The track provided me with a peacefulness, calmness and sense of place

Photograph walking back down from Camp Carroll, chosen by Maddison Lawrie as a special image from the trip to Vietnam.

Maddison writes: 



The unexpected lessons

I am so grateful to Malcolm for encouraging me to take the trek to Camp Carroll. This was an experience, a series of special moments, that one snapshot that I nearly missed. For me, this image encompasses so many different aspects of our time in Vietnam, and is a reminder of the lessons I learnt, the memories I made and the experiences that had an enriching impact on me.

Located south of the DMZ along Route 9 in Quang Tri province, Camp Carroll, the American Marine Artillery Base from 1966-72, was nothing like I’d expected. Once a launch point for patrols and operations in and around the DMZ area and home to thousands of marines, there is nothing left to suggest that there was ever an American presence there. The only evidence remaining from the war was a memorial for the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) which was situated at the top of the track.

Although the walk up was amazing it was the descend from the 3km track that was the most spectacular sight I encountered during my time in Vietnam. The track provided me with a peacefulness, calmness and sense of place that I have not experienced before. The view included lush greenery made up of banana palms & other Vietnamese natives that guided the boundary of the track. The mountains in the distance that so subtly revealed themselves as you made your way around the different curves & bends, watched over the locals who had built their homes in amongst the track’s vegetation. To me, this symbolised ‘growth’ and ‘life’ and taught me that even after damage is done that nature and humanity have the ability to grow, repair and progress.

 My most favourite though, the local families who we passed going about their daily activities or the ones who made their way to the top of their driveways with their children to greet and interact with the foreigners who were making their way up and down the track. All of the locals we encountered were genuinely intrigued by & welcoming of these Australians walking up their path. Although our languages created a barrier, our ability to communicate through some broken Vietnamese and English, otherwise mainly nonverbal interaction, made this walk an extraordinary experience for me.  The creativeness in hand gestures, the facial expressions and sharing of smiles was truly heart-warming. Also, the trust of these mothers and fathers who so happily allowed their children to talk and play with the Aussies on the track. How these people could be so openhearted to complete strangers, especially given the experiences so many of them to would have encountered being so close to the conflict zone, restored my faith in humanity.  This 3km walk was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and now; this image will be forever imprinted into my mind along with the memories I have stored with it. Although no photo could ever do it justice, the above is the closest I have to it.

This school is symbolic of change and growth

Photograph of one of the students at the Sông Cầu Primary School, chosen by Liam Kay as a special image from the trip to Vietnam.

Liam writes:

Adds a new meaning to what it is to be thankful

After presenting the students of Sông Chau Primary School with their gifts of stationery, instead of focusing on the materialistic items within the box, this specific boy was focused more on the actual box, putting it on his head, and smiling and laughing hysterically.

In our lives, we can be caught up with wanting the newest and greatest things and forget to be thankful for what we have, I think this photo serves as a symbol to be appreciative that you have a loving home and focus on that rather than the materialistic items within it. Upon this, the photo is so memorable to me because it reinforces what the term “less is more” means to be, which I found to be implemented all throughout the Vietnamese culture.

When we entered the school, I was overwhelmed by the welcoming, beaming smiles of the kids, who were so content with life. When they received their gifts containing stationery, although this particular boy was focused more on the box and it was difficult to communicate with them, he and his classmate’s gratitude was expressed so deeply through the big smiles on their faces. To think that most of these kids don’t have access to things we take for granted like air conditioning for an example and yet are still so happy sends a prudent message for society.

Another part of this photo that is special to me is the fact that it reminds me of where this particular school was established. It is situated at the end of the main runway where once stood the hub of Australian’s forces within Vietnam, Nui Dat. Considering the taskforce base was formed on the basis of destruction and war, one would think that building a school there is ironic, but it is not because this school is symbolic of change and growth. It is so symbolic because it is full of young people who have the opportunity to be educated and they have their lives ahead of them to achieve and do great things within society.

More than ever we need these brilliant people

Photograph of Tony, Bob and Martin at the Memorial in Vung Tau City, chosen by Ryan Schwarz as a special image from the trip to Vietnam.



Ryan writes:



Story time: That incredible ability to draw in an audience and leave them clinging onto every word

Stories, they have been around since the dawn of time, a way of passing information down through generations. But there have always been certain people that excel at sharing this knowledge, we call these special people storytellers. In a world filled with technology where we learn new things through dull fonts and sterile screens, it is now, more than ever, that we need these brilliant people. We need those people that have that incredible ability to draw in an audience and leave them clinging onto every word. In the image above we see three people that have this extraordinary knack, some may call them tour guides, chaperones or public speakers but to me they will always be known as story tellers. 

