Veteran Tours in Vietnam

NEW TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Vietnam's peak season is nearly here. One new fun hurdle to consider is that Vietnam has gone and added a digit to its telephone numbers across much of the country! I've not been able to correct the numbers on the site because I don't know what they are yet -- for instance, in Hanoi and Saigon, the seven-digit numbers remain the same, but are preface with a new digit based on their local telephone provider. Not something I thought much about asking when going around Vietnam to research this guide... I hope to have corrections made by late November. Sorry for the inconvenience.



'VIETNAM WAR' SITES
I've been getting a fair share of questions about 'veteran tours' in Vietnam, and I'd love to hear from anyone who has gone on such trips to Vietnam. There are some tour groups that specialize in this, but it's possible to revisit several sites in Vietnam on your own.

Here are a few things to consider:

* The most famous 'Vietnam war' site is at the Cu Chi Tunnels, a network of re-made, claustrophobic tunnels north of Saigon. It's easily visited on a half-day trip from Saigon.

* Tunnel fans can also see another tunnel network that seems -- in my estimation -- even a bit more interesting, north of Hue, at the Vinh Moc Tunnels. It's only a part of the DMZ tours offered from Hue. Most travelers go on bus tours but I found hopping on the back of a bike of a South Vietnamese vet was far more educational and got me to places the bus tours don't reach. See here for info on how to do that.

* One of the war's more infamous sites is at My Lai, where there's a somber memorial dedicated to the locals killed there in 1968. You can go on a DIY day trip -- with a little effort -- from Hoi An, or stay in nearby, way off-the-radar Quang Ngai and venture out by taxi or rented motorcycle.

* In the Mekong Delta, Toc Dup Hill is also called the 'US$2 million hill' for the money spent to try to claim the rocky, cave-filled mountain you can explore on your own.

* Such sites aren't limited to the south. In Hanoi, you can see the lake where John McCain crashed into and drop by the exhibits where he stayed at the 'Hanoi Hilton.' And on Cat Ba Island, off Halong Bay, you can hear a 'Ho Chi Minh' song sung by a sweet ex-north Vietnamese vet in a hospital cave. (The guy practically tackled me with hugs when we posed for a photo.)