Day 2:Hue, Vietnam

Go get your glasses and something to drink, this is going to be long.

I went on the "DMZ" Tour with Mr. Trung today and the 6 other students that are with me. We spent 11 hours driving around Central Veitnam looking at war sites. Now, let me explain something about these war sites; with a few mino expections, these sites are mostly re-creations. After the war, there was no care to preserve battle sites ad important war monuments, as the people wanted to rebuild and mvoe on, and they didn't have the money to dedicate to preserving and saving the space. This entry be witten in the order which  learnde today. We went site to site, with Mr. Trung answering questions and explaining the historical significance and inportant war facts.

During the one hour drive to the first site, Mr. Trung,a 1LT in the Southern Vietnamese Army in '69, he explained to us how he war started a brief timeline. As he, his brother, and his father were in the Southern Vietnamese Army during the war, he was a great source for all sorts of information throughout the day. Vietnam had been spending many years fighting with China and France. During these wars, the country split into two types of political believers, capitalists and communists. Total, th country will spend 21yeas arguing over this issue. In the late 40's/50s, the government decided to set a deadline, two years to come to a compromise about what kind of government Vietnam, the united country, should have. At the time, the majority of Nothererns were Commnists and SOutherners were Capitalists. The South had a 80% Buddhist population and 5% Chrisitan population, though the Christians ran the country. After these two years, neiher side would give in to the other. They then set a new deadline. They gave the population 90 days to move to the north or souh Vientman "freely", to decide which part of the government they wanted to support. Many Notherners moved South. It was hard, as their side of the border tried to stop some and shouted propoganda in loud speakers to the South and those crossing the border, the Ben Hai River. After this 90 day period was up, some fighting began, but nothing bad. There had been some what they now call minority people, those who live in the mountain and not the villiages, who were technically living in the South who believed the propoganda and wanted to be communists. These people along with a scattering of Northern soldiers would form what is to be knows as th Viet Cong, (VC). The US wanted in, as communism was there enemy. Both sides said no, we need to figure this out by ourslves. Suddenly,some civilians captured Souther Buddhist monks, claiming them to be communisits, holdingthem hostages. The Southerners were very upset, 80% of them being Buddhists. The South wanted the CIA's help in getting the monks set free. The US said okay, but only if you over throw the government (they said it in nicer terms, but this is basically what they wanted.) The agreed, the monks were set free, and there was coup and the Southern president was killed. When he new government was formed, the US worked with them to get over 20,000 troops eventually set over to help. When theyfirst arrived, the VC would fight their geurilla warfare, hittingthe US in small, unorganized groups and fleeing back across the border. They did this by using the Ho Chi Minh trail, a trail runing from north to south Vietman along a stream that owuld be a main supply line during the war. The marines were very upset. They decided to burn rice fields, crops, andvilliages in hope of cutting off the VC's supplies. Many Southerners got upset by this, and 20%of them decided to join he North because of the Marine's actions. The US was important to the Souther cause, as they had only formed an army since 1950, and the Noth had an army from 1930, they surely would have beencrushed without our help. The war starts.The world thinks that the US should leave, so they pull out in 72. On 26 March 1975 (remember this is the date the tanks in Hue said they were "captured" from the US??) Saigon fell to the North and very shortly after the war was over, turning Saigon into Ho Chi Minh. The communists turned the burning country upside down. They closed the border to all foreign help. Trung said there were ong periods where they would only allow the people to use bicycles, no motorbikes or cars, to travel or work with. People starved. In 1989, China decided to open their borders and Vietnam followed. The world saw what the country had turned into and helped. War sites were rebuit as well. Parts of the Imperial Forbidden City in Hue were destroyed due to napalm and bombing in Hue,they were rebuilt.

We drove through the country on he way to Dong Ha. It wasn't the country I expected, thinking of a low-no populated stretch of and, there wer houses and shops lining the roads. Behind them though, were ricefields. Tons and tons. and SOOOO many cows! They were tied up to random things just eating, or walking across the road. There was anoher very odd thing, tombs. There would be these tombs, the best way I can describe them. They were above ground grave sites, with a waist high brick border around the site, with an elaborate enterance and even fancier, 10ft high decorative grave marker. They were larger than  car, huge. Most of them were beautifully painted in multiple bright colors. And whereever they were built, they were never distrubed. So, you would be looking at a rice field, and see a small gathering of these huge, Chinese inspired (I think its actually Buddhist inspired) tombs randomly in rice patties, backyards, road sides, forests, etc. Along many trees, and in mailbox-like stands on front of peoples houses, here were also Buddhist shrines, about twie the size of an acutal mailbox. They are also here in Hue, attatched to almost every tree in the city with insence burning.

