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Normally I’m quite organised with my travels. Plans are made well in advance, hotels booked and sights identified. This wasn’t my first trip to Vietnam and on previous journeys there had never been time to visit the famous Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) along the 17th parallel. It was time to rectify the situation and become a ‘war hound’ for the day. Besides the desire to visit it; the plan of implementation was unclear.

Apart from a cursory glance at my guidebook, all I knew was that I would arrive into Dong Ha at dusk, find a hotel and then seek assistance in travelling to the DMZ the following day. Being the only obvious foreigner to alight from the Reunification Express train, I quickly realised that Dong Ha was not the destination that was spearheading Vietnam’s tourism endeavours. Normally, I ignore touts who approach me at train, bus or air terminals, but with only one tout who spoke excellent English and one uncertain traveller, Mr. Tinh was a breath of fresh air in the failing Dong Ha light.

Mr. Tinh’s spiel seemed fair; he would take me to a hotel at $US9/night but if I didn’t like that, he would take me to others until I was happy. Furthermore, he would escort me for a day’s motorcycle tour of the DMZ for $US30. I couldn’t be bothered to negotiate.

American War

The Vietnamese refer to what you and I would call the Vietnam War as the American War in Vietnam. Lasting from 1956 to 1975, the war damage, environmental destruction, hundreds of thousands of deaths and then the American embargo on trade with Vietnam, took a serious toll on the country.

Vietnam has recovered and the people are very welcoming of visitors. A large percentage of the population (66%) was born after the conflict, and are keen to get on with the future rather than live in the past. However, those interested in Vietnam’s history are naturally fascinated with the American War in Vietnam and the DMZ has a lot to offer such tourists.

The DMZ isn’t for everyone as not all things to do with war have universal appeal. Seeing some of the many sights in the DMZ is best done on a motorcycle, so there is also a degree of discomfort but for adventurous travellers interested in the war; this is an essential tour.

A Divided Country

From 1954 to 1975 the Ben Hai River in Central Vietnam served as the demarcation between what were then North and South Vietnam. A 5km strip on either side of the riverbanks became known as the DMZ. This division between the two Vietnams came about at the end of World War II when the Allied nations of the Soviet Union, United States and the United Kingdom divided parts of the world up at the cessation of fighting. Japanese occupied territory in Vietnam was surrendered to both the British and the Chinese, with the dividing line being chosen as the 16th Parallel. So the Japanese forces south of the parallel surrendered to the British and those in the north, to the Kuomintang Chinese Army under the leadership of Chiang Kai Shek.

Politics became more complicated in 1954 when the French colonialists and the Vietnamese nationalists under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh reached a peaceful agreement with the establishment of the DMZ and the Ben Hai River as the boundary between the two. Despite claims that this boundary was only to be temporary and not a political border, the failure to conduct general elections in 1956 resulted in a divided country.

As the conflict escalated, fierce fighting occurred along the demarcation line and sites like Hamburger Hill, The Rockpile, Khe Sanh and Lang Vay became familiar names during the American War in Vietnam. American forces established heavily fortified bases to try and stop the Viet Cong from transporting troops and equipment along what became known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Head For The Hills

These bases and associated sites are stretched out along Highway 9 which heads westward from Dong Ha to Lao Bao on the border with neighbouring Laos. (Highway 9 is a popular backpacker route for travellers heading westward from Vietnam to Savannakhet, Pakse, and Vientiane). There are other sites, north of Dong Ha along Highway 1.

Before heading out of town, Mr. Tinh took me to the very informative Provincial Museum in Dong Ha where we were greeted by a delightful trainee who was so excited to see a visitor – any visitor. Divided into two sections, the downstairs explains the district’s culture and people, with the top floor devoted to the war. My interest was more in the large restored military equipment in the museum’s grounds. A threatening pile of ordnance gave some idea of the terror that rained down on Vietnam during the conflict.

One last call before leaving the town limits were the sobering rows of glistening white graves of the Truong Son National Cemetery. This is a memorial to just some of the tens of thousands of North Vietnamese who died during the war. While there, I appreciated the scale of the war – one of the problems with normalisation between Vietnam and the USA after the war was the issue of 2,000 US MIA soldiers (Missing in Action); there are a reportedly 300,000 Vietnamese MIAs and some are buried in this cemetery. (Identifying deceased North Vietnamese soldiers was difficult as few carried any identification.)

Road To Khe Sanh

After an hour or so, we were heading for the hills and with Khe Sanh being 60km to the west, we had little time to lose especially as the clouds looked threatening. In addition to visiting the museum and outdoor military hardware display at the former US military Ta Com Airport, we also stopped at Dakrong to look at a section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and to visit a Van Kieu hill tribe village.

True to his, word, Mr. Vinh had me back in Dong Ha to catch the train I had alighted from the previous day for my 12-hour overnight journey to Hanoi.

Getting There:
Vietnam is an elongated country that extends 1,145km north to south (two nights on the Reunification Express train that connects the two largest cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City). Don Ha is located just north of Hué and a 12 hour train ride from Hanoi. There are airports at both Hué and Danang but most international visitors arrive in the country via HCMC or Hanoi. Visitors to Dong Ha will mostly be travelling overland and the train is a very good way to visit as the Reunification Expresses all stop here.

Getting About:
There are organised tours of the DMZ with most of these being day trips in mini vans from Hué. Travel agents in Hué offer tours while things are little more haphazard in the smaller town of Dong Ha. My guide, Tran Van Tinh (T: +84 975 814-955) usually meets the incoming trains and greets the foreigners who alight here. Failing that, there are travel agents and cafés offering tours.

Accommodation:
Dong Ha Café next to the bus station on Highway 1 is a basic but comfortable hotel with air conditioned rooms for just $US9/night. Mr. Tinh said there was a five-star hotel in town but I didn’t see it. However, there are lots of two-star hotels available. Come expecting comfortable budget accommodation and be pleasantly surprised.

David Bowden travelled to the DMZ to research it for his new book Enchanting Vietnam to be published in June 2014.

Source: The Expat Magazine February 2014

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