A history school trip to Vietnam offers your students the chance to experience first-hand the difficult conditions faced by soldiers at war!
One of our most popular visits is the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were built by the Viet Cong and show just how resourceful they were when faced with the possibility of attack from forces possessing vastly superior firepower and numbers.
Your students will also learn how history is interpreted differently by those on opposing sides, by seeing how the Vietnam War is portrayed within Vietnam itself, with a visit to the War Remnants Museum, which was originally known as the Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes.
Suggested Itinerary (9 days, 6 nights)
| Day | Morning Summary | Afternoon Summary | Evening Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Flight to Ho Chi Minh City |
||
| 2 |
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh Transfer to hotel |
Free time to freshen up |
Evening meal at a local restaurant |
| 3 |
Visit the History Museum, Reunification Hall, Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and more |
Visit the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market |
Evening meal at a local restaurant |
| 4 |
Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels |
Return to Ho Chi Minh and visit the Revolutionary Museum and Emperor Jade Pagoda |
Evening meal at a local restaurant |
| 5 |
Visit the Fine Art and FITO Museum (Traditional Medicine), Thien Hau Temple and Binh Tay Market |
Free time to explore |
Water puppet show and evening meal |
| 6 |
Travel to the Can Tho via the Rice Fields and fruit farms, take a motorboat ride in the Delta |
Horse and cart ride on the country roads Visit a local farm |
Evening meal and overnight in Can Tho |
| 7 |
Visit a floating market, Cai Rang Bike tour of Can Tho countryside |
Return to Ho Chi Minh |
Farewell meal at a local restaurant |
| 8 |
Day free to explore/shop in Ho Chi Minh until departure |
Transfer to the airport |
Overnight flight to the UK |
| 9 |
Arrive in the UK |
||
- 6 nights' half-board accommodation
- Airport transfers in resort
- All flights including tax
- Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
- Detailed information pack
- English-speaking guide
- Entrance to visits and attractions as per itinerary
- Free staff place ratio 1:10
- Itinerary planning service
- Tour programme as listed
- VAT
Curriculum Links
A-Level
- First Indochina War
- The Cold War: confrontation in Vietnam
- The Viet Cong and guerrilla warfare
- US involvement in the war
- Paris peace settlement
GCSE
- Dien Bien Phu and its consequences
- The Viet Cong and guerrilla warfare
- The Cold War: confrontation in Vietnam
- US involvement in the war
- Vietnamisation
- Changing interpretations of the Vietnam War
Accommodation
Tour Highlights
Visit the Reunification Palace
Formerly the South Vietnamese presidential palace, the Reunification Palace has been left much as it was when the war ended here with a tank crashing through its gates!
The current building was built to replace the former Governor’s Palace, after the left-wing of that building was almost entirely destroyed by an assassination attempt on Ngô Ðình Di?m, President of the Republic of Vietnam.
The palace was renamed the Reunification Hall by the Provisional Revolutionary Government in 1975.
Did you know?
The Reunification Palace features on the 200-dô’ng note.
Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels
Gain a better understanding of the realities of the Vietnam War and the experience of soldiers as you explore the intricate maze of interlinked tunnels.
The tunnels were used by the Viet Cong to hide out during combat. They were also important lines of communication and supply, and they acted as the Viet Cong’s base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968.
The tunnels weren’t just designed for fighting – whole communities hid down them sometimes, especially in areas that were bombed regularly. In this way, the tunnels saved many lives.
Did you know?
The tunnels were often boobie trapped, regularly using trip wires and explosives. The trip wires could activate any number of things, from grenades to snakes and scorpions falling on the heads of the unfortunate soldiers who tripped them.
Visit the War Remnants Museum
Housing exhibits from both the Vietnam War and the First Indochina War against the French, the War Remnants Museum offers another opportunity to better understand the realities of war.
Across several buildings the exhibits are organised into themed rooms. There’s also a yard with period military equipment and vehicles, including helicopters and fighter jets.
There is a focus on the acts of South Vietnam, for example, on display are the tiger cages in which political prisoners were kept, as well as a guillotine used to execute prisoners. And there is a graphic exhibition on the effects of Agent Orange.
Did you know?
When it first opened in 1975, the museum was called the Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes. In 1990 the name was changed to the Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression. It changed for the final time in 1995 to the War Remnants Museum, after the normalisation of diplomatic relations with the US and the end of the US embargo.
