VIETNAM Battlefield Tours

What VIETNAM Battlefield Tours does

Vietnam Battlefield Tours is a veteran-founded nonprofit organization headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that organizes group and custom guided tours to battlefields and historical sites across Vietnam, Cambodia, and the broader Southeast Asian region. The organization was founded in 2005 by a group of original Marine Corps and U.S. Army combat veterans — Bill Stilwagen, Ed "Tex" Stiteler, Dave Macedonia, Bob Burke, and Gene Miller — who collectively returned to Vietnam more than 190 times after the war and transformed those return journeys into formal guided tours. Current leadership is held by Derek Frisby, a Marine veteran and military historian, who oversees operations and personally leads tours. The company operates with a headcount of 1–10 employees and serves three primary customer personas: Vietnam veterans seeking to revisit places of service, family members of veterans seeking to understand their loved ones' experiences, and historians/educators/students seeking primary-source battlefield interpretation.

The product offering consists of approximately 15-day scheduled group tours (six are currently listed across 2026 and 2027, including itineraries such as "Saigon to Hanoi," "Da Nang to HCMC to Pleiku to Hanoi," "DMZ to Central Highlands," "DMZ and R&R," and "Ancient Vietnam and Cambodia") priced between $3,995 and $5,995 per person based on double occupancy, plus optional single supplements ($595–$676) and alternative-gateway departure fees ($200 plus ticket differential). Tours are inclusive of international airfare from major U.S. gateways (LAX, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle), domestic Vietnam airfare, ground transportation, hotels, most meals, admission fees, veteran/historian guide services, gratuities, and visa processing. A $500 per-person deposit secures a booking. Customized tours are also offered through a Special Request Form for individuals or groups wanting to focus on specific units, locations, or personal histories. Average tour group size is 12–16 participants, with past tours having run with as few as three guests and accommodated more than twenty.

The business model is direct-to-consumer with no third-party intermediaries: bookings are taken via the company website (vietnambattlefieldtours.com), phone (615-525-8762), and email ([email protected]). Marketing relies on the company website, a quarterly email newsletter, veteran testimonials, and direct outreach. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and no public API or integrations; operations run on standard website, email, and booking/registration tooling. Geographic reach is global, with past participants drawn from the United States, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The organization is structured as a nonprofit and has not raised any disclosed outside funding rounds; no parent company, subsidiaries, partnerships, patents, or awards are recorded.

Name

VIETNAM Battlefield Tours

Legal name

Vietnam Battlefield Tours

Website

https://vietnambattlefieldtours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vietnam Battlefield Tours is a veteran-founded nonprofit that operates guided 15-day battlefield tours of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Southeast Asia, led by combat veterans and military historians for veterans, their families, and history enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Murfreesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tour Package Sales: Primary revenue from selling comprehensive tour packages that include international airfare, Vietnam domestic airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, most meals, admission fees, veteran/historian guide services, gratuities, visa processing, and baggage handling. Pricing ranges from $3,995-$5,995 per person depending on tour and occupancy. Additional revenue from single supplements, alternative gateway fees ($200 + ticket cost difference), and optional customization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vietnam Battlefield Tours sells all-inclusive, veteran-led group and custom battlefield tour packages across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Southeast Asia. Each tour bundles international and domestic airfare, ground transport, hotels, most meals, visas, gratuities, and on-site veteran/historian guide services at Vietnam War sites such as the DMZ, Hue, Khe Sanh, Cu Chi, and the Central Highlands, with prices ranging from $3,995 to $5,995 per person.

