Insider Peace Tours of Viet Nam
2023 VFP Viet Nam Peace Tour: October 14-29 is ON!
From 2012 through 2019, Chapter 160 of Veterans For Peace hosted a yearly two-week insider tour of Viet Nam, a former war-torn country that is now a nation of peace and beauty. These tours are truly memorable, and the second experience of a lifetime for Viet Nam veterans. After a three-year hiatus forced by covid, we are ready to roll again. We have planned an eye opening, ‘tour de peace force’ that highlights the beauty of the land, the joy and resilience of the people, some of the scars of war, and the still-serious legacies of the American War—Agent Orange and explosive remnants of war. We will learn about how the Vietnamese and, finally, the US have moved to partially mitigate those legacies. We will learn why and how the Vietnamese have declared they have no enemies—and live by it. We will learn how those people personally and physically affected by the American War have moved on and are determined to live in the present with an eye to the future. These are lessons for our country, our time, and us. Equally important, every tour member will contribute financially to the healing of those remnants of war. So, get your passport up to date, and set your calendar, for October in Viet Nam!
2023 Estimated Costs
- Tour Fee: $2,950 USD, which covers all in-country Viet Nam travel (domestic flights, trains, buses); single occupancy hotel accommodations; food and drink (alcohol not included); event tickets.
- Donation: $1,000 required minimum charitable donation.
- Airfare: around $1,000 (from San Francisco), plus airfare from your home to our departure point at SFO. You can, of course, arrange your own direct flight to Viet Nam as long as you are in Ha Noi by midday October 14.
- Tourist Visa: $25 USD for a 30-day, one-entry tourist visa, only available online.
For more information, contact: Paul Cox, leave a message at 510-418-3436, or paulcox@sonic.net, Or Nadya Williams, 415-845-9492 or nadyanomad@gmail.com
Note: VFP organizers and in-country hosts receive no compensation. The Hanoi travel company which handles in-country logistics, Viet Dreamland Travel Co. has always given us generous discounts and some-times separate donations to allow the maximum amount possible to go to VFP 160’s beneficiaries.
About the mandatory minimum donation
On each tour, each participant must bring a donation of at least $1,000 to be pooled and divided among projects we visit, including: our “Bikes for Education” campaign, bomb clearance efforts, help for victims of Agent Orange, support for hospitals, orphanages, and schools, as well as other community needs in Viet Nam. The $1,000 donation is mandatory. We encourage additional donations from individuals not joining the tour and their families, neighbors, civic organizations. Over the years, we’ve collectively contributed approximately $300,000 to these local projects in Viet Nam.
