On August 2, 1964, an attack on Navy destroyer USS Maddox started the Vietnam War. It dragged on for more than a decade, and resulted in the loss of more than 50,000 American lives. Are 50 years long enough for those who served there to forgive, forget and return?

Of course, many even older senior travelers, vets of WWII and Korean War, often return to former enemy nations Germany, Italy, China and Japan. At this anniversary year of the Vietnam War, maybe the old slogan applies to aging ex-GI wanderers: Time heals all wounds.

One example among many choices is the 14-night Viking Mekong River Cruise from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. It features guided tours to villages along the river, as well as visits to scenes and museums of the Vietnam War. The itinerary also features the ancient city of Angkor Wat, Phenom Penh and other historic Cambodia and Vietnam locations.

All-inclusive prices for cruises scheduled for the last five months of 2014 and into 2015 start from $3,499 per person. For complete info, consult your travel agent or go to destinations/asia/magnificent-mekong/2014-hanoi-hochiminh/index.html