Hue – DMZ tour – 1 day

The Geneva agreement reflected the military results at that time. The northern part of Vietnam, which was almost entirely controlled by the Viet Minh became the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, under Communist leader Ho Chi Minh. The southern part of Vietnam, where the Viet Minh controlled relatively small and remote areas, became the independent State of Vietnam under Bảo Đại, the last scion of the old Vietnamese imperial house. The State of Vietnam later became the Republic of Vietnam. The boundary between these two zones was established at the Ben Hai River, which enters the South China Sea at 17 degrees 0 minutes 54 seconds N latitude. The boundary followed the Ben Hai to its headwaters, about 55 km WSW, and thence to the Laotian border.

Early morning departure to Dong Ha, we have some stops at sites along the way (important to the 1972 Easter Offensive ), such as Highway of Horror, Quang Tri Citadel, the Ai Tu airfield ). From Dong Ha, we proceed west on route 9 and pass a series of the old U.S Marines’ firebases such as Camp Carroll, Fuller, Razorback ridge….The first stop is the Rockpile, an important look-out of the Marines south of the DMZ. We will view the old tactical area where the Marines fought in the famous operations Hasting and Prairie. Our next stop is Dakrong bridge – the starting point one of the main branches of the legendry Ho Chi Minh Trail leading to the infamous Ashau Valley and the Hamburger Hill, then we keep driving up to Khe Sanh plateau, on the way we have a photo stop at a beautiful village of the local Bru Montargnards . The last stop in the morning is Khe Sanh Combat Base, a large Marines base camp attacked by a massive forces of the North Vietnamese Army in early 1968, where we will spend ample time exploring this famous Marine Corps base.

Drive back to Dong ha for lunch break. After lunch, we continue north to the old DMZ, the old de-facto border between North and South Vietnam for 18 years, where we will take a walk on The Freedom Bridge across the Ben Hai River, the river that was the only true physical demarcation line between the two Vietnams. The last stop of the day is Vinh Moc Tunnels, the refuge of some 400 north Vietnamese refugees during the bombing operation “Rolling Thunder.” Drive all the way back to Hue

Inclusion:
Lunch in a nice local restaurant.
Transfer as per itinerary.
English speaking guide. Other languages are available upon request.
Admission fees for all sightseeing places.

Exclusion:
Personal expenses.
Drinks.
Tips and gratuities.