Learning Firsthand: Vietnam War Education

Teachers are being encouraged to incorporate teaching about the Vietnam War in the classroom in 2020.

Guest speaker program and new resources

The Victorian Government is giving every government secondary school the opportunity to host a guest speaker from the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia (VVAA) under the Learning Firsthand initiative.

Schools will also be able to start using a new suite of teaching and learning resources about the Vietnam War.

The initiative will allow students to learn about the Vietnam War from veterans themselves. There is no cost for schools to access the program.

The guest speaker component will be delivered by the VVAA's Education Team, which will be taking bookings for next year from March 2020. The Education Team has been working in Victorian schools for over a decade, and will work with you to decide what content is best for your students.

The complementary resources will be launched for Vietnam Veterans Day, 18 August 2020. 

The initiative is aimed at Years 9 and 10, and will align with the Victorian Curriculum History Levels 9 and 10, with links to other learning areas and the Capabilities. The resources will include school and teacher guides to aid in lesson and syllabus planning.

For more information about the Learning Firsthand initiative, contact veterans@dpc.vic.gov.au.

Travel subsidies and free entry to the National Vietnam Veterans Museum

The Victorian Government is supporting the National Vietnam Veterans Museum on Phillip Island to offer free entry and subsidised transport to the museum.

There will be no entry fees for school groups visiting the museum, and schools can apply to have their travel costs subsidised, if the main purpose of the excursion is to visit the museum.

The museum was founded by Vietnam veterans to remember, interpret and relate the experience of the veterans of the Vietnam era and the enduring impact of the war on society.

Education programs can be customised to meet the needs of individual school groups. Programs are designed with a Victorian Curriculum focus to fit the duration of your visit and are most suited to students from Years 9 – 12.

For school bookings, and more information about travel subsidies, contact Sonia Hogg, Sales and Events Executive, National Vietnam Veterans Museum, on 0437 588 827