A Unique Opportunity to Personally Witness Consequences of Conflict, Achievements of Peace and Regional Challenges.
April 30, 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the end of the US war with Vietnam, an historic event for a generation in both countries. The Fund for Reconciliation and Development is facilitating a two week travel program for Americans that engages Vietnam's history, culture, cuisine and current challenges. It offers insights, experiences and people to people meetings unavailable on commercial tours.
We will visit the encampment in Tan Trao where personnel of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) worked with Ho Chi Minh in 1945 and conclude with ceremonies in the city carrying his name (formerly Saigon) celebrating half a century of peace and reunification since 1975.
We will learn about ongoing efforts to heal the wounds of war from land mines, unexploded ordnance and Agent Orange.
We will update ourselves about the strong economic, political and educational ties that constitute a comprehensive strategic partnership between the US and Viet Nam, despite (or because of) the danger of conflict with China.
The group will travel by plane and tour bus from Ha Noi to Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, My Lai, Con Dao Island, Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta hosted by the Viet Nam - USA Society, Click here for the itinerary and registration information.
The Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FFRD) has coordinated more than twenty educational tours in Indochina led by founder John McAuliff since 1985 and anticipates this is the final such program.
Below is the current version of the itinerary of the program in Viet Nam hosted by the Viet Nam - USA Society (VUS) for people who participated in the antiwar movement, worked on normalization of relations, or have addressed war legacies, plus family members and friends. Persons with a professional or collegial interest are also welcome. There is personal flexibility at the beginning and the end, including the option to add a visit to Cambodia and Laos.
Participants will be responsible for international travel and for domestic costs of a fifteen day guided program in Viet Nam . The estimated domestic cost for sharing a room is $2,500 each. A single room is $3,050. Costs may be adjusted by number of participants. Payment is in cash (USD or Vietnamese dong) on April 15th in Ha Noi.
Breakfast, lunch and two dinners are included. All other dinners are on our own. FRD/VUS will suggest locations and we often will invite guests. Participation in group dinners will be at an equal share cost. Some menus will be pre-set and others a la carte.
The maximum size group is 25.
For planning purposes, expressions of individual, family and organizational interest are appreciated as soon as convenient. No committment is required prior to February 28, 2025. Write to jmcauliff@gmail.com
If you are ready to commit, please complete a registration form and donate for FRD organizing costs at least $200 per person. We are facilitating this trip but are not a travel agent or tour operator. FRD is not legally liable for trip cancellation, transit or in-country illness or accidents. We strongly recommend obtaining travel insurance when you book your flight. International flight costs are usually less expensive if booked sooner. Transit destinations include Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines. You may be able to use airline milage for the transpacific flight to one of those locations in premium economy or business and then buy a ticket in economy for the shorter final leg.
Registration forms are available by clicking here https://form.jotform.com/73274097780970 Return it with the administrative support contribution and a copy of your passport page as soon as possible.
Itinerary
of FRD’s delegation to visit Viet Nam
From 15 April - 1 May, 2025
As of 4/2/25
Sunday,
April 13-15:
Arrive in Noi
Bai Airport
[option
for jet lag recovery pre-program tourism April 13-14: overnight in
Ha Long Bay/ Ninh Binh/ visit to pottery village, etc. to be arranged by VUS on
request]
Tuesday
April 15: HA NOI
Arrivals for
program
08:00
pm Orientation
meeting at hotel.
