The second day with our tour guide in Dong Ha started with a visit to the Hien Luong Bridge which crosses over the Ben Hai River. The Geneva Agreements on Vietnam signed in 1954 divided Vietnam into North and South with the 17th Parallel where the Ben Hai River runs through the central province of Quang Tri as a borderline. The temporary division was only expected to last two years, but it then remained for 21 years.
On the Northern side of the bridge, there was another museum and monument we briefly visited before heading to the Vinh Moc Tunnels.
The Vinh Moc Tunnels were were built to shelter people from the intense bombing of Son Trung and Son Ha communes in Vinh Linh. An entire village basically rebuilt their community 30 meters underground, complete with kitchens, baby delivery rooms, family spaces, and community spaces. Around sixty families lived in these tunnels and seventeen babies were born in them.
Despite being short people, my mom and dad didn’t particularly enjoy being in the cramped tunnels. We couldn’t imagine how people lived in them for years.
After the tunnels, we drove by Cua Tung Beach, through the center of Dong Ha, and eventually onto the Mine Action Visitor Center.
This cultural center and large intersection in the heart of Dong Ha sits where a base was during the Vietnam War. You would never know driving through now what used to be there.
Our last stop on the second and final day before heading back to Hue was the Quang Tri Citadel, which has a very long history. You can read about how it relates to the Vietnam War (as told from the point of view of Vietnam) here.
Our 2 days with Mr. Trung came to an end back in Hue, where my parents and I spent an additional night before flying back to Singapore for the remainder of their Asia trip.
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