DMZ (and Hamburger Hill)

• Organization: virtually every travel agency and hotel can provide a DMZ tour in Hue;
• Where: you can arrange a tour in Hue (see below) or in Dong Ha
• Time: 6:30 am - 6:00 pm (average but you can choose different tours with more / less hours); 
• Price: 25-30 dollars (minibus with an average of 6 - 10 people) - 2014; 
• (this can be up to $ 80 if you are alone and want to rent a car with a guide); 
• Includes: all entrances (Vinh Moc tunnels 20,000 VND), AC van, English speaking guide (a veteran), mineral water.
• Exclusive: food (lunch) and other things.

Hien Luong bridge and the Bai river

The Hien Luong bridge spanned the Bai river during the Vietnam Wars (between 1954 and 1972) and meant the natural dividing line between North and South Vietnam on the 17th latitude.

The bridge was approximately in the center of the DMZ and was an important link; it was not surprising that the Americans shot the bridge in pieces in 1967.

During the Easter Offensive in 1972 of the North Vietnamese, the city Quang Tri was occupied by the communists who pushed the border about 20 kilometers south - near the Thach Han river. During the war the bridge was dyed in two colors - the southern side was yellow and the northern natural red. Remarkably, the bridge is currently yellow in color!

The total 2 km long tunnels were built in different stages and were in use until 1972 when the threat of grotesque bombing was over, the Americans had left the war and the border had moved 20 km to the south and the Communists were now the masters of the region. In the complex there were (water)wells, kitchens, rooms for every family and medical rooms.

About 75 families lived in the tunnels, which consisted of three levels. 17 children were born in the tunnels and the longest stay was 10 days and nights. These tunnels, between 12 and 23 meters deep, were built so well that no one from the village died while other tunnels in the region collapsed after the many bombings by the Americans. The only direct hit was a bomb that did not explode, the hole created by it was used as a ventilation duct. The most dangerous and threatening were the American vibrating bombs but Vinh Moc was spared. Later the Vietcong and the citizens were accompanied by soldiers from the regular NVA Corps (North Vietnam regular army) to maintain communication lines with the nearby island of Con Co. 

You can visit the tunnels (20,000 VND entrance) and these are the original tunnels on the contrary what you see in Cu Chi near Saigon. Note that the tunnels were simply made larger than in the Iron triangle. There are 12 entrances and when you close your eyes you hear the sea whizzing in the distance.

Nowadays there is light that of course was not there during the war. The adjacent museum has photos of the time in the tunnels and a map of the entire tunnel complex. The man who takes care of the complex has lived in the tunnels for years, but unfortunately can not speak.

Dakrong bridge and the Ho Chi Minh Trail

This very strategically located bridge is the intersection between the Highway 9 that follows the American camps on the McNamara line and the Highway 15 perpendicular to it, one of the largest roads of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail have been.

The bridge you now see has only been rebuilt in 2001. There is a monument here that this was the starting point of the HCM trail. This road leads south to Aluoi, the Au Shau valley and, among other things, Hamburger Hill. The bridge is located approximately halfway along the Highway 9 which runs to the border with Laos.

Sometimes during the tour a village is visited where Montagnards (mountain people or minorities) live.

Khe Sanh:

This was the last and most remote army base of the Americans during the Vietnam War (near the border with Laos) and threatened to become an American Dien Bien Phu. On January 21, 1968, the base was surrounded by ten thousands of North Vietnamese troops and attacked mercilessly.

Thousands of heavy and semi-heavy artillery shells and bombs landed at the American base camp, which soon began to build underground bunkers for shelter. On April 7, the encirclement officially stopped when the US military broke the ring and opened Highway 9 again. 205 marines would not survive the battle and about 1000 were injured on the American side.

On the NVA side the damage was considerably larger and the number of victims was many times higher. But the goal had been reached - the Americans who were pinned down due to the besiege there could not help against the TET offensive that raged through South Vietnam.

Stop and Go cafe; First a story about an old veteran who always did the tours but because of his health stopped because he can not go on the mountain anymore.

The man (Thien) then indicates that he still wants to call around and calls me back later; something can be arranged, but now; the costs are $ 85 and this means that you will be picked up at 7:00 am, driving back to the mountain on a motorcycle and that you will be back around 4:00 PM. I honestly had little faith in it - it was not a regular tour. Including the ride, the permit, the entrance and the guide – a lot of money.  

Sinh café: this man calls a veteran and indicates that they do not do tours to Hamburger Hill; you just have to go there and arrange a permit and guide. There is a bus going to Aluoi and a permit from the police costs 200,000 VND. This man proved to know well what he is talking about and his option also sounds significantly cheaper.

Hue - Aluoi: I took the bus at 09:00 and arrived at 11:15 at the bus station of Aluoi. Firstly, it seems as if nobody knows what and who is Hamburger Hill (Doc Thit Bam appears to be the Vietnamese name); the number of motorcycle taxis is very small here and nobody wants to bring me.

Later a man wants to have 600,000 (later 500,000) VND from me - this will most likely be the ride, permit and entrance. I ask further and find someone who can take me to the site (8 km); From there I myself arrange the permit and the guide. Hopefully I can then choose and am already on the site. Eventually a man takes me to an office with two soldiers (who apparently also live there) outside the city in a house.

One of them asks for my passport; fifteen minutes later we drive back and I am told that I can pick up my permit at 14:00 at the police station. The man never shows up to pick me up and the woman would tell later (this I hear a lot later because nobody speaks English here) that foreigners are not admitted on "Hamburger Hill". I would leave the town the next day without seeing “Hamburger Hill”.