (Saturday, 28 September 2024) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Dalat

Rising again early, we return to Tan Son Nhat Airfield for our flight to Dalat with its cooler temperatures, alpine scenery, French mansions, and European architecture.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 8: (Sunday, 29 September 2024) – Dalat

Time for a little R&R.  Today is a free day to explore all that this amazing area has to offer.  Lunch and dinner are on our own.  Be sure to sample some of the many local restaurants and night spots in this fascinating city.

Meals: B/_/_

Day 9: (Monday, 30 September 2024) – Dalat to Nha Trang

After breakfast, we head down to sea level to Highway 1 and travel south to Cam Ranh Bay to the former sites of the 22nd Replacement Battalion, the 6th Convalescent Hospital, and the 14th Aerial Port.  Returning north, we view several Cham ruins (the Cham people ruled what is today's Vietnam from the 5th to the 12th century), as well as other interesting sites.  After a long day, we finally arrive in Nha Trang where we retire to our hotel.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 10: (Tuesday, 01 October 2024) – Nha Trang

Today we stand down and stack arms.  We enjoy a free day to explore or to relax on the beach. Again, lunch and dinner are on our own.

Meals: B/_/_

Day 11: (Wednesday, 02 October 2024) – Nha Trang to Qui Nhon

This morning, we head north along Highway 1, now AH-1 (Asian Highway #1), to Tuy Hoa Airbase.  We also make a brief stop at the former site of the Qui Nhon City Airfield and the beach where the 1st Cavalry Division came ashore on 11 September 1965.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 12: (Thursday, 03 October 2024) – Qui Nhon to Pleiku

Heading west on Highway 19, we drive uphill through An Khe Pass to the An Khe Summit.  After turning north to view Camp Radcliff (now a VN Army base), we return to Highway 19 and cross over An Khe Bridge.  Soon we pass through Mang Yang Pass where the French Mobile Group 100 was ambushed and annihilated on June 24, 1954.  After lunch in Pleiku, we venture south to view Dragon Mountain near the entrance to Camp Enari.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 13: (Friday, 04 October 2024) – Pleiku

After breakfast, we head north to enter Kontum. Kontum was one of the major objectives of the 3-prong 1972 Easter Offensive invasions by the NVA (DMZ in I-Corps; Kontum in II-Corps; and An Loc in III-Corps).  We visit Kontum Airfield, the MACV Compound, the Polei Kleng Special Forces Camp, the 100+-year-old Ave Maria Rosewood Church, and Vinh Son Montagnard Orphanage.

Meals: B/L/D

Day 14: (Saturday, 05 October 2024) – Pleiku to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Early this morning, we fly back to Saigon.  After lunch, the balance of our day is free to hunt down those last-minute souvenirs.  Tonight, all hands are required at our very special Farewell Dinner.

Meals: B/_/D

Day 15: (Sunday, 06 October 2024) – Departure

After a late breakfast, we head to Tan Son Nhat Airfield (once the busiest airport in the world) for our flight to Taipei.  Departing from Taipei, we gain a day enroute to the continental United States by re-crossing the International Dateline, arriving in the U.S. this same day.

Meals: B/L/D (in flight)

Tour Price: $4,995.00 / Per Person is based upon Double Occupancy (2 people per room)
Single Supplement is $598.00

Ground Only Price: $3,995.00 / Per Person is also based upon Double Occupancy (2 people per room)
Single Supplement is $598.00

Tour Price Includes:

1. International roundtrip airfare from our Los Angeles, California (LAX) gateway.    Alternative Gateways
   • Ground Only Tours - International roundtrip airfare is not included.
2. Air-conditioned motorcoach transportation.
3. Vietnam airfare.
4. Vietnam Visa Processing and fees.
   • Ground Only Tours - Vietnam Visa Processing and fees may or may not be included.
5. Hotel Accommodations throughout tour.
6. Virtually all meals, as indicated in itinerary.
7. Historical Trip information packet, containing maps and other information pertaining to your tour.
8. Admission fees to all sites, museums and special attractions listed.
9. Services of our experienced Directors & English--speaking local guides.
10. Gratuities (NOTE: VBT American guides are prohibited from accepting tips.)
11. Bulk-baggage handling.

• VBT - We use only highly-experienced U.S. Marine Corps & U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran guides.
• VBT - Runs 15-day tours which ensures unrushed touring.
• VBT - Has virtually all-inclusive pricing. (Beware of hidden charges forced on you by other tour operators).
• VBT - Gets you to places other companies cannot access.
• VBT - Our tours are designed for customization based on participant's requests (no off-the-rack tours).