ANZAC Day Long Tan & Nui Dat Memorial Tour

Our ANZAC Day Long Tan & Nui Dat Memorial Tour is designed for Australian and New Zealand veterans, military families and travellers who wish to mark 25 April each year in a place of deep historical significance. Travelling from Saigon to Long Tan and Nui Dat, guests can attend the ANZAC Day commemorative program, visit important memorial sites and explore the area’s history with a professional English-speaking guide…

Tour Overview

Start / Finish: Saigon
Duration: 1 day
Group Size: Private tour, 1–4 guests
Tour Type: ANZAC Day commemoration and military history
Travel Option: Private car
Operating Date: 25 April each year
Main Destinations: Long Tan, Nui Dat and surrounding historical sites

This is a specialist ANZAC Day tour rather than a standard Long Tan sightseeing trip. The itinerary is planned around the early-morning commemorative program and then continues through the former Nui Dat Base, where guests can explore the locations and history connected with Australian and New Zealand military units.

Tour Highlights

Early-morning departure from Saigon for Long Tan
Arrive at Long Tan Cross before the ANZAC Day commemorative program
Visit the Long Tan Cross memorial site
Opportunity to take part in remembrance activities, subject to official arrangements
Visit a second commemorative site within the former Nui Dat Base area
Explore the former 6 RAR lines and parade area
Learn about the changing commemorative history of the Nui Dat base
Visit the SAS Hill area, former APC positions and New Zealand artillery position
Visit the area associated with the military concert at Nui Dat on 18 August 1966
Explore other former military locations where relevant to veterans and families, subject to access
Breakfast in Ba Ria
Return to Saigon and hotel drop-off

Tour Program

Saigon to Long Tan

The tour leaves Saigon at approximately 3:00 AM for the journey to Long Tan. The early departure is necessary to reach the Long Tan Cross at around 4:50 AM, ahead of the morning’s commemorative activities.

Because arrangements at Long Tan can vary from year to year, guests should check the latest information issued by the relevant Vietnamese authorities before travelling. It is also advisable to consult official information from the Australian Government or Australian Embassy where relevant.

Visitors must follow all current local requirements, access arrangements and instructions issued by the authorities. Our guide will explain the practical arrangements during the tour and provide guidance throughout the day.

Access to particular locations, photography, movement within designated areas and participation in commemorative activities remain subject to the regulations and instructions in force on the day.

Long Tan Cross

The first major stop is the Long Tan Cross, the best-known commemorative site in the area and a place closely associated with the events of 18 August 1966.

The tour is timed to arrive before the ANZAC Day commemorative program. Guests can observe the arrangements at the site and, where permitted, take part in appropriate acts of remembrance such as laying flowers or observing a moment of silence.

For veterans and families with a personal connection to Long Tan, the visit can provide an opportunity to remember those connected with the events of 1966 while also understanding the physical setting in which those events took place.

All guests are asked to follow the instructions of local authorities and event organisers throughout the visit.

A Second Commemorative Site at the Former Nui Dat Base

After Long Tan, the tour continues to a second commemorative site within the former Nui Dat Base area, associated with the former 6 RAR lines and parade area.

This location has its own history of remembrance. During the period of Australian and New Zealand military operations at Nui Dat, different units used the base for parades, commemorative services and other military activities. The commemorative landscape also changed as successive RAR battalions served at the base.

The guide will explain the historical background of the site and its connection with the units that served at Nui Dat, including the Australian and New Zealand presence. For veterans and families, this provides a different perspective from the Long Tan Cross and places the history within the wider setting of the former base.

Where current arrangements allow, guests may have a short opportunity for remembrance at the site. Access and any commemorative activities remain subject to current local requirements and instructions on the day.

Breakfast in Ba Ria

Following the morning’s commemorative activities, the tour stops in Ba Ria for breakfast.

This is also an opportunity to take a break, discuss the morning and prepare for the historical exploration of the former Nui Dat Base.

Exploring the Former Nui Dat Base

The tour then continues through the former Nui Dat Base, which became the main Australian military base and headquarters of the 1st Australian Task Force in South Vietnam.

Rather than treating the former base as a single historical location, the guide explains how the area functioned as a military base and how different units occupied and used different parts of it over time.

Depending on access and the interests of the group, the tour includes locations associated with SAS Hill, the former APC area, the New Zealand artillery position, and other parts of the former base.

The tour also visits the area associated with the military concert at Nui Dat on 18 August 1966, placing this lesser-known event within the wider setting of the base on the day of the Long Tan battle.

For veterans and military families, additional former unit locations may be included where practical and where access is permitted. The emphasis is on helping guests understand the physical landscape — where units were positioned, how different areas of the base related to one another, and how the former military site changed over time.

A Respectful Farewell to Nui Dat

Before leaving the former base, the tour pauses for a quiet and respectful farewell to Nui Dat.

For veterans, former service personnel and families returning to a place connected with their own history, this can be a particularly meaningful part of the day.

The focus remains on remembrance, historical understanding and respect for the people connected with the area’s past.

Return to Saigon

The tour then begins the journey back to Saigon.

After a full day at Long Tan and the former Nui Dat Base, guests are dropped back at their hotel in Saigon, concluding the ANZAC Day Long Tan & Nui Dat Memorial Tour.

Testimonials

“Just finished a 21 day tour of Vietnam, Saigon – Hanoi, 3500km trip, taking in most of Vietnam, and many places the tourist doesn’t go, the real Vietnam, with Mr Nam as my guide. A highly recommended trip, on a Honda XR 250… great country, great people, great trip, many great memories… and a great guide.”

Andy – Liverpool, United Kingdom