Vietnam War

For most of us it is history - over two thirds of Vietnam's population was born after the war ended in 1975. However, those who lived through part, or all, of that terrible time look back in sadness, not anger or rancor - even those who lost children and loved ones, or still suffer from war injuries or the effects of napam and chemical weapons.

Many American citizens coming here were struck by the warmth of the welcome they receive. It was quite different to what they’d thought before. Some even expressed their admiration for Vietnamese people’s ability to put the past behind them. Indeed, for us, the war is in the past - we're now looking forward to the future.

Joining our 'Veteran Tours’, you will visit various battle sites in what was the Demilitarized Zone, and elsewhere, perhaps the sights of military interest, such as the Cu Chi tunnels, near Ho Chi Minh City. Although such a tour is fascinating, especially for those who were involved in the action, at Gia Linh Travel, we prefer to add a Vietnamese perspective to what took place.

In fact, the traumas of the war are still with us. Accounts of children and adults being killed or maimed by unexploded ordnance, deformities caused 'Agent Orange', by the chemical herbicides used to deny the Viet Cong cover under foliage, and repatriation of bodies from remote areas feature regularly on television and in newspapers. The devastation wreaked upon many historic sites, such as the Hue Citadel and My Son Sanctuary (now UNESCO World Heritage sites), by US blanket bombing are continuous reminders of our cultural losses. However, that was then and this is now.

We want to show you our successes. You'll see the restored buildings in Hanoi, the new Ho Chi Minh trail (now a modern trunk road following part of the route of the original Viet Cong supply line from the North to the South), and the many major infrastructure projects replacing the bridges, roads and viaducts battered by the war.

And, above all, we want to show you the future - our optimism and the desire to make up for the lost years. You'll see it in the enthusiasm of the young and the friendliness of their elders, and feel it in the buzz of energy that pervades our towns and cities. We cannot change the past, but we can joint hands and efforts to create a better life. This, we believe, would live up to what those sacrificing their lives for peace had once desired.