Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [229]
The central provinces - Part 2 | The DMZ and around |
Dong Ha
As a former US Marine Command Post and then ARVN base, DONG HA was also obliterated in 1972, but unlike Quang Tri it has bounced back, thanks largely to its administrative status and location at the eastern end of Highway 9 which leads through Laos to Savannakhet on the Mekong River (see "Lao Bao border crossing into Laos" for details of cross-border travel). The future looks rosy as well: a new deep-water port has been built to serve landlocked Laos, a number of special economic zones are under construction along the border, and Highway 9 has been upgraded as part of the massive Trans-Asian Highway project.
As the closest town to the DMZ, Dong Ha attracts a lot of tourist traffic, though few people choose to stay here, preferring the comfort and facilities of Hué. It is essentially a two-street town: Highway 1, known here as Le Duan, forms the main artery as it passes through on its route north, while Highway 9 takes off inland at a central T-junction.
The central provinces - Part 2 | The DMZ and around | Dong Ha |
Practicalities
Dong Ha’s bus station lies one street north of the central T-junction on the left, while its train station is a kilometre south towards Hué and just west of the highway. The market and bridge over the Cua Viet River, a kilometre beyond the bus station, mark Dong Ha’s northern extremity, where Tran Hung Dao branches left to the post office (spot the telltale radio mast). Information, car rental and guides can be found at Sepon Travel (053/3855289, sepontravel@vnn.vn), situated at 189 Le Duan (across the highway from the bus station), and Trung Tam Quan Guesthouse next door (see "Practicalities"). Both sell tickets for open-tour buses and for DMZ tours ($11), on which you join the coach originating in Hué, and motorbike rental (90,000đ per day). The town’s bank at 1 Le Quy Don – the second main road on the left as you head north on Highway 1 from the bus station – can exchange US dollars, handle advances on Visa and MasterCard and change traveller’s cheques. There is also an ATM next door to the Sepon Travel office.
Dong Ha’s accommodation is dominated by a string of dreary, damp, state-run guesthouses. A welcome exception is the long-running favourite Phung Hoang II, 146 Highway 1 (053/385 4567, phunghoanghotel2001@yahoo.com; US$21–30) about 200m south of the bus station with a range of en-suite rooms. Alternatively, the Melody Hotel, 62 Highway 1 053/355 4664; US$11–20) is a little gem that keeps its rooms super clean and its guests happy; the staff are also adept at helping with trips to DMZ attractions. For those on a real budget, the tiny Trung Tam Quan Guesthouse, 201 Highway 1 053/385 2972, ttquan@dng.vnn.vn; US$10 and under) has just two fan rooms with reasonably clean shared toilets and a hot-water shower.
Dong Ha’s best restaurants are the Tan Chau II at 222 Highway 1, near the Phung Hoang II hotel, and the Hiep Loi, 200m north of the intersection of highways 1 and 9. Further down Highway 1 just out of town, is the friendly Dong Que Restaurant, which also provides travel information. Otherwise, there’s no shortage of no-nonsense places serving com and pho all along Highway 1, including the highly popular restaurant at the Trung Tam Quan Guesthouse.
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The central provinces - Part 2 | The DMZ and around | Dong Ha | Practicalities |
The battle of Khe Sanh
The battle of Khe Sanh was important not because of its immediate outcome, but because it attracted worldwide media attention and, along with the simultaneous Tet Offensive, demonstrated the futility of America’s efforts to contain their enemy. In 1962 an American Special Forces team arrived in Khe Sanh Town to train local Bru minority people in counter-insurgency, and then four years later the first batch of Marines was sent in to establish