Vietnam among world’s great battle sites

The Hanoitimes – Making a pilgrimage to a place where people have fought and died to protect their country’s independence and freedom is an extraordinary experience. Vietnam has been named among the five great battle sites in the world that you should visit at least once in your lifetime, according to a list released by The New Daily, an online, non-paywalled, Australian newspaper established in 2013.   Vietnam among world’s great battle sites. “The families of veterans are starting to make the pilgrimage to Vietnam, even though, often, the veterans themselves never wanted to return,” The New Daily wrote. “They feel they owe it to the veterans to learn more about what they went through, especially because of the way the veterans were treated when they got home,” says McLachlan, whose company runs battlefield history tours. The New Daily advises travelers that Vietnam’s war legacy is spread across the country, with much of it near Ho Chi Minh City in the south, where the famous Cu Chi tunnels can be visited. Vietnam’s appeal is enhanced by its welcoming people, beautiful hotels, resorts, colonial architecture and distinctive food. The Western Front, France and Belgium tops the list, followed by Vietnam, Gallipoli (Turkey), Kokoda (Papua New Guinea), Australia. Earlier, South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper, has named Cu Chi Tunnel in Vietnam the number one destination among the best tunnels in the world. The tunnels of Cu Chi, 25km (16 miles) northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, were… [Read full story]