Vietnam War History and Cultural Tour Sample

School tour specialists providing comprehensive teacher resources

Our teacher toolkit provides the planning resources needed to successfully plan an international school trip. From support with fundraising and communication with parents and students to planning checklists, these resources allow busy teachers to stay on track with the planning process.

Group travel management software

EA uses the latest software to make teachers' lives easier by performing tasks and collating information on their behalf. Instead of teachers chasing up parents for students'  medical information, waiver forms, chasing payments etc, now Educating Adventures will do this on your behalf.

Professional local trip representatives providing 24 hour support

The EA difference is our qualified and experienced team on the ground at each of our featured destinations. Your school tour representative will meet and greet, and work with you to ensure flexibility and provide ongoing support throughout your school tour. Our representatives are selected for their ability to quickly develop a great rapport with teachers and students and because they are passionate about providing excellent service.

Bespoke educational trips, customised to your requirements

EA School Tours have been working with schools for 14 years to facilitate informative and inspiring school tours around the world. In addition to key featured trips to the USA, UK & Europe, NZ, South America and Japan, our experienced team can create bespoke educational travel itineraries for your school. All packages are fully inclusive with flights, accommodation, activities and so much more…

Superior organisation for a stress free experience

EA School Tours provides an unsurpassed level of support to teachers. From the concept to completion of your school tour, your dedicated school travel consultant will work with you to ensure a memorable and safe experience for your students, parents, and teachers. There is a high level of communication required in order to successfully plan an international trip and our team will ensure the planning is on track to deliver an exceptional school trip.

Excellent knowledge of local activities

Your school travel consultant will have intimate knowledge of our featured travel locations and a handful of other exciting travel destinations around the globe. Our committed team have been selected because of their knowledge of international travel, their high level of organisational skills and great service, and their ability to source exciting and educational trip activities to add to your overall school travel experience.

Financial Security

Educating Adventures protects and has in place bonding and trust accounts to give our clients peace of mind with regards to financial security. Each year we undergo a series of financial reviews with the various associations we are members of.

• In the UK we hold an Air Travel Organisers License (ATOL) with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Our ATOL number is 9231. ATOL protects customers from losing money or being stranded abroad. It does this by carrying out checks on the tour operators and travel organisers it licenses and requiring a financial guarantee called a bond. If a tour operator goes out of business the CAA will make a refund to the customer or if the customer is abroad, they will arrange for the customer to finish their holiday and fly home.
•  In New Zealand we are a member of the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ). TAANZ has established a Bonding Scheme. As a members we subscribe to consumer protection arrangements including operating a client trust account. It is compulsory for every full member of TAANZ to belong to the Bonding Scheme.
•  In Australia we are a member of the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA). ATIA represents retail and corporate travel agents, tour operators, wholesalers, and consolidators in Australia. In addition to an annual financial review, we are also required to operate a client trust account. A trust account provides clients with peace of mind, knowing their money is safeguarded. Funds deposits are to be used only for securing the required travel package elements and not for funding day to day operational costs of the agency.

Furthermore, we are also an accredited agency and members of the below associations:

• Educating Adventures are ATAS (Australian Travel Accreditation Scheme) accredited.  ATAS companies need to prove the following:
  • That they are a 'Fit and Proper Entity'
  • Be a registered Australian Number (ABN) holder
  • Comply with relevant sections of the ASIC Administered Corporations Act 2001 as required
  • Provide certified financial accounts to prove solvency. 
• Members of SETO (Student Education Travel Organisation). The key purpose of SETO is to:
  • To bring governance to the student educational travel sector
  • To ensure there is a framework for health and safety and quality assurance in the sector
  • To protect the integrity of the travel sector in its dealing with the education sector
  • To understand and respect the role teachers play in organising trips for their students
• Members of SYTA (Student and Youth Travel Association).
  • Being a member of the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) signals a commitment to the highest standards in student and youth travel
  • SYTA members adhere to ethical guidelines, undergo vetting, and provide enriching, culturally immersive travel opportunities.
  • This partnership ensures that schools can trust their travel provider to endeavour to prioritize student welfare and deliver valuable, memorable experiences that complement classroom learning.

Our planning

The next step is to let know that you would like to work with us and we can advise and help you to make this tour a reality. There is no obligation to travel, this step just allows us to make all necessary enquiries and work with our suppliers on organising initial details for your group while you advertise the trip to your school and collect deposits.

 

Get it right

This quotation and itinerary is a starting point. We enjoy this stage, spending time with teachers to make changes and ensure each school group gets the best itinerary at a suitable package price.

 

Confirm the trip

To confirm your trip a non-refundable deposit (normally 15%-30% of the package price- depending on region) is required. Once we have secured the main components of your trip with our suppliers we will send you a confirmation invoice. This will include a remaining payments schedule as agreed with you. Note: international flights are generally only available to be booked 11 months prior to travel.

 

Price guarantee

We know how difficult it is for teachers to ask parents for more money. Once we have issued a confirmation deposit invoice the price will never change as long as the itinerary does not change, the air tickets can be booked and the numbers of travellers remain the same. So the price of the tour will not increase if taxes increase or exchange rate changes. Another reason why EA School Tours makes teachers' lives easier!

