Food You will be responsible for providing your own food at events. All food should at minimum, be canned with incorrect labels removed. Asian canned food are acceptable with the labels left on. Please no modern food such as MRE's, Lunchables, Subway, McDonalds, Power Bars, etc. these were not in Vietnam and they are not appropriate for our unit! If you would like to bring a cooler, please use Mermite cans.This means no Hotdogs or any Foods that they did not have in Vietnam of the year 1970!"

VC rations consisted primarily of rice, which was boiled in mess kits and formed into balls. The rice balls were often wrapped in green plastic cut from ponchos. To improve the taste of the rice VC and NVA troops added salt or fermented fish sauce. (nuoc mam sauce, but you might want to use soy sauce) Whenever possible, other foods were added to the menu. Various types of wild game were eaten, including fish, snakes, turtles, monkeys and almost anything else that lives in Vietnam.Vegetables included manioc and sweet potatoes. Commercially produced food stuffs included canned meat and fish and dried fish. Tea, especially green tea was commonly carried in canteens, since water had to be boiled anyway. Even weak-stomached VC reenactors can assemble period rations with very little effort. A trip to the local Asian market will provide most items you need.Many imported Asian teas have packaging that is nearly period. I found a large brick of tea, wrapped in white paper, that was imported from the PRC. Various cookies, candies and cakes were purchased by VC and NVA troops whenever possible, and I have found candies imported from the Nam market at Austin. So you have your teaaand some sweets, and maybe some dried fish.What else do you need? A couple of bags of white sticky rice, some to be made into balls and the rest to carry uncooked. a small bottle of soy sauce (or nuoc mam) a can or two of tuna, crab shrimp, pork, etc. (remove the label) and a couple of sweet potatoes or manioc (similar to sweet potato). Soy sauce and salt can be carried in period type bottles or in tubes made from lengths of bamboo or cane. If you cut it right, you can make a double ended carrier for salt and pepper, etc. with a stopper in each end.Unless you will have time in camp, boil your rice and form it into balls just before you leave home. Cook your sweet potatoes and dump them into the mess kit and put your canned goods, condiments and sweets into your pack. Fill your canteen with tea and you are ready to go.Some uncooked sweet potatoes and your tube of rice provide a reserve for cooking in camp. Many VC and NVA carried simple survival kits with fish hooks and line, if the area allows you can add a few perch to your rations. Also, any VC reenactor who lets a turtle or snake cross his path and escape isn't worth his fish sauce. If the event allows enough time in camp, and there is a unit member with culinary skills, a hidden ice chest can always be stashed with fresh fish, chicken, pork etc.