Private Long Tan Tour and Nui Dat Battle Field

Had a fantastic experience on a private tour to Bien Hoa with our guide, Michael. Booked the Long Tan / Nui Dat tour as it was the only one that mentioned the former American airbase at Bien Hoa in the description. My father was stationed there during the war and I was interested in seeing the area. Can’t comment on Long Tran / Nui Dat, as we only went to Bien Hoa by choice. And I wouldn’t recommend a visit to the Bien Hoa base unless you have a personal reason. Given it’s now a Vietnamese Airforce training facility, there’s no access and really nothing at all to see. We knew that beforehand, yet it was still a hugely memorable and moving experience, thanks to our excellent guide, Michael, and our driver, who easily accommodated our custom itinerary and worked to deliver a great experience for us. I’m very grateful to them both. Michael is a fluent English speaker and very experienced guide. He is extremely knowledgeable about Vietnamese history, culture, the area, and the war. He’s guided many vets over the years. He shared his own personal stories of the war’s aftermath, and had a good sense of humor. A highlight of the experience was Michael stopping at a coffee spot just outside the base’s gate, where he engaged the owner, translated for us, and shared some local intel. It was a lovely moment. I certainly recommend Michael and the tour company for any sort of private, expertly guided experience you’re interested in.

Thank you Sgt Tony Dao. Your first hand knowledge of the Núi Đất Australian Military Base and the topography of Long Tan and surrounding areas cannot be undervalued. To be able to pay my respects to those who lost their lives at Long Tan and be shown around the surrounding area with you was an honour. Tony did not rush the tour and took me to various places of interest in the area.

An experience for anyone who has a keen interest in Australian Military history of the Vietnam War. The Long Tan memorial site is definatley worth visiting to pay your respects to the fallen, and the Long Phouc Tunnels were worth a look. The other areas of Nui Dat have returned back to its natural environment, with the exception of the abandoned hospital, only reminants of the sites remain.

Toni is a great tour guide. We learned so much about his time with the Australian forces. The sites we were able to view were quite moving.

Tony is a real character, and wove his own story into the day which made this a special experience. Here’s to you, Sgt Tony. Time to reflect on our own at Long Tan was very important and we appreciated the space Tony gave us to do this.

Tony was a fantastic guide. He knew the area extensively and his experience in the South Vietnamese army could not be replaced. Amazing!

The trip is fairly long, but it was worth it. Definitely need a tour guide as the road is not marked. Our tour guide Mr Tony (Sgt) served with the US ARMY as a translator, which made it more interesting.

Very interesting visit to Long Binh and Bien Hoa. It was great to have a Veteran like Sergeant Dao “Tony” to give his perspective on the areas during and after the war. Thanks!

Awesome private tour with our guide Tony (and private car and driver). A late family member served in the Viet Nam war as part of 161 Battery and so this site is of much personal significance. We really appreciated his knowledge, stories and first hand experience. This was his first Long Tan tour since the pandemic and would highly recommend.

It was just the three of us for our tour to Long Tan and the Australian sites around Nui Dat. We had Tony, a lovely but eccentric 73 old that was a translator for the US army and worked directly with the Australians during the war. He was very knowledgeable and took us from site to site. Tony is lovely but very full on and I think his tour style enjoys a larger group, however, we grew to enjoy our time together as we fell into a rhythm and his catch phrase of “Same same but different” will last with us for a while. We felt a great sense of sympathy for Tony who talked about the fate of his friend that died at Long Tan. He bought flowers, laying them at the cross and we held a minute silence. The great thing about Tony’s tour is that he knew a lot of sites that are off the beaten track and managed to get us access to places that ordinarily you wouldn’t. Water is provided and Tony has a very good reputation with Aus Vets with testimonials. There really isn’t much left of Australia’s involvement in the war but what there is, Tony will show you. He was also very generous buying us all coffee at the memory cafe over interesting conversation. Thanks Tony!

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