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DMZ (the Demilitarized Zone)
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From
1954 until the defeat of the
Americans in 1975, Ben Hai river
marked the division of Vietnam. 5km
either side of the river was
declared a DMZ - a stark contrast to
what really took place in this
region. In fact, the surrounding
region experienced some of the
heaviest fighting during the Vietnam
War. Some areas, such as Vinh Moc
were termed Free Fire Zones,
allowing a virtual free for all
without fear of future repercussions
and everything was designated a
target. As a result of this heavy
fighting, there is still heaps live
ordnance lying around. There have
been some casualties as unexploded
bombs blow up when farmers are
working on their lands nearby or
children run up in a play. Khe Sanh,
in particular, was immortalized
during and after the conflict. Now
when you catch the train or bus from
anywhere South of Dong Hoi to the
DMZ, bomb damage and craters are
still evident in paddies, beside the
railway tracks and beside the roads
and bridges. As you get closer to
Dong Ha you will notice huge
eucalyptus groves, themselves a
legacy of the war. These areas were
completely devastated either by
relentless shelling or defoliation
during the war and were eventually
replanted with eucalyptus trees,
chosen for their durability and
speedy maturity.
Dong Hoi - Phong Nha
Dong
Hoi is the closest town from where
you can visit the impressive Phong
Nha Cave. Although there is little
else to see in the area, there are
some nice beaches that can be
visited on the other side of the
river.
The
main attraction of Dong Hoi is a
trip to the Phong Nha Cave. This
spectacular cave was used by the
Northern Vietnamese as a field
hospital during the war and it has
the scars to prove it. The front
face is pockmarked from attempts to
lob bombs into the entrance by US
helicopters, in the hope of
collapsing the entrance. Fortunately
their attempts were all unsuccessful
as the cave makes for a fascinating
visit.
Phong
Nha cave is explored mainly by boat,
though there are a couple of raised
areas where your guide will walk you
around and explain the various
points of interest. The cave was not
officially surveyed until 1990,
however, the cave walls show
evidence of it being a popular place
to visit for quite some time.
The
tour consists of a boat trip to the
cave entrance taking around 45
minutes, then an hour drifting
through the cave guided by a couple
of gas lanterns. It is an eerie
feeling as all you can hear is the
gas lanterns hissing away, and the
water dripping as you slowly drift
from chamber to chamber.
The
cave is over 7km long but the tour
only visits the first 800m or so.
There have been some enterprising
travelers who have managed to
bargain a few more hundred meters
for the guide, and it is apparently
well worth the expense.
Dong Ha
At
first glance Dong Ha, the chief town
of Quang Tri Province, appears to be
little more than another drab
roadside town, and during the rainy
season it could almost be mistaken
for the most miserable place on
earth. However, once you get off the
main road and go wandering it is
quite enchanting, and you can return
very quickly to the attractive life
of rural Vietnam. Dong ha is the
most central town to the
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the
tunnels of Vinh Moc, and because of
this, during the Vietnam War the UIS
built many military bases around the
town.
Skeleton of a church
In
between Hue and Dong Ha is a
dilapidated Catholic Church that was
the site of a fierce and bloody
battle between American troops and
the Viet Cong. The Americans had
sought refugee within the church
walls, but this was to no avail. The
Church has been left standing in its
bullet ridden state as a reminder of
the war, and to this day retains an
eerie feeling within the sanctuary.
Bridge over Ben Hai River
Ben Hai
River was the original demarcation
point between North and South
Vietnam from 1954 to 1975 and is
crossed by the Hien Luong Bridge.
The bridge was once symbolically
painted in red on the north side and
yellow on the southern end, but this
ended with the destruction of the
bridge during the Vietnam War. In
1973 two flagpoles were constructed,
one at each side of the bridge, but
the southern one fell over during a
storm and was never repaired. On the
north side of the Ben Hai rover
there is a memorial and an awful lot
of water buffaloes, along with a
scenic view down the Ben Hai river.
Truong Son National Cemetery
The
cemetery is situated 17 km south of
the Ben Hai River and is so large it
can only be described as impressive.
Not so impressive is the deaths that
created a need of such a place. The
endless rows of white tombstones are
a memorial to the tens of thousands
of NVA (Northern Vietnam Army)
soldiers and other military
personnel killed in and around the
Truong Son Mountains.
Vinh Moc tunnels
The
Vinh Moc tunnels are situated 19 km
north of the Ben Hai river.
 Faced
with incessant bombing by US and
ARVN forces, in what was termed a
free fire zone, the villagers at
Vinh Moc were faced with three
options. One was to leave their
homes and livelihood, two was to
stay in their homes and probably be
killed, or three was to start
digging. They took the third option
and embarked on an excavation
project, taking 18 months to
complete, that would eventually
relocate the entire village
underground. Similar tunnels were
attempted at nearby villages, who
were also in the free fire zone,
however they were not of the same
standard. At Vinh Quang, as a result
of bombing by US forces, the tunnels
collapsed, killing all inside. The
US forces were never able to
replicated their efforts at Vinh Moc
with only one of the most feared
drilling bombs hitting the target
without exploding. These bombs drill
into the earth until they hit a
pocket of air making them explode.
The resourceful villagers used the
hole created by the bomb as an air
vent.
Unlike
the tunnels at Cu Chi that were made
for fighting in, these tunnels were
designed to be lived in. This, the
tunnels are considerably larger,
though a foreigner will still find
some of the corners quite tight and
the roof low in places. There are 3
levels of tunnels with the lowest
going to a depth of 30m, 12
entrances with 7 opening up to the
ocean, and in total the tunnels
cover over 2 square km. The living
quarters often consisted of a family
having to squeeze into a chamber
with dimensions around two by one
and a half meters dug out form the
main corridor. Some of the chambers
are reasonably spacious such as the
meeting widens slightly allowing a
considerable number of people to
congregate to hold meetings or
listen to concerts. During the war
time, most of the children, women
and elderly never saw daylight, only
rarely being allowed to leave the
tunnels under the cover of night and
17 children were born underground.
The
tunnels you will be taken through
have been partially restored and
reinforced so do not worry about
them collapsing, though spare a
thought for those who sat in these
tunnels as the bombs rained down. It
was the very claylike consistency of
the soil in the area of Vinh Moc
which allowed these tunnels to be
made, so do not try it at home. In
periods of heavy rain, the lower
tunnels may be flooded with the
higher tunnels filling with puddles
and the stairs getting slippery.
Make sure you take a torch with you.
Next to
the tunnels is a museum with an
emotional display of memorabilia.
Take special note of the before and
after photos of Vinh Moc and the
stories about the Suicide Squads.
These volunteers were responsible
for ferrying supplies out to the
offshore Con Co islands whilst under
the constant risk of being spotted
and killed by US helicopters
specially stationed to sever those
supply lines. |
