Hue isn’t a city I would highly recommend. It boasts of having an ancient city with a beautiful citadel. Their definition of ancient doesn’t coincide with mine. The Citadel was built in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long. Since the eighteen hundreds isn’t exactly ancient, the historical appeal isn’t all that strong in my book. We spent a day visiting two of the seven tombs of the Nguyen Emperors and the Citadel. The tombs we visited were of Khai Dinh (1916-1925), the last Nguyen Emperor to be buried in a tomb, and Minh Mang (1820- 1841), one of the very anti-French Emperors. Each cost 80,000 VND, which felt extremely overpriced. If you are going to visit the tombs, bring your own scooter or decide on a flat rate with a taxi beforehand. The taxi fares ended up being more than what we would have liked to pay.
One interesting thing we found at the Citadel was an M 79 hand grenade casing. It was stuck in a wall and Myles just plucked it out not realizing what it was. Hue has suffered through two wars unfortunately. Both the Indochina Wars and the Vietnam War brought firefights directly into the city proper. Scars from these wars are still visible on many buildings’ exteriors. One place I do recommend visiting is the Risotto Restaurant.
The next day was of more interest as we visited several Vietnam War era sites. We went to Khe Sanh Base, Hein Luong Bridge, the Ben Hai River, Rock Pile Mountain, Dakrong Bridge, the Vinh Moc Tunnels, and what is known as the Skeleton Church. The hotel’s tour cost 20 USD per person, so I went to a travel agency and arranged a private car without a guide for 60 USD total. I think the big plus to going with a private car is that you can take as long as you want at each stop. For example, for most people Khe Sanh is just an old airstrip with nothing left to see, but for us it was an incredibly significant historical site. We ended up being there for almost 2 hours. Just knowing that we were walking along the airstrip where so many of our planes landed with young troops off to fight a war they didn’t voluntarily sign up for felt surreal. The experience also gave me an even deeper respect for the Vietcong soldiers. They had to carry heavy artillery up into the hills with man power alone in order to attack Khe Sanh. The tenacity and strength of will for them to fight in such unideal conditions suffering huge loses demands respect.
Khe Sanh was originally built as an airstrip for American planes in 1962. As the Americans struggled to stop the flow of goods and armaments down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Khe Sanh became more important. One reason Khe Sanh was key in intercepting the trail was due to its proximity to Laos and the Laotian portion of the trail. It grew into a US Special Forces base and was the site of one of the worst battles in the war. The base was placed under siege by the Vietcong from January to April 1968. This was a great diversion on the Vietcong’s behalf because it split the Americans attention between defending the base and reclaiming the city of Hue after the Tet Offensive successfully found the city in Vietcong hands. Rough estimates place the casualties at Khe Sanh around 207 Americans and 9,000 Vietcong. These numbers don’t include the civilian casualties. Apparently fighting a war of attrition wasn’t going to win us anything.
On the way to the Vinh Moc Tunnels we stopped at the Dakrong Bridge. The current bridge was built after reunification in 1975, but the originals were very important during the war. The bridge was considered the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Just for clarification, the Ho Chi Minh Trail was not one continuous trail. It was a network of tunnels, paths, and dried up stream beds that spanned across the border into Laos and Cambodia. Most of the goods moved on the trail were on porters’ backs or on bicycle seats. I actually saw an old man going down the street with one of these bicycles. He had a load of hay strapped to the seat of his bicycle and he walked alongside the bike with a long stick tied to the handle bars allowing him to steer. After the bridge stopped on the side of the road to take a few photos of Rock Pile Hill. It is a lone standing karst rock that is roughly 790 ft. high. Its inaccessibly from the ground made it an important artillery base for the US from 1966-1969. The only way to reach Elliot Combat Base (on top of Rock Pile Hill) was by helicopter.
