Located north of Hue is the former border between North and South Vietnam, the DMZ (demilitarized zone). I toured this area for a day and learned a whole array of interesting facts. The region north and south of the border was demilitarized and had been heavily bombed during the war.
Border River
Unfortunately the bus slowed down only for a brief period. But I managed to capture an image of the propaganda loudspeakers and the border river. Must have been quite the chore for the contemporary South Vietnamese near the border to hear such blaring noise constantly.
Poisoned Plots
There are areas north of Hue, where, according to the guide, plants have only begun growing again since the mid nineties. Prior to that the poisoning of the soil, after years of bombing, was too severe.
Vinh Moc Tunnels
These tunnels served as shelters for civilians during bombing raids. The tunnels were dug out by hand and had three “floors”. Some people didn’t leave the tunnels for years on end – while I didn’t even dare go into one of them. To me, the tunnels were just too narrow, and unfortunately, one of the few fears I have is claustrophobia. There is also an information centre with photos and sketches depicting everyday life in those days.
A former American Military Airport
We rounded off our tour with a visit to the former US Military Airport, where remains of aircrafts and shells of bombs are on display.
Find some more facts about the Vietnam War in this article.
For your travel planning: It is not worth organizing this tour on your own. You are really best served by giving your hotel in Hue the date when you would like to tour the DMZ. The hotel will then organize the rest for you.
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Comments
3 responses to “DMZ Vietnam – Things to see”
I’m living in Vietnam as a local but I haven’t had chance to do this DMZ tour yet. I’ve heard a lot about the war and the fighting between North and South. My grandparents fought in the French colonial war and my farther served in the north army for the last years of Vietnam civil war and border war with the Chinese.
Would love to go to this area someday.
Thank you Charles for sharing this!
Vietnam’s Demilitarized Zone looks absolutely fascinating and steeped in history. I have read a few comments and it seems there are some well run DMZ tours by local historians. Or is it possible to guide yourself around the military sites and tunnels?
I went in a daytour back then. I don’t know, whether historians offers such tours too.
If you rent a scooter you can surely find all the attractions yourself with a bit of asking around.