100% agreement!
In my own case, I waited 11 months in Viet Nam to visit Sydney, Australia instead of one of the other R&R sights.
Why did you have to return to VN -- were you USMC, with a 13-month tour?
Just missed VN -- graduated HS in 1973, draft was essentially over.
I returned to Nam and 3 weeks later (R&R was only a week), had a thirty day leave before returning to Nam for my tour extension. I had extended my tour for 6 months and wrapped both R&R and free leave as close to each other as I could.
I was Army, C Troop 7/17th Air Cav in the Central Highlands, 69 to 71
I call it free leave because it wasn't taken off my allocated leave accumulation and my expenses were paid for by the Army to travel home and back. An incentive to get us to extend.