Below is the current version of the itinerary of the program the Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FRD) will organize 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, including 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 in a group of 20 is $2,800 each. A single room is $3,300. Costs will 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 often will invite guests. Participation in group meals will be at an equal share cost. Some menus will be pre-set and others a la carte.
The maximum size group is 25. Inclusion is by order of registration and payment of administrative contribution of $200. If numbers dictate, additional groups will be created and adjustments may be made to the itinerary.
For planning purposes, expressions of individual, family and organizational interest are appreciated as soon as convenient. No committment is required prior to January 5, 2025. Write to jmcauliff@ffrd.org
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 Phillipines.
Registration forms are available by clicking here https://form.jotform.com/73274097780970 The deadline for receipt with administrative support contribution and a copy of passport page is January 5, 2025.
FRD is ready to assist local and national peace organizations that wish to schedule their own autonomous program in cooperation with the Viet Nam - USA Society under the 50th Anniversary umbrella.
Proposed itinerary
of FRD’s delegation to visit Viet Nam
From 15 April - 1 May, 2025
Sunday, April 13-15, 2025:
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, 2025: HA NOI
arrivals for program
08:00pm orientation meeting at hotel
Wednesday, April 16, 2025: 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 Welcoming dinner with VUS/VUFO
Thursday, April 17, 2025: HA NOI
08:30am Presentation “Viet Nam: 40 years of Construction and Development” by
President of the Viet Nam
Union of Friendship Organizations
10:00am Meeting with current officials on US-Viet Nam relations
02:30pm Visit Women’s Museum
04:00pm Conversations with retirees from the war
and pre-normalization era (with option to continue the conversation over bia
hoi or dinner)
Friday, April 18, 2025: HA NOI
09:00am Visit Garco 10 equitized garment factory
11:15am Meet with US Embassy
03:00pm Meet
with American business community
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
Sunday, April 20, 2025: HUE
08:00am Check
out of Hotel.
Flight to Hue. Check in Hotel
02:00pm Visit
Khai Dinh Tomb & Hat Village
Monday, April 21, 2025:
08:00am Visit Thien Mu Pagoda & Hue Imperial
Citadel
02:00pm
Meeting with VUFO of Thua Thien
Hue province
03:00 pm Visit Hue National University
Tuesday, April 22, 2025: QUANG TRI
08:00am Check out of hotel.
Leave Hue for
Quang Tri by bus
11:00am Visit war
legacies (land mines, UXO)
03:00pm Meet
with VUFO of Quang Tri province
Check in Hotel
Wednesday, April 23, 2025: QUANG TRI - DA NANG
Check
out of hotel
08:00am Leave
Quang Tri for Da Nang by bus
02:30pm Meet with VUFO of Da Nang city
04:00pm Visit Da Nang Center Supporting for
Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin
Check in hotel in Da Nang or
Hoi An
Thursday, April 24, 2025: 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
Dinner with Da
Nang People’s Committee to discuss economic and social
changes since 1975 and Doi Moi.
Friday, April 25, 2025: DA NANG - MY LAI - HOI AN
07:30am Travel by bus to My Lai, Quang Ngai by
bus
Visit Son My
Village - war legacies (mass atrocity) in Quang Ngai
Afternoon Leave Quang Ngai for Hoi An. Return to hotel
Saturday, April 26, 2025: HOI AN / DA NANG – CON DAO*
07:00am
Check out of hotel. Travel to Da
Nang Airport
10:10am
Flight to HCMC. Arrive in Tan Son
Nhat Airport
Transit
to fly to Con Dao (Luggage checked
through to Con Dao)
Check
in Hotel, enjoy the beach, volunteer for turtle protection
Sunday, April 27, 2025: CON DAO - HO CHI
MINH CITY
Morning Check out of hotel. Leave luggage at
hotel
Learn Con Dao
history, East Sea issues / Visit Tiger Cage Museum
Drop by hotel to
pick up luggage.
Travel
to Con Dao Airport
03:45pm Flight
to HCMC. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh city. Check in Hotel
Monday, April 28, 2025: HO CHI MINH
CITY
08:30am Visit
Reunification Hall & War Remnants Museum
02:30pm Meetings
with current and retired officials & Con Son prisoners
Tuesday, April 29, 2025: HO CHI MINH CITY – BEN TRE
08:00am Travel
to Ben Tre province and Luong Quoi Coconut Factory
01:00pm Lunch with business community; drive
through of export processing zone
04:30pm Meet
with US Consulate
Wednesday, April 30, 2025: HO CHI MINH CITY
07:00am Participate State/official events (parade and celebration)
Thursday, May 01, 2025: HO CHI MINH CITY Options
1) Depart Viet Nam for home or other countries, or
2) Shopping/personal
activities, or
3) Cu
Chi tunnels/Cao Dai Temple
Friday,
May 02, 2025:
. Depart for home, Cambodia or other countries
Optional additions
May 2 Cambodia (by bus?); program in Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat
May 7 Flight home or to Vientiane, Laos with options of visits to Plain of Jars and Luang Prabang
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
The deadline for receipt with administrative support contribution and a copy of passport page is January 5, 2025.
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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
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