Nui Dat was home base but the combat units were rarely there...only for a few days between combat operations while we rested and got ready for the next operation and that was about it. The fighting units operated in a number of provinces: Long Khanh, Bien Hoa, and Binh Tuy to name a few. But many operations were also carried out in Phuoc Tuy where fierce battles were fought in places such as Long Tan, the "Long Green", The May Tao mountains, the Long Hai hills, the Nui Dinh and Nui Thi Vai hills and also in the rice paddies and jungle which makes up the rest of the province.
The best way to get to Nui Dat now is to go by hydrofoil from Saigon to Vung Tau and from there find a reputable and legal organization such as Vung Tau Tourist and talk to them. At present, Nui Dat is a restricted area and part of it is still used by elements of the Vietnamese Armed Forces as a base. So anyone who just wanders in without a certified guide and approval will be kicked out.
Approval is also needed to visit the battlefield of Long Tan where one of only two allied monuments in the whole of Vietnam stands. It is a simple white concrete cross which was erected in August 1969 as a memorial to the 18 Australians from Delta Company, 6th Battalion who were killed in action on 18 Aug 66 when the company (108 men) clashed with a combined North Vietnamese / Viet Cong force in excess of 2500. The Australians fought them all afternoon and in the end the large enemy force withdrew from the battlefield under the cover of darkness, defeated. It is now an unofficial memorial to all who fought in Vietnam and a place where the dead from both sides are remembered. It is treated with great respect by all who visit there.
I have attached a map which will show you the layout of the Phuoc Tuy Province . I hope that it will be of some assistance if you wander around that area.
Copyright 2001 by Garry Adams
All rights reserved
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