Check in Splendid Premium Hotel No
36 Lo Su Str., Hoan Kiem Dist.
Wednesday,
April 16: HA NOI
08:00am
Visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his House and Museum, Literature Temple
02:00pm
Visit Ethnology Museum, Hoa Lo Prison
06:30pm
Water Puppet Show
07:30pm Dinner with resident staff of US NGOs (TBC)
Thursday,
April 17: HA NOI
08:30am
Presentation “Viet Nam: 40 years of
Construction and Development”
by President
of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (ok)
02:00pm Visit
Women’s Museum
03:30pm
Meet with the Viet Nam – USA
Society, soldiers, high-ranking officials (ok)
06:30pm Welcoming
dinner with VUS/VUFO
Friday,
April 18: HA NOI
09:00am
Visit Garco 10 equitized garment factory (ok)
11:00am
Meet with US Ambassador Marc E.Knapper (ok)
02:30pm Visit Diplomatic Academy (ok)
05:30pm Optional Visit home of Mark Rappoport
06:30pm Dinner with members of US business
community (TBC)
Saturday,
April 19, 2025: HA NOI - TUYEN QUANG – HA NOI
08:00am
Travel by bus to Tuyen Quang
Visit Tan Trao where OSS assisted Ho Chi
Minh
04:00pm
Travel back to Ha Noi
07:30
pm Dinner with Vietnamese friends
(TBC)
Sunday,
April 20: HA NOI - HUE
Morning Relax
Afternoon visit the new military museum on the way to
the airport (TBC)
05:00pm or
Leave Hotel for Noi Bai Airport
07:45pm
Flight to Hue. Flight No. VN1549 M
09:00pm Arrive in Hue. Transfer to Hotel. Check
in Hotel
Addr: Huong Giang Hotel,
51 Le Loi Str. Hue city
Monday,
April 21:
08:00am Visit Thien Mu Pagoda
& Hue Imperial Citadel
Visit Khai Dinh Tomb & Hat Village
02:00pm
Visit Hue National University (ok)
04:00
pm Meeting with VUFO of Thua Thien Hue province (ok)
Tuesday,
April 22: HUE - QUANG TRI
08:00am Check
out of hotel
Leave Hue for
Quang Tri by bus
11:00am Visit war
legacies (land mines, UXO)
02:30pm
Meet with VUFO of Quang Tri province
Check in Muong
Thanh Hotel. Addr: 68 Le Duoan, Ward 2, Dong Ha.
Wednesday,
April 23: QUANG TRI - DA NANG
Check out of hotel
08:00am Leave Quang Tri for Da Nang by bus
02:30pm Visit Da Nang Center Supporting for
Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin
04:00pm Meet with Da
Nang People’s Committee & VUFO of Da Nang city
Dinner
with Da Nang People’s Committee & VUFO
Check in hotel in Da Nang
Thursday,
April 24: DA NANG
08:00am Visit
Cham Museum
Lunch on own, free time at market
02:30pm Visit
East Sea Museum
04:00pm Meeting
at Dong A (private) University
07:30pm Dinner with friends from Da Nang (TBC)
Friday, April 25: DA NANG – QUANG NGAI (MY LAI) -
HOI AN - DA NANG
07:30am Travel by bus to
Quang Ngai (My Lai) by bus
Visit Son My Village - war legacies (mass atrocity) in Quang Ngai
Afternoon Leave Quang Ngai for Hoi An.
Return to Da Nang.
Saturday,
April 26: DA NANG – (Transit in HOCHIMINH CITY) - CON DAO
09:00am Check out of hotel. Travel to Da Nang
Airport
11:00am Flight to HCMC. Flight No. VN119 M
DADSGN.
(Luggage checked through Con Dao)
12:30am Arrive in Tan Son Nhat Airport
03:10pm Transit. Fly HCMC -
Con Dao. Flight VN1885B SGNVCS
04:10pm Arrive in Con Dao Airport
Transfer to Hotel. Check in Marina Bay
Con Dao Hotel
Nguyen Hue, Khu 5, Con Dao, Ba Ria – Vung Tau
Dinner
guests local guide Truong Ai Van and one or two friends (TBC)
Sunday,
April 27: CON DAO
Morning Free time/Enjoy the
beach, turtles, snorkel boat, hiking, island tour, etc.
