Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [231]
Northwest to the Truong Son Cemetery and Con Thien Firebase
Thirty-odd kilometres northwest of Dong Ha along highways 9 and 15, Truong Son War Martyr Cemetery is dedicated to the estimated twenty-five thousand men and women who died on the Truong Son Trail, better known in the West as the Ho Chi Minh Trail (see "The Ho Chi Minh Trail"). Many bodies were never recovered, but a total of 10,036 graves lie in the fourteen-hectare cemetery among whispering glades of evergreen trees. Arranged in five geographical regions, the graves are subdivided according to native province, and centred round memorial houses listing every name and grave number in the sector. Each headstone announces liet si (“martyr”), together with as many details as are known: name, date and place of birth, date of enrolment, rank and the date they died.
To reach the cemetery from Dong Ha, drive west on Highway 9 as far as Cam Lo Town (12km) and then turn north for 22km following signs along Highway 15. On the way, roughly 12km out of Cam Lo, you pass the site of Con Thien Firebase. Again, there’s precious little left to see, beyond a view north to what were once NVA positions, chillingly close on the opposite bank of the Ben Hai River. The largest American installation along the DMZ, Con Thien Fire Base was first established by the Special Forces (Green Berets) and then handed over to the Marines in 1966, whose big guns could reach from here far into North Vietnam. In the lead-up to the 1968 Tet Offensive, as part of the NVA’s diversionary attacks, the base became the target of prolonged shelling, followed by an infantry assault during which it was briefly surrounded. The Americans replied with everything in their arsenal, including long-range strafing from gunships in the South China Sea and carpet-bombing by B-52s. The North Vietnamese were forced to withdraw temporarily, but then completely overran the base in the summer of 1972.
Hien Luong Bridge
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The central provinces - Part 2 | The DMZ and around | Northwest to the Truong Son Cemetery and Con Thien Firebase |
Lao Bao border crossing into Laos
Of the five border crossings open to foreigners between Vietnam and Laos, the most popular is still Lao Bao, 80km west of Dong Ha along Highway 9. It’s an vattractive ride, through misty mountains on a reasonable road, and the crossing is hassle-free beyond having to walk a kilometre between inspection posts. Frequent local buses and minibuses run from Dong Ha to the border and back (2hr; 30,000–45,000đ), though some terminate at Lao Bao Village, in which case you’ll have to pick up a xe om for the final 3km. On the Laotian side, buses leave for Savannakhet, from where there are connections north to Vientiane by road, river (both unpredictable during the rains) and air, or you can head straight over the Mekong River to Mukdahan in Thailand. A quicker and more comfortable alternative is to take the morning air-conditioned tourist bus direct from Dong Ha to Savannakhet (8hr; 190,000đ), which leaves around 8am on odd-numbered days of the month and returns on even-numbered days. Alternatively, there’s an overnight bus all the way from Da Nang to Savannakhet (see "Moving on from Da Nang") as well as daily services from Hue to Vientiane via Savannakhet (see "Around Hué"). In theory you can obtain a fifteen-day visa for Laos at the border ($30; two passport photos required), but check beforehand for the latest situation. Otherwise, the safest option is to get your visa in advance at the Lao consulates in Da Nang or in Ho Chi Minh City, or at their embassy in Hanoi (see "Listings," "By open–tour bus" and "Listings", respectively).
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The central provinces - Part 2 | The DMZ and around |
North of Dong Ha
The American front line comprised a string of fire bases set up on a long, low ridge of hills looking north across the DMZ and the featureless plain of the Ben Hai River. Although there’s nothing much to see now, you pass the site of one of these, Doc Mieu Firebase to the east of Highway 1 about