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VHPA’s “Rotorheads Return”

Helicopter Operations in Vietnam

Tour Leader: LTC John Powell USA(Ret) 1st/9th Cav Tour Tour Historian: LTC Bob Hesselbein, USAF(Ret)

Right: Bob start-ed his avi-ation ca-reer as a AH-1G pilot for the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, the United States relied on the helicopter as nev-er before. The helicopter's role in combat expanded enormously in this conflict as thousands of "choppers" rapidly transported personnel throughout the war zone. Heavily armed helicopters offered a fearsome component to ground operations as close air support. With there mobility and firepower “helos” would be the keys operations in Vietnam providing an abundance of both. Helos role in support activities must not be over-looked, as thousands of missions were flown to resupply and reinforce troops on the ground, to evacuate the wounded, and to offer countless other services for the war effort. The UH-1 "Huey" is the ubiquitous sym-bol of the American War in Vietnam. Without a doubt, the Vietnam War was the Helicopter War.

There are few times in a man's life when he has the opportunity to walk the plac-es that profoundly shaped the rest of his life --- places with deep meaning for

him --- like: Saigon, Cu Chi, Dong Tam, Phouc Vinh, Bien Hoa, An Loc, Long Bien, Da Nang, An Hoa, Quang Tri, An Khe, Pleiku, Route 9, Tay Ninh, Tan Bien, Song Be, China Beach, Hanoi, the Hai Van Pass, and many, many more.

The highly experienced, Vietnam-veteran battlefield guides of Military Historical Tours have walked them all. We have an outstanding working relationship with the Vietnam government that allows us access to areas previously restricted to other travelers. Our guides have been back to Vietnam dozens of times and are intimately familiar with the terrain, the battlefields, and the people. They have escorted American veterans and family members, aged 18 months to 84, all of whom had richly rewarding and highly memorable trips. Each tour is custom-tailored from our time-proven basic itinerary. This ensures the most complete tour package possible, taking you to the most important places of your particular time or interest in the war. Vietnam is eager to welcome the returning American veterans. The Vietnamese people are gracious and sincerely happy to have us with them again. The scenery is great, the food is delicious and the hotels in which we stay are beautiful and very comfortable. Your spouse and children will love it, too.

And now the best part . . . at only $2695 per person, this tour is an outstanding value, making it not only affordable for you to travel, but also to bring other family members. You can invite your friends to come along, too. Together we will visit the sites at which we fought and which are written in our collective history. The price includes everything you see except your airfare, drinks and souvenirs. The single supplement is only $750. If you need to visit any place in Vietnam that is not on the itinerary, please contact us and we will see if we can get you there!

DA LAT PRE-TOUR ITINERARY

16-17 Aug (Day 1 & 2): ARRIVAL IN SAIGON Depart on flight to Vietnam. Arrival in Saigon by evening flight. Pick up by A/C Van & guide from Tan Son Nhut Airport & transfer to Le Meridien for check-in. Hotel: Le Meridien Saigon – premier deluxe city view

18 Aug (Day 3): SAIGON – DA LAT AM: Pick up from hotel A/C Van & transfer to the airport for flight SGN to Dalat. Arrive in Da Lat by noon, meet local English speak-ing guide & A/C Bus & transfer to local restaurant for lunch. PM: Visit Sites: Tuyen Lam, Bao Dai Villa, Dalat Railway station, Dalanta Waterfall. Hotel: TTC NGOC LAN - deluxe room (Meal: B/L/D)