We continued along Highway 9 (missing both Hamburger Hill and Carrol Combat Base unfortunately) and stopped at the Hien Luong Bridge which spans the Ben Hai River. At the Geneva Conference of 1954, the DMZ at the 17th parallel was established to divide North and South Vietnam. The river acted as the line and the DMZ stretched for 3 miles beyond each bank. Under McNamara extensive fencing was built along the length of the DMZ in an attempt to keep the fighting at the “front”. This obviously didn’t work since the Vietcong were able to wage war and surprise acts way south of the DMZ.
We finally made it to the Vinh Moc Tunnels and found no other tourists. This was definitely in stark contrast to the Cu Chi Tunnels. As we walked to the entrance we were awkwardly followed by a shabbily dressed man. At first we felt a bit uncomfortable and then just accepted that we would be tipping an unofficial guide. In the end it was good he was there because he knew how to turn on the lights in the tunnels. In the small dusty museum a man shorter than I am, ran in and began tapping pictures with a pointer and then pointing to himself. Our “guide” said that the other man was one of the 18 or so babies born in the tunnels. He spent his first few years of life within the tunnels’ dark walls.
The village of Vinh Moc was just north of the DMZ and thus suffered through heavy bombings from the US air force. Instead of leaving, the villagers decided to move underground. From their new home they were able to supply the nearby Con Co Island with food and weapons. According to my guide book 12,000 tons of military supplies were moved from the tunnels to the island. The tunnels went right up to the ocean and allowed the occupants to dump the newly upturned soil of their ever expanding network out into the waves and out of view of American planes. After 18 months the tunnels stretched for 2 miles and had 13 entrances. Inside there were bedrooms, bathrooms, a hospital room, a maternity ward, a large meeting hall, weapon storage rooms, and bomb shelters.
These tunnels were so different from Cu Chi. In the Vinh Moc Tunnels we could walk relatively upright instead of crawling. It was a much more authentic experience and really showed how impressive these villagers were. At the end of our time in the tunnels we exited entrance 13. We came out into a tunnel made of green foliage that led us to an abrupt drop off into the sea. It is hard to fathom being locked away underground when you are so close to such natural beauty.
The Vinh Moc Tunnels are definitely worth a trip in my opinion. On the way back into town we stopped at the Skeleton Church. The church served as the Vietcong headquarters for the town at one point and paid a heavy price. It now stands without a roof and with gaping holes in its walls. There is something really beautiful about this untouched memory of a battle long past.
Up next is Tet in Hoi'An!
One interesting thing we found at the Citadel was an M 79 hand grenade casing. It was stuck in a wall and Myles just plucked it out not realizing what it was. Hue has suffered through two wars unfortunately. Both the Indochina Wars and the Vietnam War brought firefights directly into the city proper. Scars from these wars are still visible on many buildings’ exteriors. One place I do recommend visiting is the Risotto Restaurant.
The next day was of more interest as we visited several Vietnam War era sites. We went to Khe Sanh Base, Hein Luong Bridge, the Ben Hai River, Rock Pile Mountain, Dakrong Bridge, the Vinh Moc Tunnels, and what is known as the Skeleton Church. The hotel’s tour cost 20 USD per person, so I went to a travel agency and arranged a private car without a guide for 60 USD total. I think the big plus to going with a private car is that you can take as long as you want at each stop. For example, for most people Khe Sanh is just an old airstrip with nothing left to see, but for us it was an incredibly significant historical site. We ended up being there for almost 2 hours. Just knowing that we were walking along the airstrip where so many of our planes landed with young troops off to fight a war they didn’t voluntarily sign up for felt surreal. The experience also gave me an even deeper respect for the Vietcong soldiers. They had to carry heavy artillery up into the hills with man power alone in order to attack Khe Sanh. The tenacity and strength of will for them to fight in such unideal conditions suffering huge loses demands respect.
