In-country R&R Destinations.
China
Beach (Bac My An).
Otherwise known as the US Armed Forces R&R Facility, Da Nang, Vietnam. Vietnam has
3,260 kilometres of coastline - more than the west coast of the USA.
(Left) Danang's Hong River. (Right) China Beach. |
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| Saigon. |
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Saigon was (and still is) a thriving metropolis with an
unavoidable western influence. Cyclo drivers rested between fares below neon lit
billboards. The streets swarmed with life. People bought and sold things, bargained,
cooked, washed, urinated, slept, ate, drank, and lived on the streets of Saigon, while the
wealthy sped by in their closed cars living a life of indulgence. I hear that little has
changed in today's Ho Chi Minh City except the name, but the locals still call it Saigon.
Pictured on the right, Mark Hannan on R&R learns that Saigon was a jungle. Pictured
below is a picture of McGee, Sheppard and Willuoghby preparing for a night on the town
while on R&R , New Year's Eve, 1967-68...sandwiched between two typical street scenes
taken by Jim Sheppard in 1967 while on TDY.
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| Vung Tau. |
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| Vung Tau is a beach resort on the South China Sea coast 128km (80mi)
south-east of Saigon. It has been a favourite getaway destination for Saigon (now Ho Chi
Minh City) residents for over 100 years. During the Vietnam War, Vung Tau was home to the
Royal Australian Army and American support units, and was a popular spot for In-country
R&R for U.S. combat troops. Now as then, Vung Tau is a party town, full of sun, sand,
surf, good food, beer and even a disco or two. After the war, Vung Tau was a popular
launching place for the Vietnamese Boat People fleeing the communists. |
Vung Tau scenes, from the Grand Hotel (left), shot of the street in front
of the R&R Center, to the beach to Bar Street (formerly Phan Thanh Gian, now Ly Tu
Trong).. |
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Here's an interesting tidbit from the National Archives of Australia, " The Government considered extending the
American R&R scheme to include Australia, while expressing concern about venereal
disease and noting that 'a good proportion ... would be negroes'. Meanwhile, the Minister
for Immigration was determined to maintain Australia's homogeneity and to 'retain our
characteristic Australian identity'. He reported that the changes introduced in 1966 had
not had any significant effect on the population mix." (The historical context:
events and issues that made news in 1967 by Ian Hancock, BA (Melb), BPhil (Oxon), Reader
in History, Australian National University, and Australian Archives Historical Consultant).
Brisbane - The City, Fortitude Valley, Cloudlands, Festival Hall, the Gold Coast.
Brisbane is Australia's third largest city and the state capital of Queensland. During the
Vietnam-era, the rest of Australia considered it little more than an overgrown country
town, which it basically was until it hosted Expo 88 in 1988, but now Brissy has become
one of the country's most progressive centres. People who took their R&R in Brisbane
would likely recognize nothing today but the pretty girls and beautiful women that seem to
sprout up in the sunshine. But despite innumerable attempts to renovate its seedy
underbelly, sailors taking liberty ashore today still flock to Brisbane's Fortitude
Valley. Another popular venue, the Cloudland Ballroom perched on a hill overlooking the
river and inner city suburbs of Brisbane, was demolished in 1982. The Fat Lady has also
sung for Festival Hall, which hosted the world's top rock'n'roll since 1959, including the
Beatles first tour in 1964 and the Monkees last tour in 1968, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, the
Who... you name it. Of course, many spent lazy days on nearby broad Gold Coast beaches and
frantic nights in Surfers nightclubs.
Photographs of Brisbane, 1969.
Downtown Tram on
Queen Street, 1969 |
Queen Street, 1969 |
Corner Queen and
Albert Street, 1969 |
Construction of
SGIO Building, 1969 |
Rushing to work,
Brisbane, 1969 |
Above photos were Copyright © 2002, Marcus Clark. Printed
by permission.
Melbourne - Downtown, St. Kilda, Brighton.
Melbourne is a mix of old and new, high-brow and low-brow, art and sport, rich and poor,
with something for everybody. As the Lonely Planet says, "It is cosmopolitan,
suburban, cultivated, football crazy, conservative and a haven for the avant-garde."
The Gold Rush in the 1800's is reflected in historic old public buildings like the
Flinders Street Station, St Paul's Cathedral, Town Hall, the flamboyant City Baths... and
the atmospheric Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail). The Royal Botanic Gardens are considered to be
among the finest in the world. But R&R wasn't solely about architecture... the action
was found in St Kilda, then Melbourne's sex and sin centre, full of drunks, drugs, girls,
shady deals and shady characters. Weather permitting, and Melbourne weather is notoriously
fickle, St Kilda also had a string of beaches and boasted attractions like Luna Park, an
old fashioned fairground, and the St Kilda Ice Arena, which mysteriously burned down after
National Heritage listing. The inner city suburbs like Carlton, Fitzroy and Richmond each
had their own attractions, not to mention fanatical football fans.
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Sydney - King's Cross, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Taronga Park Zoo, Bondi Beach.
The Lonely Planet said, "During the Vietnam war, Sydney became a major R&R
stopover for US GIs, and the city started tasting of Coke and burgers, while King's Cross
developed a fine line in sleazy entertainment for the visiting lads (a speciality it
maintains to this day)."
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But in our feature article "I'll
Always Remember!" Jan Byron notes that the Cross wasn't all sleaze as she
reminisces about her experiences as a young lady working there amongst the famous and
infamous - the Whisky a GoGo, Texas Tavern, Bourbon and Beefsteak, memorable scenes in the
Concerto Record Bar and La Tete a Tete which later became the GI's Hut, the buses
streaming down Darlinghurst Road filled with handsome young men (boys) dressed in uniform
triggering images of the movie, "South Pacific". Read her story to be transported back to another time
and another place... the hustle and bustle of King's Cross in Sydney in 1968, 1969 and
1970.
Jan has "Followed up" the story about her King's Cross
experiences with two more stories about "reconnecting" after many years
and looking back to the memories of Vietnam. Read her stories: "Mail
Call" and "Phil's Birthday". |
Photographs of Sydney and King's Cross, 1964-1972.
Martin Place, 1968 |
Sydney Opera House
under construction,
1972 |
Manly Beach,
pretty much the
same now as then.
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Bourbon and
Beefsteak Bar,
Darlinghurst Road,
Kings Cross |
Coke still welcomes
all to Kings Cross but the nearby Pink Pussycat and Hasty Tasty are history. |
William Street,
Kings Cross, 1964 |
The infamous Piccadilly Hotel, Victoria Street,
Kings Cross, 1964 |
William Street,
Kings Cross, 1968 |
El Alamein Fountain,
Kings Cross, 1968 |
William Street, 1972 |
Above photos were Copyright © 2002, Marcus Clark. Printed
by permission. |