Upon arrival Tan Son Nhat airport, after clearing all customs procedures, please proceed to exit gate and look for your guide who will be waiting at the lobby, holding the signboard with your name on it.  Transfer to your accommodation.

With over eight million inhabitants and four million motorbikes, Saigon is truly a city that never sleeps.

Despite its modernity, Saigon maintains a strong link to the past and our walking tour takes in some of the city’s most historic landmarks. Transfer to Dong Khoi Street downtown to visit some of the beautiful French colonial-era buildings from the late 19th and early 20th century. Appreciate the splendidly restored exteriors of the Saigon Opera House and the Notre Dame Cathedral, a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France (entrance is not permitted due to renovation). Then head across the square to the Central Post Office, completed in 1891.

Visit the former Presidential Palace for a guided tour of the headquarters of the Saigon Government during the Vietnam War (called the American War by locals). Continue to the elegant City Hall (the former Hotel de Ville) which is one of Saigon’s most stunning colonial monuments, while your guide provides insights into daily life in Saigon.

This afternoon, visit the War Remnants Museum for a vivid perspective of the Vietnam War through the eyes of the Vietnamese. (Please note that some of the displays are very graphic.)

We then drive to Chinatown to visit the beautiful Thien Hau Pagoda, built by the Cantonese community in the early 19th century to honour the Goddess of the Sea. Take time to make a wish, write it on a small card and attach it to one of the incense coils according to local custom.

Continue your visit to FITO, the first museum of traditional medicine in Vietnam, offering an insightful look into the history and application of traditional medicine in everyday life before returning to your hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (water and soft drink).

Overnight Ho Chi Minh City.

After breakfast, take a 2hr drive northwest to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, an immense network of connecting underground tunnels started in 1948 to protect the Viet Cong guerrillas from the French air and ground sweeps.

The tunnels also served as living quarters, communication and supply routes, and housed hospitals, food and weapons caches. Touring the underground compounds will provide a better understanding of the history of the tunnels, the hardship of life in the tunnels and the Vietnamese resilience during combat. 

Return to Ho Chi Minh City.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (water and soft drink)

Overnight Ho Chi Minh City.

 

After breakfast, drive 2hrs towards Ba Ria – Vung Tau, and visit the Long Tan Memorial Cross, located in the tranquil surrounds of the rubber plantations.

Take a moment to reflect on the Battle of Long Tan (1966), arguably the best-known battle fought by the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. Stop by the former 1st Australian Task Force Base at Nui Dat which is now a clearing surrounded by rubber plantations. Travel on to Long Phuoc to see the vestiges of a former wartime tunnel complex.

Our tour continues to a viewing point from which you can see Horseshoe Hill from afar (off limits to visitors), a strategic observation outpost established by Australian forces.

Afternoon, continue to Long Hai Hill (also call Minh Dam secret zone) where was the main base of Viet Minh & Viet Cong during the Vietnam War with many natural caves as medical cave, and head quarter cave.  Visit the massive VC memorial where more than 2000 local soldiers died in the war.

Travel to My Tho, situated in the Mekong River Delta, exchanging city scenes for lush rice paddies and fruit farms.

At the pier, embark on a fascinating motorboat excursion past stilt houses, fish farms and scenes of countryside living. Arrive at Thoi Son Island, and visit flower garden, bonsai and fruit orchards, as well as bee farm.

Enjoy a short ride through the countryside via buggy. Then have fresh fruit picked right from the orchard while taking in a traditional folk song performance in Chuong Duong eco-tourism site. 

Explore more of the Delta from a rowing sampan through a network of small canals covered by lines of nipa palms before visiting a coconut candy workshop.

A local lunch of local specialties will be served at the town of My Tho before continuing on a 2hr drive to your accommodation in Can Tho.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (water and soft drink)

Overnight Can Tho.

Embark on a private motorboat trip to Cai Rang, the most renowned and biggest floating market in Can Tho, which is considered a legacy of Mekong Delta—a remnant that may vanish within the next decade due to rapid development of roads and bridges.

Although it is not as busy as it used to be in the past, at Cai Rang Floating market you can still witness boats laden with vibrant fruits and vegetables.

Return to shore to explore more of Can Tho city, beginning with a drive to Binh Thuy Ancient House. Originally conceived as a place to worship their ancestors, the home was built by two generations of the Duong family, finally finished in 1911. Today, the home is an outstanding example of Western and Oriental architectural elements and was famously used in the movie “The Lover”, the love story of young Marguerite Duras, set during the Indochina period.

Moving on you will be taken to the Can Tho Museum, where you can learn about the different peoples of the Mekong Delta.

Continue to Con Son (Sơm island) community tourism village, where many households live, each household operating a different profession such as fishing off rafts, fruit gardens or making cakes. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. (water and soft drink)

Overnight Can Tho.

Morning, free at leisure and then take 4-hour drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Lunch is at a local restaurant en route.

This morning after breakfast, start your tour into historical wartime Saigon sights with a visit to the shrine outside of the US Consulate followed by the former CIA building (outside visit only), where helicopters evacuated remaining US citizens in 1975.