How Long Was a Tour of Duty in Vietnam?
Twelve months for most, thirteen for Marines: how tours worked, what DEROS and R&R meant, and how veterans and their families go back to Vietnam today.
Quick answer
A tour of duty in Vietnam lasted 12 months for soldiers, sailors and airmen, and 13 months for Marines. Each man rotated in and out on his own, with a fixed return date called DEROS, and got one R&R leave per tour. About 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam; many now return with their families to see where they served.
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Get a free itinerary WhatsApp usTour lengths by service
| Service | Standard tour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Army | 12 months | Individual rotation |
| Marine Corps | 13 months | One month longer than the Army |
| Air Force | 12 months | In-country bases such as Da Nang, Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut |
| Navy | 12 months in country | Sailors on ships offshore followed their ships' deployments |
How the one-year tour worked
From 1965 to 1972 the US military used individual rotation: instead of a unit arriving and leaving together, each soldier, sailor, airman or Marine flew in alone as a replacement and left alone when his year was up. Everyone knew his DEROS, the Date Eligible for Return from Overseas, before he even arrived, and the last weeks of a tour, being "short", had a culture of their own.
The policy kept morale up by giving every man an end date, but commanders later wrote that it also meant units constantly lost experienced men and absorbed new ones. Once during the tour came R&R, rest and recuperation: five days in places such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo or Singapore, or seven days in Hawaii or Sydney.
Going back: Vietnam for veterans today
Many veterans now return, often with a wife, children or grandchildren, to see the places that shaped their year. Vietnam welcomes them, and former battlefields are reachable by road with a private guide and driver:
- Hue and the DMZ: the Imperial Citadel, the Vinh Moc Tunnels and the Ben Hai River; a DMZ day tour from Hue.
- Khe Sanh and Route 9: the former combat base, the Rockpile, Camp Carroll and Lang Vei.
- The A Shau Valley: Hamburger Hill and the old firebases around A Luoi.
- Da Nang and the coast: the Marble Mountains, China Beach and the Hai Van Pass.
- The south: the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta and, for Australian veterans, Long Tan and Nui Dat.
Our Veterans Tour of Vietnam (13 days, from US$3,880) covers Hanoi, Hue, the A Shau Valley, Khe Sanh and the DMZ, the Hai Van Pass and Quang Ngai, and the Vietnam Battlefield Discovery Tour (13 days, from US$1,900) follows the war from north to south. Both are private and built around you: if you know your unit, your base or your area of operations, tell us and we will plan the route to take you there.
Tell us where you served and we will send a day-by-day plan within 24 hours.
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Frequently asked questions
How long was a tour of duty in Vietnam?
Why did Marines serve 13 months in Vietnam?
What does DEROS mean?
How many Americans served in Vietnam?
Can Vietnam veterans go back to Vietnam?
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