For Aussies and New Zealanders, the Battle of Long Tan is the highlight of their wartime experience in Viet Nam, a singular event in which an outnumbered force of ANZAC infantry and artillery held off more than 1500 Viet Cong, inflicting serious casualties while suffering relatively few casualties of their own. Over the years, Vietnamese authorities have quietly permitted groups of Australian and New Zealand veterans to return on special occasions to commemorate the battle at the site near the beach resort town of Vung Tau. This year, the event threatened to balloon out of proportion and the Vietnamese cancelled their authorization at the last minute, later amending the decision to permit a much smaller event as had been the practice in the past. The situation has stirred considerable comment, not unlike the controversy surrounding the appointment of former Sen. Bob Kerrey to be Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the new Fulbright University Vietnam. Kerrey, who eventually admitted his role as a U.S. Navy Seal in the killing of more than a dozen Vietnamese women, children, and old men in a nighttime raid intended to wipe out suspected Viet Cong, has said he does not intend to step down from his appointment despite the controversy. Tiếp tục đọc “Long Tan commemoration cancelled, then rescheduled with modifications agreed upon by Vietnamese and Australian PMs” →