Day 1: (Saturday, February 27) Ha Noi
Arrive at Noi Bai Airfield (heavily bombed during the war) at 10:00pm. Proceed through immigration; retrieve your bags, and clear customs. Your Vietnam Battlefield Tours guide meets you upon your exit from customs and we board our motor coach. On the way to our hotel, we cross the Red River and its dikes and enter the city of Ha Noi.
Meals: None Hotel: Thanh Long Opera
Day 2: (Sunday, February 28) Ha Noi
This morning we take a pre-dawn walk to Hoan Kiem Lake and watch the city awaken a truly magical experience. After breakfast, we visit the One Pillar Pagoda, and the fascinating War Museum, Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton), and the John McCain Monument. Mission permitting, we head to JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) for a command briefing on their efforts to return missing Americans from the war. This evening we enjoy a visit (also mission permitting) to the Marine House, home of the U.S. Marine Corps Security Guard responsible for the protection and defense of the U.S. Ambassador and the American Embassy.
Meals: B/L/D Hotel: Thanh Long Opera
Day 3: (Monday, March 1) Ha Noi to Da Nang
Today is devoted to the Ha Noi Childrens Hospital in Operation Exchange. Late this afternoon, we fly to Da Nang. After dinner, you can take a peaceful twilight walk along the Han River Promenade.
Meals: B/L/D Hotel: Green Plaza
Day 4: (Tuesday, March 2) Da Nang
We depart early for Hill 41 on the eastern approach to Charlie Ridge. Next stop is Hill 37 with its French Fort that has seen two wars. From here, we head east on Thunder Road and then south on Highway 1 until we cross to the south side of the Tu Bon River. We follow parallel to the southern edge of Go Noi Island west, arriving at Liberty Bridge (south). Continuing on, we stop at An Hoa Regimental Combat Base and make a special visit to the My Son Holyland located deep in the foothills of the Que Son Mountains. My Son is the site of Trakieu, the ancient capital of the Cham Kingdom and contains ruins dating back to the 5th Century. Little is known about this advanced civilization. Currently, their descendants are numbered in the dozens.
Meals: B/L/D Hotel: Green Plaza
Day 5: (Wednesday, March 3) Da Nang to Hue
This morning we visit the Han Market (a microcosm of the big market in Cholon, Saigon). We then tour a marble carving shop in the midst of the Marble Mountains. Beginning our ride to Hue, we stop at the massive Buddha statue just north of Da Nang. Continuing on, we stop at Red Beach 2 (where the Marines first landed in 1965), Nam O Bridge, and the Hai Van (Sea Clouds) Pass with a stop at the top to explore old French bunkers and take in a parting view of Da Nang Bay. After a couple of scenic stops, we enter Hue City (the old Imperial Capital of Vietnam) and check into our hotel on the southern bank of the Perfume River. After dinner, you can relax by the pool or roam the fascinating shops on Le Loi Street until late at night.
Meals: B/L/D Hotel: Huong Giang
Day 6: (Thursday March 4) Hue to Dong Ha
Today, we begin our study of the 1968 Tet Offensive battle for the southern city. Used to fighting in jungles and mountains, and not having been involved in urban warfare since Seoul, Korea, the Marines had to learn as they fought. We follow the actions of 1/1 and 2/5, covering, among others, the former MACV Compound, Tran Cao Van Street, Hue University, Treasury, Public Health Building, Provincial Capital Building area, and the Church of the Redemptress. Crossing the Perfume River, we enter the Citadel, with its ramparts and towers, and visit sites specific to the northern battle, including the Chuck Meadows and Dong Ba Gates. We finish at the Imperial Palace gate blown by 1/5, which allowed the ARVN to enter and lower the NVA flag that had flown from the main flagpole for 24 days. We then visit the Forbidden City, home to the ancient emperors. We depart Hue, stopping at points of interest, such as Quang Tri City, Ai Tu Airfield, and the Lew Puller School, before arriving at our Dong Ha hotel.
Meals: B/L/D Hotel: Huu Nghi
Day 7: (Friday, March 5) Dong Ha to Hue
This morning we meet with representatives of Project RENEW, an American-funded non-profit organization dedicated to mine clearance and UXO education for children. We head north and just before entering the DMZ, we visit the Gio Linh Cemetery with its graves of soldiers from four wars. We then reach the Peace Bridge over the Song Ben Hai, the river that was the only true physical demarcation between the North and the South during the war. Continuing to the old NVA artillery base at Vinh Moc, we explore the tunnels of this underground village where civilians and soldiers lived for six long years. We return south on the new beach road and make a stop at Hill 31 and the Bridge at Dong Ha (destroyed by John Ripley which stopped the initial massive NVA advance during the 1972 Easter Offensive). We return to Hue for the evening.
Meals: B/L/D Hotel: Huong Giang
Day 8: (Saturday, March 6) Hue to Ha Noi
This morning we take a relaxing Dragon Boat cruise on the beautiful Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda. We then enter the bustling Dong Ba Market before heading to any sites missed in Hue City. This afternoon we gather for our Farewell Dinner, before driving to Phu Bai Airfield where your Vietnam Battlefield Tours guide bids you goodbye. Arriving in Ha Noi, you are transferred to your hotel for the evening.
Meals: B/L/_ Hotel: Thanh Long Opera
Day 9: (Sunday, March 7) Ha Noi to CONUS
After breakfast, you are transferred to Noi Bai Airfield for your 10:05 a.m. departure to Beijing.
Meals: B/L/D (in flight)
