The journey began when we flew to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon). We met our incredible tour guide Martin who would teach us so much about the history and culture of his beautiful country. We were shown the many sights of the city including the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum. Parts of this day were confronting but it allowed us to view the bigger picture of the event we were studying.
Day 3 was one of my favourites of the trip, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. We had the chance to crawl through the tunnels used by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops 60 years ago. The tunnels were tiny! Except the longest tunnel I went through was 50 metres, troops travelled through 250 kilometres of underground area.
In Vung Tau we travelled throughout the Phouc Tuy province, where Australians had a huge impact on the war. We visited an orphanage where I donated some toys and spent time playing with the children. We held an emotional and beautiful ceremony at Long Tan memorial remembering the sacrifice given to protect our country.
We spent some time in Hoi An, shopping at markets and experiencing true Vietnamese culture. Then we flew to Hue visiting many temples and tombs of Vietnam.
A few days later we boarded a flight to the capital of Vietnam Ha Noi upon arrival we took a rickshaw tour of city. I loved this, it was such an interesting way to see the city. The same night we had tickets to a traditional water puppet show to which the level of creativity and talent was insane.
On ANZAC Day we visited landmarks such as the One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature and Hanoi Hilton Prison. Then held a small ANZAC Day service acknowledging those who served throughout Australia’s history.
As the trip came to an end, we were very fortunate to spend a night on board the Indochina Cruise in Ha Long Bay. I spent the time exploring caves and boating around areas of the bay when I was lucky enough to see monkeys! I spent a lot of time watching them swing through the lush green trees. After a night on the boat much of the tour group woke up early to join a sunrise Tai Chi lesson on the boat deck. Receiving the chance to enjoy the landscape and be immersed in Vietnamese tradition.
On our final day we said a thank you to tour guide Martin and began our travels home. Together we reflected on the tour and said our heartfelt farewells. It is safe to say I will forever be grateful for this trip and the people I met on it. I hope to carry the knowledge I gained with me for the rest of my life.
Isabella Hudson
Year 10
Premiers ANZAC Spirit Prize Winner