19 Aug (Day 4): DA LAT 08:30 We will stop at Van Thanh Village, one of the largest flower growing villages in Dalat. Visitors will be able to take photos in the flower fields. 09:30 Coffee Farm in Lam Ha—Our Van passes through Ta Nung with wild pine forests & jungle landscapes. Visit a coffee farm & learn about the cultivation of beans & coffee production. Visitors will enjoy a cup of coffee (processed on the spot) in a shop whose windows face the beautiful Central Highlands. 10:00 Weasel Coffee Farm—If you are traveling with children or coffee experts, this is a very interesting experience as we see weasels producing the world’s most expensive coffee. 10:20 Organic rice wine making house—Visitors will learn about the process of brewing naturally-fermented rice wine & we will all sample a complementary glass. 10:30 Silkworm & Silk Weaving—We see the process from the beginning with white silkworms to the formation of their cocoons, until ready for spinning out the silk threads & weaving by machines. Take some photos & visit the showroom. 11:00 Explore the Elephant Waterfall—One of the Central Highlands most majestic & impressive waterfalls. Under the waterfall are giant green moss covered rock that appear like resting elephants. If you love the feeling of adventure & discovery, you can go along the cliff into the cave at the foot of the falls. You will never forget the roaring sound of wind & crashing water. The cool water is like a refreshing shower. 12:00 Linh An Pagoda—A temple on the top of the Elephant Waterfall with beautiful architecture. In the center of the temple is the giant smiling Maitreya Buddha that brings happiness to visitors. 12:30 Lunch at a local restaurant. 13:30 Cricket Farm—If still hungry, we visit a cricket farm & learn the process of breed-ing crickets & for the adventurous try some of the complementary crispy specialties. 15.00 Crazy House—Designed by a Vietnamese woman who blended nature & animals into her modern architectural design. Voted one of 10 most bizarre houses in the world. Hotel: TTC NGOC LAN (Meal: B/L/D)

Capt Ed Garr

paying tribute

at a crash site...

Saigon/III Corps $ 2,695 Single Supplement: $ 750 Post Tour Price: $ 2,345 (BODO-Based On Double Occupancy)

Single Supplement: $ 485 Pre-Tour Dalat Price: $ 795 Single Supplement: $ 265

Tour Price Includes: *

Vietnam Visa Processing & fees *

First Class Hotel Accommodations *

Air-conditioned motorcoach transportation

* Meals as indicated in itinerary

* MHT Historical Trip information packet

* Admission fees to all sites & museums

* Services of experienced Battlefield Tour Leaders and English- speaking

local guides

Airfare not included: Round-trip economy or business

class airfare from Los Ange-les to Vietnam is available

once you register!

20 Aug (Day 5): DALAT–SIAGON This morning we will enjoy the Central Highlands fresh air at the at the fun local market. After that, we check out of our hotel & catch our flight back to Saigon. Arrive back at Tan Son Nhut Airport, A/C Van pick up & transfer to the Le Meridien to join with the main group. (Meals: B)

SAIGON TOUR ITINERARY:

19-20 Aug (Day 1 & 2): ARRIVAL IN SAIGON Depart on flight to Vietnam. Arrival in Saigon by evening flight. Pick up by A/C Van & guide from Tan Son Nhut Airport & transfer to Le Meridien for check-in.

21 Aug (Day 3): SAIGON After a western style breakfast we will depart for a full day sightseeing including the Notre Dame Cathe-dral, the old Post Office, the Presidential Palace, the Army Muse-um and the site of the old US Embassy. After lunch in a local res-taurant, we will tour a lacquer factory to watch craftsmen at work. If time permits we will visit one of Saigon’s markets to shop for souvenirs before returning to the hotel. Hotel: Le Meridien Premier Classic city view (Meal: B/L/D)

22 Aug (Day 4): SAIGON – BINH PHUOC This morning we drive to Song Be, then Quan Loi, Phuoc Vinh, and if time allows Dong Xoai before we return to Saigon. Hotel: Le Meridien (Meal: B/L/D) 23 Aug (Day 5): SAIGON–CU CHI TUNNELS–TAY NINH This morning we head for the fa-mous Cu Chi Tun-nel system. We then continue to the Michelin Rub-ber Plantation, Lai Khe, Dau Tieng & Nui Ba Den. We stop in Tay Ninh to see the fabulous Cau Dai Temple. We return to Sai-gon where we have an opportunity to enjoy the city at night with dinner on your own. Ho-tel: Le Meridien (Meal: B/L)

24 Aug (Day 6): SAIGON – MY THO Morning departure for the Mekong Delta to board a boat in the quaint provincial town of My Tho and then wind our way through the labyrinth of small canals bordered by tiny villages. After viewing the endless fields of rice paddies tended by peasants in their traditional conical-shaped hats we transfer to a sampan for a tour of scenic Thoison Island. We will have lunch on the island and view the production of the is-land’s unique pottery. We finish the day by returning to Saigon for some exploration of the downtown marketplace before dinner. Hotel: Le Meridien (Meal: B/L/D)