We stopped breifly in Quang Tri, about 45 min from Dong Ha. We stopped at the Long Hung Church. It was the leftovers of a Church frame that was covered in bullet holes and even had a piece of artllery shell embedded in the ground inside. After the US pulled out, there was 1 Southern Vietnamese ARmy Division left to guard the whole DMZ (March). By June, the North took 4 divisons and sttacked. They captured Dong Ha, Quang Tri, and Hue in a matter of hours. Over the next 81days, the South tried to reclaim their cities. This Church was one defensive position; they thought that the North wouldn't try to bomb and destroy religeious grounds (Church pagoda, as Trung called it). They were wrong. During this 81days, the North killed 10,000 civilizans.

Driving to the next sites, we saw lots of Vietnamese flags on peoples houses.Commnist flags also flew, which look very similar in all ways ot the Nam flag. They also keep the flag polesthe same height.

Next we arrived to the "Rock Pile". This Rock Pile is acutally a huge (height) small (width) mountain off the side of what is now a highway. This was a Marine checkpoint back in the war.It was so inassessible (still today) that the Marines had to enter/leave/resupplyvia helicopter. Surrounding the rockpile was a BN and CO HQ. Due to the bombing, duringteh war Trung said, as he was here breifly,there were no trees. Bombs wouls cause fires, and the wind would take them everwhere, destroying ever piece of vegitation. There was only small trees there now. Only a platoon at a time occupied the mountain, where at a BN stayed in the airfield immediatly below and a CO was in the valley o the rear.

On he way out, we spoke to Trungabout his brother. He heard I was from Florida nad wanted to know if it was near Denver. We asked why, and he said his brother is from there. His brother was a Captian in the Souh Vietnamese army during the way. Both brothers were taken to the prison camps at the end of the war, which is what the Noth did to all ranking officers of the South Army when they took over the country. He told us that during the daylight hours, they would clear valleys and build bamboo houses. from 7-10pm each night, they were taken to watch propoganda. Trung was in the camps from 2.5years, his brother free. AFter the borders were re-opened to the world in 1989, the US made a decree to bring all high ranking South Vietnamese officials during the war who had spent 3+ years in prison camps to the US. We have one living down the road from us acutally. This is why his brother lives in the US and he doesn't.

Next, we arrived at the Khe Sanh airfield. This was a very importan military base for the south/US. It was a stategic location of being right in he middle of the Ho Chi Minh trail about 20km east of the Laos border. It is located on top of a mountain, where they now grow coffee beans (and sell coffee there). Surrounding it are three other key mountains. The airfield has been maintained, meaning the red dirt strip he aircraft landed on was still around and they raked it daily so you can see. It is still barb wired off too. There was a small museum, more IDs and dog tags. There was an old UH-1H and Chinook along with some scrap metal from crashed prop planes. Ter was examples of the ypes of bombs the US used (bad looking replicas), along with re-built bunkers and a memorial to the North vietnamese. This had always been desribed as one of the worst battle positions for both sides, "Hell Khe Sanh". The Museum was fille full of propoganda-like words, mainly photos of Americans dying, dead, fleeing, running, mounrning, etc. Ther were men with trays who had found a smal collection of VC medals, US pins, and money from the surrounding countries and a few old machinese gun shells selling to tourists. At times, 20k bombs/artillery shells were dropped here daily. This was the first place the US left during there pull out starting in 68. The memorial wrote how the North quicky took over when the US left, liberating the city of Huong Hoa from the US and their 10k civilians. The entrance into the city, which was like 2 blocks worth of buildings, was a huge monument, with a famous sculpture,called the victory monument.

So far,this had all been to the West of Hue, and very near the Laos border. Now, we started back East. We followed the Ben Hai River, the physical border between the north and south. We pretty much crossed the country by the end of the day, starting from 20km from the Laos border until we reached the Bein Sea (Ocean). The drive was beautiful, full off rolling mountains and hills, the valley being the river. We were driving on the edge of a cliff overlooking the river. IT really though reminded me of POW movies, where a soldier would get lost in the mountains of Nother Vietnam and get captued. Looked just like it. There were a handful of communist propganda billboard scattered in the various towns we traveled to. They were have themes, such as look, we helped rebuild the city, we provide jobs, etc.