It was once I returned home that I realised just how important these three storytellers were. It is the simplicity of doing nothing but listening that resonated with me. It is the bus rides with Bob sitting at the back of the bus, talking about anything and everything from being a paratrooper, to a local Kingston farmer. It is the talks with Martin about communism and life in Vietnam, walking casually down the street as he puts his gentle arm around you as if to show that maybe we really are just like his family. And the looks of mutual respect and astonishment that Tony and Bob shared with each other as they revealed stories of their own as they admired each other’s gifts. These are the memories that I will hold onto. After every conversation with these three storytellers I would take away something new, learning more from them than any sign or page could ever offer. As the world becomes overrun by social media and online interaction, this image reminds me of the wonders that face to face communication brings. 

The knowledge these men shared has left me dumbfounded. It is one thing to flip through the pages of a book or scroll through a website, reading about incredible acts of Australian soldiers. It is another to sit next to one of these soldiers who fought through blood, sweat and tears, losing mates along the way, as they put their life on the line in the name of our country. If it was not for the reasoning voices of Tony and Martin, sharing stories of the Vietcong whom were just as noble, my naïve and stubborn self would never have recognised the war for what it truly was. These men have a gift, a gift to gain our attention and to hold it in the palm of their hands. This photo is a reminder of these incredible story tellers, the stories they have shared and the memories they have carved. 

We entered the competition trying to uncover stories of brave men and women that were never truly remembered. It seems fitting that I come home aware of just how important these stories are and just how vital the people are that share them. This photo is a reminder that when we die, our lives will not be defined by a trophy cabinet filled with our accolades but rather our stories and the precious people we choose to share them with. A man by the name of Robert McKee quotes, “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world.”

How the simple things in life can have the most meaning

Image at the Trung Tam Nhan Dao Tu An Orphanage, chosen by Tabitha Zdanowicz as special to her from the trip.


Tabitha writes: 

For me this image is about what you don’t see.

“A picture is worth a thousand words”, but for this one, I feel that there are thousands more that can be attributed to it.

Moving through the big open play area of the first orphanage we visited, around me sat my fellow group members all playing and connecting with the children and elderly ladies who lived there. No understanding of spoken language was proving to be no barrier as the happy, curious, nervous, excited, smiling or maybe frowning body language was enough for us to connect and understand each other. I was taking in this happy scene, when I happened to look over and see this lady and boy as pictured, quietly observing the surrounding activity. Since our arrival they had been in this position.

I approached the pair and received a warm smile from the lady. The boy was a very shy and wary character and steadily stared at me, not breaking his straight face. As I went for a high five, trying to reassure him, he reluctantly succumbed to the encouraging of his carer, to return one. Something about the two intrigued me and I asked for a photo.

This image really stuck with me and over the next days I continued to ponder it. The reason I find it so striking is because I feel it represents so much that is unseen at a first glance. It represents the wisdom and experiences of an elderly Vietnamese lady and the very young naivety of a small child in modern Vietnam. It represents the adversities of the Vietnamese people, as this lady would have experienced the hardships that war presented in her country. I wonder if the boy’s wary nature was because he never knew his parents or his family? What is his story? He must have experienced some terrible hardships, even in his young life, to be living there, as an orphan.

This lady represents the selfless nature of so many Vietnamese people. In a culture where respect for elders is very important, in this orphanage the most important thing to these ladies seemed to be the young children. They live, to care for and love the children and they are so proud of them. This was apparent in his obvious trust in her. It represents how the lives of Vietnamese people seem to be so much simpler and slower paced than those of people in more developed countries.

This image was one of so many special highlights during our amazingly eye-opening and memorable trip. I left the orphanage with a stronger understanding of just how privileged we are in Australia and I feel there is a lot to be learnt from how the simple things in life can have the most meaning.

Forever grateful for this experience. 

A lesson in forgiveness and an example of humanity at its best.

Image of the Happy Yoga group we joined in with on the streets of Hanoi, chosen by  Matilda Cotton as special to her from the trip.


Matilda writes:

To include us in such a welcoming way

This photo was taken on our morning walk around Hanoi. 16 Australian students and 4 Australian adults were invited in by about 30 elderly North Vietnamese people, to participate in an activity dubbed ‘happy yoga’, in which we laughed and danced and held hands, and just generally had a good time. 

 Only 50 years earlier, the North Vietnamese, possibly some of these very people, or indeed the parents of these lovely kind-hearted people, were fighting a brutal war against the South Vietnamese, Americans and Australians, among other allies; probably not many years older than us in this photo.

I think this photo manages to capture both the resilience that the Vietnamese people had through such hard times and also their unparalleled ability to move on and to forgive their adversaries. And these two things were what was, for me, the qualities highlighted during the entire trip. 