Afternoon
Learn Con Dao history, East Sea issues / Visit Tiger Cage
Museum
Monday,
April 28: CON DAO - HO CHI MINH CITY
07:30pm Leave
Hotel for Con Dao Airport
09:30am Fly to
Ho Chi Minh city. Flight No. 8054B VCSSGN
10:45am Arrive
in Ho Chi Minh city. Transfer to Hotel
Check
in Avanti Hotel, 186-188 Le Thanh Ton, Ben Thanh Ward, Dis1
02:30pm
Meet with Ambassador Ton Nu Thi Ninh, President of
Peace and
development
Foundation & officials of Ho Chi Minh city (ok)
Tuesday,
April 29: HO CHI MINH CITY
09:00am Meet with US Consulate
Drive
through of export processing zone, container port
02:30pm Reunification
Conference Hall, War Remnants Museum
06:30pm dinner
with officials
Wednesday, April 30: HO
CHI MINH CITY
07:00am - Participate
State/official events (parade and celebration)
Afternoon - Pay a courtesy meeting with High-ranking
official (TBC)
.
Thursday,
May 01: HO CHI MINH CITY Options
Morning Check out of hotel. Departure.
Options:
Thursday, May 01, 2025: HO CHI MINH
CITY Options
1) Depart Viet Nam, or
2) Shopping/personal activities, or
3) Cu Chi tunnels, or
4)
Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta tour
Friday, May 02, 2025:
.
Depart for home, Cambodia or Thailand
TBC = to be confirmed
Optional additions
Friday, May 2, 2025: HCMC- Phnom Penh Limo
Minivan $35
Saturday,
May 3, 2025 - fly to Siem Reap / Angkor Wat 10 a.m.
Sunday,
May 4, 2025 - fly to Phnom Penh 7:30 p.m.
Monday,
May 5, 2025 - Tuol Sleng KR prison, meetings
Tuesday,
May 6 -- Choeung Ek burial ground, meetings
Wednesday,
May 7, 2025 - Museum of Culture, free time, fly home or to
Vientiane, 5:45 p.m. $208
Thursday
- Friday, May 8 - 9, 2025 Vientiane meetings, market, etc.
Saturday
- May 10, 2025 Depart to Bangkok or Ha Noi for flights home or
private excursion (Mekong lodge, Luang Prabang, Xien Quang Plain of Jars)
If you are potentially interested in participating, please send a note to jmcauliff@ffrd.org to receive updates.
Registration forms are available by clicking here https://form.jotform.com/73274097780970
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* https://vietnamnet.vn/en/visitors-flock-to-con-dao-to-participate-in-sea-turtle-conservation-2327259.html
The history of Con Dao is as turbulent as it is transformative. Once known for its infamous prison system during French colonial rule and later the American presence in Vietnam, Con Dao witnessed the suffering and resilience of thousands of prisoners who were confined on its shores. These prisons have now become places of pilgrimage and remembrance, a somber reminder of the past that shapes the collective memory of the nation.
In a remarkable twist of fate, the very isolation that once made Con Dao an ideal location for a penal colony has today turned it into a sanctuary for biodiversity. The islands have been reborn as a national park, with efforts to preserve their pristine nature and protect the rare species that call it home. Con Dao’s transformation from a place of confinement to a bastion of environmental conservation highlights its unique position in Vietnam’s narrative—a story of redemption and natural splendor that now defines this tranquil tourist destination.
https://asiapioneertravel.com/blog/con-dao/
"U S Navy challenges Vietnamese claims to seas around resort island in South China Sea"
By CAITLIN DOORNBOS STARS AND STRIPES • December 28, 2020
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/navy-challenges-vietnamese-claims-to-seas-around-resort-island-in-south-china-sea-1.656609
***********************************
Former Secretary of State and Vietnam Veteran activist John Kerry
"Anniversaries have a value, not in and of themselves, but what they can actually produce. Anniversaries can often be action-oriented events, forcing moments of redefining or improving or readjusting a relationship between countries,” said Secretary Kerry. “So as someone who invested many years in finally making peace, I hope you won't mind if I suggest something unconventional for next year. Next year let's mark those two anniversaries not by looking back, but by making sure that we are looking forward. Ending the war and making peace two decades later were never ends in themselves, they were hard fought openings to put the bitterness behind us and to work together as countries.”
at the Asia Society https://vnpeacecomm.blogspot.com/2024/10/asia-society-hostsviet-nams-president.html
