Truong Son National Cemetery

This cemetery honors the memory of tens of thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers who fell in the Annamite Range, along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Rows of white tombstones stretch endlessly into the distance. Many graves are empty and bear the names of some of the 300,000 Vietnamese combatants listed as missing in action. A triangular stele overlooks the cemetery from the summit of a hill. On one side, you can make out tributes from Vietnamese dignitaries to all those who served on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, along with a poem by To Huu.

Huong Hoa

Khe Sanh is a valley surrounded by mountains and forests in Quang Tri Province, with terrain comparable to that of Dien Bien Phu. During 1966-1967, one of the most important American bases was established there, defended by three fortified positions. A minimum of 10,000 men were stationed there. Despite orders from the high command to defend the Khe Sanh base at all costs, this bastion of American forces fell on July 9, 1968, after 5 months of combat.

Located 8 km south of the Ben Hai River, the Doc Mieu base was designed to block incursions by Vietnamese forces. Today, only scrap metal remains amid bomb and artillery craters.

The Hien Luong Bridge allowed crossing of the Ben Hai, which marked the North-South demarcation line. It was bombed in 1967 by the American military. A new bridge was constructed at the same location after the ceasefire agreement signed in Paris in 1973.

This former holiday resort where Emperor Bao Dai once vacationed is located north of the Ben Hai River's mouth. Many bomb craters remain visible among the cultivated fields. Offshore, Con Co Island looms on the horizon.

Among the other military sites, where little remains besides scrap metal and bunker shells scattered amid bomb craters, are: Con Thien base, the Rockpile, the Dakrong Bridge, Aluoi, and the Lang Vay camp.