It is my honor, as leader of our upcoming delegation to Vietnam, to invite you, and a guest, to be a part of this important, and first of its kind, cultural mission. This delegation was developed to give our delegates the opportunity to experience the traditional, slower paced city of Hanoi as well as the modern, fast paced Ho Chi Minh City, which is still referred to by its old name of Saigon. We will experience, firsthand, the culture of Vietnam, as well as, lovely countryside, spectacular landscapes and remarkable destinations such as, the beautiful and renowned Halong Bay.
The inspiration for this trip and the theme, "In Our Steps", comes from the desire of many Americans to visit, or revisit, this country that is important and continues to be deeply embedded in our national consciousness. Some of the places we will visit are places where American soldiers themselves walked. The trip is also inspired by my recent book, Last Plane Out of Saigon, which is largely comprised of my journal entries while I worked in the operating room of Vietnam’s largest military hospital during the last year of the war, pursuant to being drafted after my first year of law school. I left on the last day of American military involvement in March 1973.
This unique journey will allow you to discover the charms of the new Vietnam, while revisiting the traditional and timeless culture of the people. You will find that a majority of the Vietnamese people were born after the war, and they genuinely like Americans. This exclusive experience will be enhanced by the personalized care and attention you will receive from the specially selected National and Local Guides. Their knowledge of the people, customs and country will allow you to immerse yourself in the rich history and cultural heritage of this country which has been, and is, important to America.
Since "In Our Steps" is unlike any other program, special attention was put into developing the itinerary and it has been thoughtfully tailored to account for the distinctiveness of this delegation. Click to view or download the itinerary. The program convenes on November 6, 2017 in Hanoi, Vietnam and ends on November 13, 2017 in Saigon. This means a departure from the U.S. on November 5th with the return flight on November 13th.
The estimated cost per delegation member is $4,995. This price includes an array of additional features, which our partners at Academic Travel Abroad have worked hard to include so that once you are in Vietnam, most of your expenses are covered.
Reserving Your Place
As the delegation will be limited and due to the extensive planning and communication involved in coordinating a program of this nature, please respond with your intentions regarding this invitation as soon as possible. Please RSVP to Professionals Abroad at 1-877-298-9677 or enroll via the web by clicking HERE. A $500 deposit is required to reserve your place as part of the delegation. You are encouraged to bring a guest and forward this invitation to others you feel would be interested! We look forward to hearing from you regarding your participation and truly hope you can join this interesting delegation.
There is an optional extension to Cambodia following the conclusion of this trip. For more information about the extension visit www.professionalsabroad.org and search "In Our Steps" under the Search Our Delegations section, or click here to be taken to this program's extension page.
Travel
Travel arrangements will be arranged through Professionals Abroad, a division of Academic Travel Abroad. The 60-year-old organization handles the logistical arrangements for prestigious organizations, such as National Geographic, The Smithsonian, The New York Times – Times Journeys and many top professional associations and universities.
Questions
If you have questions regarding the delegation, contact our Program Representative at Professionals Abroad, at 1-877-298-9677.
I am pleased to be involved in this exciting opportunity and hope that you will strongly consider participating in this historic delegation to Vietnam.
Sincerely,
Richard Pena
Delegation Leader