RAR Memorial Nui Dat Stories
During the final time of the Australian army in the Vietnam War (1969-1971), The RAR Memorial at Nui Dat was built to honor the soldiers of the Royal Australian Regiment who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War. The monument was placed inside 2RAR Headquarters at Nui Dat.
Over time, the original plaques from 1971 were lost, but an Australian expat recently restored the memorial and added a sign to pay tribute to those who served.
The memorial stands still nowadays, inside a banana and rubber plantation.



Nowadays, the text on the memorial has faded but is still readable:
LEST WE FORGET
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We shall remember them
521-325
What does it mean?
The 4 lines are from the fourth stanza of the poem “For the Fallen” written by English poet Laurence Binyon in 1914. This particular stanza is widely known as the “Ode of Remembrance” and is traditionally recited at memorial services, especially on occasions like Remembrance Day and ANZAC Day, to honor those who have died in military service.
The poem was first published in The Times on 21 September 1914, during the early months of World War I, and has since become a poignant tribute to fallen soldiers.
The number 521 on the left means the total number of Australians who fell in the Vietnam War.
The meaning of number 325 on the right is the number of RAR infantry soldiers who fell in the Vietnam War, out of the total number of 521.
It is also likely to connect with the number mentioned during the Vietnam Moratorium Campaign in Australia, in which there was the title “325 Australians have died ? An act of conscience to end the war” in a brochure by A.I.C.D. P.O. Box 247, Haymarket, N.S.W., 2000. This brochure was published on Saturday, November 15, 1969.

Visiting the memorial
To visit the RAR Memorial Nui Dat, you will have to walk through the rubber and banana plantations. The place is not shown on any maps, but you can access it using the coordinates 10°33’27.8″N 107°13’45.0″E.


Luckily, the place is quite close to the other historical attractions that are related to ANZAC and the famous Battle of Long Tan. You can visit them all in 1 day:
If you would like to hear more stories behind the ANZAC places in Vietnam, you can check out this tour:
Battle of Long Tan Tour: Journey of Past & Present
Service: Tours, transfers, activities, visa, hotels,…
Locations available: HCMC, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Da Lat,…


