Australian veterans of the Vietnam War have also been important in developing tourist ties with Vietnam. They were among some of the earliest tourists here. Now, each year hundreds of Australians attend ceremonies at Long Tan, the site of a battle in 1966 that involved Australians Photos by Walter Pearson
to retire,” he says. “Others are Viet Kieu who have come back to establish businesses, while other Australians have also come here for business or work.” The Australian Chamber of Commerce represents about 200 businesses, from service industries to banking and finance. AustCham chief Brian O’Reilly says Australia’s recognition of united Vietnam soon after the war has been important for his country’s brand. “The My Canh Bridge and other projects are important in showing Australia’s commitment to Vietnam and helpful for business here,” he says. O’Reilly came from southeast Queensland to Vietnam on a holiday after “looking at Asia for a while”. “I had come to a time in my
life when I thought I had better do something now, or I never would,” he says. That was 12 years ago and he has been doing business consultancy and teaching MBA courses here ever since. O’Reilly says the key to business, as in most of Asia, is personal relationships. “If you can build up trust and respect, you can do well here,” he says. Australian veterans of the Vietnam War also have been important in developing tourism ties with Vietnam. They were among some of the earliest tourists here. Now, each year hundreds of Australians attend ceremonies at Long Tan, the site of a battle in 1966 that involved Australians. They gather at a Vietnamesebuilt replica of a cross that the
Australian forces erected there in 1969. “It is very generous of the Vietnamese to allow us to have these gatherings,” says Ern Marshall, originally from Mildura, Victoria and one of scores of Australian veterans who have resettled here permanently. In 1968, Marshall served in Vietnam at the logistics base in Vung Tau where he now lives. He was unusual among soldiers in the 1960s because he was genuinely interested in and friendly with Vietnamese during his tour. He now plays a major role in Vung Tau Veterans and Friends Children’s Fund, an organisation of veterans and others in Ba Ria-Vung Tau providing direct support to poor rural schools in the province. “I first came over out of
curiosity to see how the place had changed; I kept coming back,” Marshall says. “Having lived here for a while, along with other Australians, I felt I wanted to put something back into this country.” “In one two-month period last year, we were able to raise VND 40 million towards local projects,” he says. The consensus is that it is the people that make the country. “Half my friends are Vietnamese,” Marshall says. ”I am attracted to their spontaneous joy and ability to enjoy themselves.” O’Reilly says it is their friendliness that attracted him to Vietnam and its people. “About a third of my friends are Vietnamese,” he says. “It would be more if I had better Vietnamese language skills.” asialife HCMC 27