Product overview

Vietnam Battlefield Tours operates as a veteran-founded nonprofit offering immersive battlefield experience tours primarily focused on Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The core offering consists of scheduled group tours with fixed itineraries (March, July, October 2026; March, May, June, October 2027) that can be customized through a Special Request Form. Tours are led by Vietnam veterans and military historians, providing personal narratives and deep historical context. Additional services include tour registration administration, visa processing, and documentation support. The company does not offer a software product or platform; it is a service-based tour operator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vietnam Battlefield Tour — March 2026 (Saigon to Hanoi) 15-day guided veteran-led battlefield tour from Saigon to Hanoi including a Ha Long Bay cruise, covering key Vietnam War sites such as Cu Chi Tunnels, DMZ, Hue, and Khe Sanh; priced $4,995 per person double occupancy, $3,995 ground-only.
• Vietnam Battlefield Tour — July 2026 (Da Nang – HCMC – Pleiku – Hanoi) 15-day comprehensive battlefield tour from Da Nang through Ho Chi Minh City, Pleiku, and ending in Hanoi, covering I-Corps areas and the Central Highlands; priced $5,495 per person double occupancy, $4,495 ground-only.
• Vietnam Battlefield Tour — March 2027 (Highlights of the Vietnam War: Saigon to Hanoi) 15-day tour from Saigon to Hanoi highlighting key Vietnam War battlefields with a Ha Long Bay cruise component, covering DMZ, Hue, Khe Sanh, and other historical sites.
• Vietnam Battlefield Tour — May 2027 (DMZ – Saigon – Central Highlands) 15-day tour covering the DMZ, Saigon, and Central Highlands including Pleiku, Dak To, and Kon Tum, with detailed battlefield site visits and historical interpretation; priced $5,495 per person double occupancy, $4,495 ground-only.
• Vietnam Battlefield Tour — June 2027 (DMZ and R&R) 15-day tour combining DMZ battlefield exploration with relaxation opportunities in Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue; priced $4,995 per person, $3,995 ground-only.
• Vietnam Battlefield Tour — October 2027 (Ancient Vietnam and Cambodia) 15-day tour covering Ancient Vietnam and Cambodia including Hanoi, Ha Long Bay cruise, Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat, with optional battlefield site visits; priced $5,995 per person, $4,995 ground-only.
• Customizable Battlefield Tours Tailored battlefield tour experiences that honor individual stories and historical connections, customized for specific military units, locations, or personal interests based on participant Special Request Forms.

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Educational Tours: Major educational tour operator with Southeast Asia itineraries including Vietnam. Comparable in destination set, but targets students and educators with group-leader bookings rather than veteran-led historical immersion.
• Road Scholar: Large nonprofit educational travel organization offering history-themed tours to older adults. Comparable audience (veterans, retirees, history enthusiasts) and learning-focused itinerary style, but far broader catalog and not veteran-led.

Regional players

• Heritage Line: Vietnam-based boutique cruise operator on Ha Long Bay and other waterways, occasionally bundled with land tours. Comparable in Vietnam tourism focus and overlap on Ha Long Bay components of VBT itineraries, though different primary product (cruise vs. battlefield tour).
• Vietnam Original Travel: Vietnam-based inbound tour operator offering customized Vietnam itineraries to international visitors. Comparable geographic focus and custom-itinerary capability, but without the veteran-led battlefield specialization.

Emerging players

• Discover Corps: Small-group purpose-driven travel operator running cultural and historical tours in Southeast Asia and beyond. Comparable in group size, mission-driven positioning, and custom cultural/historical itineraries, though broader in geographic scope.
• Battlefields Discovery: Specialist battlefield tour operator focused on European theaters. Comparable in niche historical-tourism focus, but with narrower product set and less emphasis on U.S. veteran-led storytelling.

Direct peers

• Valor Tours: Veteran-led small-group battlefield tours to WWII European theaters. Closely comparable model: combat-veteran guides, scheduled multi-day itineraries, premium per-person pricing, and direct-to-consumer bookings targeted at veterans, family members, and history enthusiasts.
• Battlefield Tours (UK): UK-based operator offering guided tours to European and worldwide battlefield sites. Comparable in product concept and senior-adult audience, though primarily serves a UK/Commonwealth customer base rather than U.S. veterans.
• Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours: Historical battlefield tour operator offering historian-led trips to WWII and other conflict sites. Comparable in target audience (history-focused adults, veterans' families), itinerary structure, and emphasis on expert-led interpretation at historic locations.
• Military Historical Tours: U.S.-based operator running guided military history tours across multiple conflicts and theaters. Comparable in product category, multi-day international itinerary design, and adult traveler focus, though broader in scope than VBT's Vietnam-centric offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VietnamBattlefieldTours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vietnam-battlefield-tours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VIETNAM Battlefield Tours