Dak To

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A good start

It is a beautiful morning when I walk from the hostel to the piece of ground where I was told yesterday buses go towards Dak To. I am pleasantly surprised when the bus is already there. I get a ticket and give the inspector a note full of notes. While she reads my "letter" on which I have drawn a tank, a runway, a monument and a hill.

Besides my beautiful drawings the Vietnamese names stand there; yesterday I asked the girl from the reception to help me with that. I look at her big colored flower hat and the mouthpiece she is wearing larger than her entire lower jaw. Dak To I hear from behind her "mask" on which I nod approvingly. That’s my destination today.

Organized chaos

On the way I see a bit more green than yesterday although the most I see are rubber and coffee plantations. In the distance I look at the bare mountain peaks probably still the negative effect of the American bombing during the Vietnam War with agent orange, the defoliation and napalm.

We bump over the road on which, as always in Vietnam, a fight is being fought over the asphalt. The biggest is the boss; coaches push local busses and trucks aside, while minivans leave the strange tractors with no room behind which are carts with workers who are packed with wrapped up people that look if they are going to a masked ball.

Schoolboys in their uniform on the bike and scooters on which girls sit as a mummy; they are armed with sun visor, mouth mask and long socks and armguards to prevent having a teint which is a mortal sin in this country. A chicken dares his life to cross the road, a cow roars and a dog barks so hard to get out of the buzz of all traffic. Dust clouds blow across the 10-meter wide road which is also partly blocked by a ribbon. Not that that makes a difference because scooters and cyclists ride over the still wet asphalt and zigzag between the workmen with their big machines.

Dak To:

During the entire month of November in 1967 during the Vietnam War a number of considerable battles were fought between the Americans and South Vietnamese on the one hand and the NVA (North Vietnamese) on the other hand around the city Dak To located near the border with Laos on the Central Highlands in South Vietnam.

It seemed as if the North Vietnamese wanted to lure the Americans out and attacked several areas and towns close to the border with Laos and Cambodia to pull back if the losses were too great. A large Search & Destroy operation was carried out by the Americans in the summer of 1967 to destroy the Communists.

By the autumn, it seemed as if they had fled to return a few months later. Operation MacArthur was set up to contain this new threat; the battles that broke out in the hills around Dak To can be counted among the most violent and bloody from the entire Vietnam War.

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The citypark

The conductor makes it clear that I have arrived at my destination and points to the park where the bus stops. If I still want to say "goodbye" the doors are already closed and only see a soot cloud of exhaust fumes remain. The park is a gathering of "history" from Dak To; the bushes are perfectly trimmed, the grass is green and there are two beautifully restored Russian tanks on both sides of the war memorial.

If you do not know better, you are in Russia where you can admire this almost in every city that was once recaptured from the Nazis. I read the two plaques dripping with propaganda and also the monument is one of heroic heroes who have achieved a total victory over their hated opponents. The traditional "rong" house is a floor below. It is a large common house covered with reeds on stilts, protected in this way against attacks by tigers, elephants and other (large) animals.

It is only open during ceremonial days but through the bars you can see the inside. Some pictures are hanging inside but I can not tell who these people are. It is a pity that the tanks are not on the battlefield but in the middle of the city.

WhitSunday invasion (battle for Dak To 1972):

The WhitSunday offensive, as the Americans called it, was a military campaign by the North Vietnamese (together with the Vietcong) against the Americans and the South Vietnamese army. the end of the Vietnam War. It was the largest invasion of manpower of the NVA that had occurred so far and would take place for the greater part of the year 1972 (from March to October).

The invasion did not aim to capture South Vietnam, but to gain as much ground as possible and to kill as many soldiers of the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) as possible. This in order to have the best possible starting position during the peace negotiations in Paris that were on the way.

The Americans knew very well that the NVA was preparing an attack but had not expected such a big invasion. The Communists invaded South Vietnam at the same time with everything they had. In the northeast at the DMZ; in Kon Tum, central Highlands to cut the country in half and northeast of Saigon. On all three fronts, the North Vietnamese initially won ground at a very high price in numbers of victims to be later driven back by large numbers of (American) air raids and fierce ARNV counterattacks.

The United States. even felt compelled to bomb North Vietnam on a large scale (Operation "Linebacker" I and II). But the North Vietnamese gained results with their big guess; they gained strategic ground from which they could better attack South Vietnam in the future and indeed had a better starting position at the Paris conference.

The abandoned runway

Because I do not want to be dropped off again by a motorcycle taxi, I decide to walk the few kilometers towards the runway. A beautiful walk through the hills along the road leading to Cambodia. For the first time in Vietnam I smell the grass, I hear the birds and I can enjoy the peace and quiet. It is hilly but easy to do and I wave here and there to some children but also adults; it is clear that little or no tourists come here.

It is about 5 kilometers walk when I find the runway; completely untouched it lies here in the middle of a sea of green bushes. Also the asphalt where probably once barracks have been there is still there. For the rest nothing - no piece of concrete, no old iron, no hut, house or whatever. Here I am alone on a deserted stretch of runway where hundreds of flights per day were handled and have a beautiful view of Charlie hill.

It seems that you still can not climb this hill because of the large number of unexploded bombs and explosives. There would also be thousands of mines laid down in the early 70s. I walk around for a while and try to imagine how it once looked like; but think I need a glass of "Saigon" beer for this and some internet.

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tips & advice (2014)

Take bus 1: Xe Buyt every half hour from Dak To (D Nguyen Hue street) to Ngoc Hoi; it takes about an hour and costs 25,000 VND. The bus runs along the runway (including Charlie hill) but also along the monument, tank and "rong". There are about 5 kilometers between these two "sites" that you can also walk on a nice day.

There are a few small terraces on the way and you can of course eat and drink in the town Dak To which I did. Recommended because it is a long day if you like to walk around.

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There are accommodation options in Dak To but I have no idea of prices and quality.

Name: Vietram hotel (KONTUM)

Address: 162 Nguyen Hue

Price: 150,000 VND (single)

Phone nr. : 0603869269/0972214949

Content:

This hostel is near the monument of the hill tribes and near the river; Another advantage is that it is close to the bus stop with buses going to Dak To. Downstairs it is just like many hostels - an empty reception desk, many scooters and a family living in the secret annexe. It has three floors full of different types of rooms. I think I had the cheapest that looked fine.

The hostel has been around for a while and you will notice it in the interior (it actually needs a thorough refurbishment in style, decoration, but also in plastering walls, etc.). The people in the beginning were not really friendly, later that was a lot better. They did help but it is not all very happy while I was the only guest. Later the girl turned out to have booked a bus ticket for me.

The room is large, a 2p bed, tables, chairs, TV, fan, closet and a spacious toilet shower. The shower is hot but the sink is leaking. There is WIFI available and there is soap, toothbrush, shampoo and a towel. There were some cockroaches around.

Spending time:

I would make a day out of it; you have been on the road for two hours with public transport and it is also fun to go for a walk. You walk around the runway for about fifteen minutes or half an hour and maybe half an hour at the tank, the monument and the "rong".

TIPS:

Draw a tank and a runway with a plane - ask someone to put the correct name in Vietnamese and take this copy with you. You can not miss it. I would bring rain gear (umbrella or poncho), water (but you can buy that too). Money only for food and drinks because everything is free (the "rong" is almost always closed). Maybe also nice to rent a scooter and go there yourself - please note; the road to Dak To was largely open when I was there.

The tank site is right in the center of Dak To and you can not miss it; the runway is in the direction of Ngoi Hoi (Cambodia border). Ask otherwise for Charlie hill, everyone knows this here. See above for more information.

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