Khe Sanh was originally built as an airstrip for American planes in 1962. As the Americans struggled to stop the flow of goods and armaments down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Khe Sanh became more important. One reason Khe Sanh was key in intercepting the trail was due to its proximity to Laos and the Laotian portion of the trail. It grew into a US Special Forces base and was the site of one of the worst battles in the war. The base was placed under siege by the Vietcong from January to April 1968. This was a great diversion on the Vietcong’s behalf because it split the Americans attention between defending the base and reclaiming the city of Hue after the Tet Offensive successfully found the city in Vietcong hands. Rough estimates place the casualties at Khe Sanh around 207 Americans and 9,000 Vietcong. These numbers don’t include the civilian casualties. Apparently fighting a war of attrition wasn’t going to win us anything.
On the way to the Vinh Moc Tunnels we stopped at the Dakrong Bridge. The current bridge was built after reunification in 1975, but the originals were very important during the war. The bridge was considered the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Just for clarification, the Ho Chi Minh Trail was not one continuous trail. It was a network of tunnels, paths, and dried up stream beds that spanned across the border into Laos and Cambodia. Most of the goods moved on the trail were on porters’ backs or on bicycle seats. I actually saw an old man going down the street with one of these bicycles. He had a load of hay strapped to the seat of his bicycle and he walked alongside the bike with a long stick tied to the handle bars allowing him to steer. After the bridge stopped on the side of the road to take a few photos of Rock Pile Hill. It is a lone standing karst rock that is roughly 790 ft. high. Its inaccessibly from the ground made it an important artillery base for the US from 1966-1969. The only way to reach Elliot Combat Base (on top of Rock Pile Hill) was by helicopter.
We continued along Highway 9 (missing both Hamburger Hill and Carrol Combat Base unfortunately) and stopped at the Hien Luong Bridge which spans the Ben Hai River. At the Geneva Conference of 1954, the DMZ at the 17th parallel was established to divide North and South Vietnam. The river acted as the line and the DMZ stretched for 3 miles beyond each bank. Under McNamara extensive fencing was built along the length of the DMZ in an attempt to keep the fighting at the “front”. This obviously didn’t work since the Vietcong were able to wage war and surprise acts way south of the DMZ.
We finally made it to the Vinh Moc Tunnels and found no other tourists. This was definitely in stark contrast to the Cu Chi Tunnels. As we walked to the entrance we were awkwardly followed by a shabbily dressed man. At first we felt a bit uncomfortable and then just accepted that we would be tipping an unofficial guide. In the end it was good he was there because he knew how to turn on the lights in the tunnels. In the small dusty museum a man shorter than I am, ran in and began tapping pictures with a pointer and then pointing to himself. Our “guide” said that the other man was one of the 18 or so babies born in the tunnels. He spent his first few years of life within the tunnels’ dark walls.
The village of Vinh Moc was just north of the DMZ and thus suffered through heavy bombings from the US air force. Instead of leaving, the villagers decided to move underground. From their new home they were able to supply the nearby Con Co Island with food and weapons. According to my guide book 12,000 tons of military supplies were moved from the tunnels to the island. The tunnels went right up to the ocean and allowed the occupants to dump the newly upturned soil of their ever expanding network out into the waves and out of view of American planes. After 18 months the tunnels stretched for 2 miles and had 13 entrances. Inside there were bedrooms, bathrooms, a hospital room, a maternity ward, a large meeting hall, weapon storage rooms, and bomb shelters.
These tunnels were so different from Cu Chi. In the Vinh Moc Tunnels we could walk relatively upright instead of crawling. It was a much more authentic experience and really showed how impressive these villagers were. At the end of our time in the tunnels we exited entrance 13. We came out into a tunnel made of green foliage that led us to an abrupt drop off into the sea. It is hard to fathom being locked away underground when you are so close to such natural beauty.
The Vinh Moc Tunnels are definitely worth a trip in my opinion. On the way back into town we stopped at the Skeleton Church. The church served as the Vietcong headquarters for the town at one point and paid a heavy price. It now stands without a roof and with gaping holes in its walls. There is something really beautiful about this untouched memory of a battle long past.
Up next is Tet in Hoi'An!