Tourist Attractions North of Hue Related to the Vietnam War

Many of the tourists visiting Southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), visit the impressive Viet Cong guerrilla tunnels site, the "Cu Chi" Tunnels. But the Vietnam War left its mark across the entire country, and the place with a large concentration of battlefields, underground tunnels, preserved structural remains, and memorial and commemoration sites for the millions who lost their lives in the bitter and unnecessary war (like all wars...) is located in Central Vietnam near the old border between North and South Vietnam.

For those interested in history and the Vietnam War, and in general for tourists interested in experiencing sites off the beaten path, it is recommended to head north from Hue for a day trip that will undoubtedly be deeply etched in your memory.

♦ Tours in the Da Nang area and Hue for cruise passengers arriving at Chan May port (Book on Viator):

Remains of Long Hung Church

About an hour's drive northwest of Hue, you reach several destinations that were in the battlefield area between the North and the South during the Vietnam War. One of them is the remains of Long Hung Church, which was mostly destroyed during the Vietnam War.

Quang Tri Citadel

The second site, located about two kilometers further north of the church, is Quang Tri Citadel, where a monument with a torch in its center was erected in memory of the fighters who fought there for 81 days in 1972.

War Victims Cemetery

At a distance of another 44 km northwest of the citadel lies a large cemetery for victims of the Vietnam War, with over ten thousand graves, some of which are empty and bear the names of missing persons from the war days.

DMZ - The Border Area Between North and South

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South: At the border between the North and South, which was actually along the Ben Hai River, visitors can cross the ancient bridge spanning the river with a white line in its middle marking the border between North and South. Adjacent to the bridge are a war museum and a monument.

The bridge that separated North and South Vietnam

♦ Recommended tours from Hue in the DMZ area (Book on Viator):

Vinh Moc Tunnels

Vinh Moc Tunnels guerrilla fighters site: Near the sea coast close to the former border between North and South Vietnam, you will find the Vinh Moc tunnels site. At this site, residents dug an extensive network of tunnels where they hid from heavy American bombings. The tunnels were initially dug to a depth of 10 meters, and when that wasn't enough, they dug down to a depth of 30 meters on multiple levels over a length of 2,000 meters, so bombs couldn't reach that depth and they were unharmed. Residents lived in the tunnels for several years, from 1966 to 1972. Sixty families lived in the tunnels, where they built kitchens, bedrooms, a water well, and a clinic.

The Americans dropped about 9,000 tons of bombs on the area, which is a ratio of 7 tons of bombs for every person there! You can enter the tunnels, visit parts of them, and get a sense of the life of the population that lived there and continued their lives under difficult conditions. In the tunnels, there are a school, hospital, delivery room, and living niches. Everything is carved deep underground, tiny, and crowded.
Compared to the Cu Chi Tunnels in Southern Vietnam, the tunnels here are more comfortable to visit because they are taller and the area is less humid.

♦ Recommended tours in Hue (Book on Viator):

Memorial Cave for 8 Women

Near the stalactite cave named Phong Nha Caves, there is a cave called the "Historic Cave 8 Youth Volunteer Ladies," which is actually a memorial site for 8 women who were trapped inside a cave where explosives were stored during the war. The entrance to the cave was blocked following a bombing, and the women starved to death inside.