Students Win Once-In-A Lifetime Trip To Vietnam
Twelve Victorian students will embark on the trip of a lifetime, chosen to travel to Vietnam as winners of the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize competition. This annual competition is open to Victorian students in years 9 to 12, with winners receiving a fully funded overseas study tour. Students will visit historic sites across Vietnam including Ho Chin Minh, Hanoi as well as the villages of Hoa Long and Nui Dat.
The tour is designed to deepen their understanding of Australia’s history of service and sacrifice in relation to the Vietnam War. In 2023-24 the Labor Government promised $800,000 over 4 years to support the program, with more than 500 students awarded the prize since 2005. Prize winner Bilyana Holloway from Loreto College in Ballarat shared her experiences as young First Nations woman, and her efforts to encourage ongoing reconciliation.
Bilyana also has a long family history of service, including a relative who was a Prisoner of War during World War I. Taihan Rahman from Melbourne High School is an Air Force cadet and studied how Anzac values connect people across generations, nations and cultures. Year 9 Salesian College Sunbury student Willow Hook-Nicol was inspired by her family’s military background, interviewing her grandparents to explore how conflict changes between veterans returning home and their families.
The students and teacher chaperones will fly to Vietnam at the end of September. Quotes attributable to Minister for Veterans Natalie Suleyman “The Spirit of Anzac Prize gives young Victorians a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of Australia’s war and peacekeeping history.” “We want the next generation to carry forward the Anzac spirit and never forget what our veterans sacrificed.” “Visiting Vietnam gives students a deeper appreciation of the realities of war and of mateship—an enduring value associated with the Anzac tradition and exemplified by Australians who served in Vietnam.” 260813 - Students Win Once-In-A Lifetime Trip To Vietnam.pdf PDF 338.89 KB (opens in a new window)