25 Aug (Day 7): SAIGON – DA NANG – HOI AN We check out of the hotel & catch a morn-ing flight to Da Nang. Visit Da Nang, the top ten Non Nuoc beach, & Marble Moun-

tain. Drive to the beautiful ancient city of Hoi An & the many cultural sites there. Meal: B at hotel/ Lunch and Dinner at local restaurants Hotel: ALMANITY Town/ Pool view(Meal:B/L/D)

26 Aug (Day 8): Join Sgt Maj Overstreet ‘s I-Corps Tour Itinerary on (Day 3.)

Post Tour I-Corps Itinerary

26 Aug Wed - (Day Three) This day will be devoted to touring of Da Nang, Marble Mountain and Hoi An. After lunch, we start down Highway 1 with stops at LZ Baldy, Tam Ky, Hill 54, 69 and 43. Hotel: Al-manity (B-Breakfast/L-Lunch/D)

27 Aug Thur - (Day Four) This morning we get an early start for a full day of touring along the Tu Bon – Vu Gia River basin, including the west-ern edge of the “Rocket Belt.” Our emphasis in-cludes Hill 55, 65, 37, An Hoa Combat Base, Liber-ty Bridge, the Arizona Territory, Go Noi Island,

& other sites. Hotel: Almani-ty (B/L/D)

28 Aug Fri - (Day Five) Our day begins with stops at China and Red Beaches, before our drive north to Hue City, passing over the top of the Hai Van Pass, and down through Lang Co and the Phu Loc Region - one of the prettiest and most photogenic in all of Viet Nam.

We'll have plenty of time to stop along the way for any special requests like Phu Bai & 3rd MarDiv HQ. We begin our exploration of the start of the Tet Offensive in the Phu Bai area of operations as 1st Battalion (Bn), 1st Marines (1/1) and the 1st & 2nd Bns of the 5th Marines react to the attack including the relief of the CAP posi-tion and the movement to Hue to de-fend the MACV compound and the assault across the Nguyen Hoang Bridge. Dinner at Little Italy. Hotel: Huong Giang (B/L/D)

Girls

VHPA’s - Saigon to Hanoi

Return to Vietnam

19 - 26 aug 2020

29 Aug Sat - (Day Six) This morning’s historical focus is on the battle areas south of the Perfume River. There will be guided com-mentary on the actions and movements of 2/5 from Hue University and by the Cercle Sportif, Hospital Complex, Provincial Prison, Tua Thien Provincial HQ all the way to the Railroad Station. Our battlefield tour continues past the Catholic Church back to where Alpha & Golf Companies kicked off the battle at the Shell Station.

This afternoon our emphasis is on the battle for the Citadel: we cover the significant actions north of the Perfume River in the re-taking of the Citadel. The primary focus will be on the battle of the “Phase Lines,” the ARVN Head-quarters, and the old airstrip. There will be time for exploration

within the Citadel and the Forbidden City. Hotel: Huong Giang (B/L/D on your own) 30 Aug Sun - (Day Seven) Today we tour “Leatherneck Square” in Quang Tri Province and visit these im-portant sites - Con Thien, Cam Lo, the “Washout”, Gio Linh,

The Peace Bridge at the Ben Hai River and the Dong Ha Bridge. Hotel: Sai-gon Tourist Dong Ha (B/L/D) 31 Aug Mon - (Day Eight) Check out of the hotel and early morning departure as we travel west on Route 9 towards the Lao Border. Our objective is Khe Sanh, with side visits to Lang Vei Special Forces Camp, a view of the Lao Border and Co Roc. We will travel the extent of Route 9, stopping at Camp Carroll, The Rockpile, The Razorback, Khe Gia Bridge, Da Krong, LZ Stud, and Khe Sanh Village. If time allows, a stop at a Bru tribal village. Return to Hue. Hotel: Huong Giang (B/L/D on your own) 1 Sep Tue - (Day Nine) Morning flight to Hanoi and city tour upon arrival. We check into our hotel with a chance to enjoy Ha-noi’s nightlife. Hotel: Silk Path (B/L/D) 2 Sep Wed - (Day Ten) Today we see all sights to include the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton), McCain Memorial, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and home, the Three Tier Pagoda, and museums as time permits. Hotel: Silk Path (B/L/D on your own) 3 Sep Thur - (Day Eleven) Depart for US. (B)

Siege of Dien Bien Phu Post-Tour Available

3-6 Sept for only $995. Ask for more info.

Left & Above Left: North of the Cua Viet River where Rusty Cascio's

MedEvac picked up 8 WIAs