Whilst most of the fighting of the war happened in the middle and south of Vietnam, the city that this photo was taken in, Hanoi, was still very affected by this conflict. Countless young men from this very city were sent down to fight for the communist regime. Many of these soldiers never returning, or returning affected by chemical warfare such as the infamous Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a powerful herbicide used by the Americans and their allies to eliminate forest cover in areas they were fighting in. However, as we learned about in the War Remnants Museum, the effects of this herbicide were disastrous for not only the North Vietnamese but for everyone fighting in the war. The effects of this still continue today, something really hurtful to see when walking the streets of Vietnam.

After having the chance to see and learn about this first-hand, it is hard for me to imagine how it is possible for these Vietnamese people, some of whom may have either fought in the war first-hand or known people who had, or been affected by it in some way, could include us in such a welcoming way to their activities. Us, who are so similar to those they fought against just 50 years ago; they chose to welcome in their yoga session.

This is why I chose this photo. Because for me it highlights not only the sacrifice and harm that the war has done to this country, but it shows the true nature of the Vietnamese people of today, as well as our nature as a younger generation of Australians happy to be invited to join in with them. These people are some of the happiest people I have ever met, content with so little, able to forgive, move on, and enjoy their life. And, more than this, they are willing to invite in and welcome some tourists from one of the same countries they were fighting against into their yoga session, fittingly named ‘Happy Yoga’.  The ability to remain upbeat and happy, and spontaneously welcome us in is a lesson in forgiveness and an example of humanity at its best. 

Simply happy and seem complete

Image of a child at feeding pigeons at 6am on the streets of Hoi An, chosen by Montana Foster as special to her from the trip.


Montana writes:

Satisfied with the simple things in life

Going on the ANZAC Spirit Prize study tour to Vietnam was a once in a lifetime opportunity and has enabled me to meet so many amazing people, learn about the Vietnam War and the country of Vietnam. One thing that stuck with me during the trip and now remains in my mind afterwards is the attitude of the Vietnamese people and their lifestyle. They are simply happy and seem complete, just with the bare necessities.

I found this attitude was captured perfectly within this mesmerising moment. The child is simply happy, entertained by feeding pigeons on the streets and enjoying nature within her city environment. No electronic devices, video games or plastic toys and yet so satisfied. It was a moment of perfect child innocence, unspoiled by current trends and technology.

Though I could not hear her joy, I could see the look of peace and content on her face. She had respect for the pigeons and nature that Australians can take for granted; when we look at pigeons, we see them as pests but instead she saw them as her friends and something worth feeding. It also surprised me to see a child outside so early in the morning and comfortable in the dirty surroundings. I could see that this place was her home and that she would grow up to be to be a happy, grateful, giving adult, just like the majority of her community.

The happy attitude flowed through the whole Vietnamese community, from children to the elderly, and it was very refreshing. Whenever the group went on an early morning walk, I was overwhelmed with the number of locals dancing, practising yoga and aerobics energetically. They were inviting and encouraged us to join in; I always left feeling happy and relaxed.

I have learned a very valuable lesson during my time in Vietnam, one that everyone should take into consideration. When one is grateful for what they have, instead of obsessing over what they want or the negatives of life, they become a better, more complete person. This picture will always remain with me, and will serve as a reminder of this lesson, just one of the many things I learnt on the ANZAC Spirit Prize study tour to Vietnam.

I had to stop and think

Image walking to the Long Tan Memorial, chosen by Laura Cassell as special to her from the trip

Laura writes:

The footsteps of my Grandfather

Outside the air conditioned bus, there was the blast of hot humid air. The humidity was harsh and the feeling of being in a foreign land, away from home hit me. I had to stop and think that 53 years ago my grandfather, who had talked about this day with me, would’ve stood here in this unbearable heat, in uniform with a heavy pack and with a heavy heart after the Long Tan battle. I was now overlooking that same area. I followed the path to the cross where the rubber trees were almost an avenue of honour. The sounds of insects could be heard in the banana trees where rubber trees once stood, with thunder rumbling in the background. I walked slowly to the Long Tan cross taking all this in. I was to lay a rose in remembrance of my chosen soldier, Private Robert John Lubcke who was killed on the 2nd of July 1966.  I also put down a photograph of my grandfather David Harding and his mates who came here the next day after the battle. It is hard to imagine this peaceful area was once a battleground where blood was spilt, and soldiers were killed fighting for freedom.

The Cross is for soldiers that lost their lives at Long Tan. The emotional journey for me was to retrace the footsteps of my grandfather. To give life to the stories he had told me. To try and understand through the heat, smell and sounds that had confronted him in this place. So, I stood where he stood, looked around and remembered stories of when 5RAR returned to the rubber trees for their fallen mates, on the 19th of August 1966. I listened to the Ode and reflected on the words read out from the song “I was only 19” which was how my grandfather had described the war.