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We took a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) - the buffer zone on either side of the border that used to divide South & North Vietnam. We visited sites to the south and north of the actual DMZ. The struggle to guard the border meant that this zone saw some of the worst fighting and bombing during the war, as well as being heavily sprayed with chemical defoliants to destroy the jungle which covered the area. Today the hills are green, the military bases are virtually completely gone and it takes a lot of immagination to grasp the destruction & fighting that took place here. The first site we visited was The Rockpile - a large rock mountain on top of which the Americans built a helicopter landing area. The Rockpile was strategically located between important bases to the east and west. It became a sort of supply stop in between bases and a place for soldiers to come for some R&R. |
The Rock Pile. |
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Khe Sahn Military Base was located to the East and came under heavy attacks from the Viet Cong and at one point was cut off from all help. Many soldiers died in the battle to keep control of the area. Shortly after regaining control the U.S. decided that Khe Sahn was not so strategically important and voluntarily pulled it's troops out. This warfield is now a coffee farm, with only a few reminders left of the bloody battles that took place here. The airstrip is still barren and there are a few examples of tanks & weapons as well as villagers trying to sell you ammunition shells as souvenirs. |
Military equipment... |
...and weapons. |
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We crossed over the river that was the dividing line between North & South. On the northern bank there is a memorial that was built in a bomb crater. |
Bomb Crater Memorial |
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Along the road to the North of the River any area that has not been flattened for farming is covered with bomb craters left from the war. |
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The Northern government forced villagers who lived near the DMZ to stay in their villages despite incredibly heavy bombing. They felt that the villagers leaving would be a demonstration of defeat. To escape the bombing villagers built huge tunnel systems underground and lived there during the war. There were over 100 tunnels systems throughout the DMZ area, some of them did not withstand the bombing and collapsed, killing the people inside. We visited the tunnels of the Vinh Moc village. The system is over 2 km in length and as deep as 15 meters. The villagers hand dug it in 18 months, carrying the earth out to sea at night to keep the construction secret. Comprised of 3 levels of tunnels and 13 disguised exits, it had wells for water, kitchens, a meeting room and a bomb shelter. The villagers lived here for 2 years during the war and 12 children were born in the tunnels. They survived numerous bombing raids with only superficial damage done to a few of the entrances. |
Tunnel door. |
A larger hall way used for meetings. |
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The tunnels were also used in moving supplies to the communist soldiers in the South. Supplies would be stored in the tunnels, then carried out at night by sea to a nearby island, from which they would be carried by boats to the south. |
The view from one of the tunnel doors. |
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Our guide was born during the war, his father and brother worked for the U.S. army. They were both sent to re-education camps (prisons) after the war.
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