Next, we visited te La Da Krung, a bridge which was a paved portion of the Ho Chi Minh trail where it crossed from North tosouth vietnam. Its a famous suspension bridge you might have seen on google or a photo of Veitnam. Its a beautiful bridge, with a small site dedicated to the trail, even though you cannot see it. Trung said it was paved over for the continuation oft he highway from north to south. You could see the stream though that it travelled along. Quick stop.

the next stop was a long way away, going all the way to the ocean to the Vinh Moc Viliage to see the famous Vinh Moc Tunnels. These tunnels are the most famous, as they were different from many others in the country; they were used to supply, shelter, and attack. There are 6 enterences and 7 exits, all located in ta cliff side next to the ocean. There are three levels, at 12m, 15m, and 23m! 17 children were born in the "health room" in the tunnels. There is a small museum showing the photos of the year nad a half it took to build them, some tools used, a layout, and the ceremony giving the villiage an award for their building. There was a small man who didn't talk to was just hanging around. There was a huge mural plaque on the wall with various people, from soldiers to mothers. He pointed to he portion where a mother was holding a baby up in the air. IT was him. He then showed up a photo of a little boy running around with a shovel inthe tunnels, and a line of babies in the tunnels in cribs that had just been born. He was one of the 17 that had been born there, this was his villiage. Trung later came in and confirmed the story for us. This was an mportant place, as supply would come in via ocean, even thoug h5km off the coast, the US Navy had been there from Japan, bombing the villiage day and night. 350 people lived there from 68-72, when the worst was happening until the US pulld out. Trenches were built from the backs of homes to the tunnel enterences, so the villiagers ccould safely reach the tunnels when a bombing occured. They were SO creppy!The tunnels stood about 5'5'' tall, I JUST could stand, the boys all had to bend over. They were basic and easy, one erson barely fit in them. They had been re-walled since the war for tourists. Electricity was though them (added on later) for a few lanterns, but they were turned off during our tour, but we brought flash lights. They had little rooms set off to he side for a well, bathroom, family areas, bomb shelters, meeting rooms, etc. It was wet and the stairs were slippery. The area we were in was very rural, a one land road that was just barely paved. Many town folk were there selling water and snacks, this was what they did. the pavers we wlaked on to get to the tunnel enterences/exits were paths that were paved over. The paths were strategically placed under the canopy of bamboo and surrounding trees so those from the air couldn't see the people on the ground. There were may large and deep craters  the ground, grown over with vegitations, where artillery had left a scar on the earth. We went down to the beach for a second to check it out.

Next, we drove through more rice patties to the Hien Luong Bridge. This bridge crossed the Ben Hai
River. This was the official border crossing spot. During the two years of compromise that failed between the north and south, they let the UN man the border, mainly Canada, India,and a few other countries. During this period, the UN building was built on the north side and they built a bridge. When the war started, the UN left and their building was destroyed, even though were is one in place again to represent it I believe. The US bombs destroyed the bridge. After the war ended, in 2001 they rebuilt the bridge to honor history,and in 2004 put another one beside it for traffic. On the north side, there stil stands a flag pole full of loud speakers for propoganda. There also still stands a large pole with flood lights, watching the SOuth and the river. There is also a large monument with a Vietnam flag. The south side has a watch tower with a few loud speakers. There is a larger monument, more of a huge (HUGE) sculpture. There stands a mother and her child in front of coulds, surrounded by 4 coconut leavs. The mother and child were there to represent something about the war. During the 90 day period of seperation, many families were torn apart. Even more were when the war started and men went out to fight. the mother and her baby stand there waiting forever for the men who will never make it home.

The final stop was the Trong Son National Cemetary and Camp Caroll. The base was a US/South vietnamese base (we are the south side once we crossed the bridge). In 72 when the US pulled out, the base was quickly captured since the 2km permieter set up to protect was had been heavily dis-manned. The only remenemts is a single rusted tank. The whole area is gone due to the rebuiding of a villiage. The town literally sits ont he base, so there isn't much to see, only be there and listen to the history. The Cemetary was interesting. It is the only cemetary in South Vietnam for the war and only holds Northern soldiers. Even though the South were citizens of the same country. it made me mad, I mean we keep civil war confederate monuments, even though they too were US citizens who fought a losing battle too. We all got to talking about how in a generation, no kid will be able to go tak to a vet about their experiance, since they will all be gone. They won't be able to know about the fight against the north. We then started wondering about Mr. trung. How did he feel, seeing these north sites, many of those that were important sites/bases for the south that the north put their memorials and propganda on, the north had held him and his family prisoner for numerous years? But he started histour company, he must enjoy his work. As Kara put it, maybe its his way of getting his word out, he can share with those who want to listen the southern side, since I'm sure there is much blocked about the war to the people even today.