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VIETNAM’S LEADING BATTLEFIELD TOUR OPERATOR
Join us for a journey through the history of Vietnam conflicts.
PRIVATE DMZ TOUR FROM DANANG
Vietnam DMZ tour/private DMZ tour from Danang
Private DMZ and Vinh Moc tunnels tour from Danang
This is the second trip back to Central Vietnam and this time we chose Da Nang as the base to explore the southern part of the Central Vietnam. We want to spend more time for Hoian and relax at the famous China beach. Joly really loves the ancient town of Hoian and the beach and we had a very pleasant time over here.
Today I did a special Vietnam military history tour of the DMZ area outside Da Nang where most of the bloody actions of Vietnam War took place. After some Google search, I chose Annam Tour owned by Mr. Vu ( www.annamtour.com ), gave him a call and answered with a very clear and smooth English from Mr. Vu. I was picked up at 7.00am by his driver and headed north to Dong Ha to meet him up. The driver drove over scenic pass of Hai Van and via a big lagoon near Hue. We arrived in Quang Tri at 10.00am and Mr. Vu was waiting for me at a ruin of a small Catholic church and Mr. Vu right away gave a lecture about the Easter Offensive in 1972 when the North Vietnamese Army forces stormed across the DMZ into Quang Tri and took over the province from South Vietnam. The whole town was completely flattened by U.S bombing . The church was one of the few construction still standing. Then we kept heading north to the former DMZ. At the southern edge of the DMZ, we pulled over at the site of the former fire support base of the U.S Marines called Gio Linh or Alpha 2. This was part of the anti-infiltration barrier constructed by the U.S Navy engineers in order to interdict the North Vietnamese Army troops infiltration across the DMZ but it didn't work as the NVA troops just went arount it. There is a reckage of an M41 tank by the main roadside and we also visit a military cemetery for North Vietnamese soldiers at Gio Linh.
A reckage of an M41 tanks at Gio Linh fire support base
Then, we drove into the former Semilitarized Zone and stopped at the Freedom bridge over Ben Hai at the 17th parallel. The Demilitarized Zone was established a long this river as part of it flows roughly at the 17th parallel. After the French lost the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu to Viet Minh Army in 1954 and they agreed to withdraw from Indochina. Vietnam was temporarily divided along this river and the DMZ was established to stop the further military conflict between the opposing sides; North Vietnam Communists and Free State of South Vietnam pending a free election to be held in 1956. But the election never happened as the U.S and South Vietnam opposed it for fear that the leader of North Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh might have won the election and reunified the country. We walked on the historical bridge which is painted with two different colors; yellow and blue. Mr. Vu said South Vietnam changed the color of the southern part of the bridge so that it looked separate from the northern part. But North Vietnam painted the same color right away, no matter what the color was. This was their symbolic messege of reunification.
The Freedom bridge over Ben hai river
Then, we headed to the coast for Vinh Moc tunnels. Mr. Vu said the northern part of the DMZ was the most heavily bombed single piece of land on earth during the U.S bombing operation Rolling Thunder against North Vietnam. The aim of the bombing was to destroy the starting points of the elaborate Ho Chi Minh Trail network. Unable to live on the ground, the local people here had to did into the ground to live.
Vinh Moc tunnels
A massive bomb crater on the top of the tunnels
Vinh Moc tunnel is the best example of the tunnel system in the DMZ area. Hundreds of the fishmen from Vinh Moc village began digging the tunnels complex after the village was destroyed by bombing. we went underound between 15 meter to 23 meter below the ground. This is a perfect underground village. They thought of everything and it is an amzing engineering tunnels; family rooms, martenity rooms where 17 babies were born over the years, hospital, meeting rooms, fresh water wells, meeting room, kichen....We walked out to the beach. It was a paradise as compared to the hell in the tunnels.
We drove back to Danang and drop off Mr. Vu in Dong Ha. It was a very long driving day but it worth, it was very informative and educational tour. We really lernt a lot from Mr. Vu. Thank you Mr. Vu and your driver Mr. Hoa.
Vietnam DMZ tour
Private DMZ tour from Da Nang
Tour detail
DMZ tour from Da Nang.
Private DMZ and Vinh Moc tunnels tour from Danang
This is the second trip back to Central Vietnam and this time we chose Da Nang as the base to explore the southern part of the Central Vietnam. We want to spend more time for Hoian and relax at the famous China beach. Joly really loves the ancient town of Hoian and the beach and we had a very pleasant time over here.
Today I did a special Vietnam military history tour of the DMZ area outside Da Nang where most of the bloody actions of Vietnam War took place. After some Google search, I chose Annam Tour owned by Mr. Vu ( www.annamtour.com ), gave him a call and answered with a very clear and smooth English from Mr. Vu. I was picked up at 7.00am by his driver and headed north to Dong Ha to meet him up. The driver drove over scenic pass of Hai Van and via a big lagoon near Hue. We arrived in Quang Tri at 10.00am and Mr. Vu was waiting for me at a ruin of a small Catholic church and Mr. Vu right away gave a lecture about the Easter Offensive in 1972 when the North Vietnamese Army forces stormed across the DMZ into Quang Tri and took over the province from South Vietnam. The whole town was completely flattened by U.S bombing . The church was one of the few construction still standing. Then we kept heading north to the former DMZ. At the southern edge of the DMZ, we pulled over at the site of the former fire support base of the U.S Marines called Gio Linh or Alpha 2. This was part of the anti-infiltration barrier constructed by the U.S Navy engineers in order to interdict the North Vietnamese Army troops infiltration across the DMZ but it didn't work as the NVA troops just went arount it. There is a reckage of an M41 tank by the main roadside and we also visit a military cemetery for North Vietnamese soldiers at Gio Linh.
A reckage of an M41 tanks at Gio Linh fire support base
Then, we drove into the former Semilitarized Zone and stopped at the Freedom bridge over Ben Hai at the 17th parallel. The Demilitarized Zone was established a long this river as part of it flows roughly at the 17th parallel. After the French lost the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu to Viet Minh Army in 1954 and they agreed to withdraw from Indochina. Vietnam was temporarily divided along this river and the DMZ was established to stop the further military conflict between the opposing sides; North Vietnam Communists and Free State of South Vietnam pending a free election to be held in 1956. But the election never happened as the U.S and South Vietnam opposed it for fear that the leader of North Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh might have won the election and reunified the country. We walked on the historical bridge which is painted with two different colors; yellow and blue. Mr. Vu said South Vietnam changed the color of the southern part of the bridge so that it looked separate from the northern part. But North Vietnam painted the same color right away, no matter what the color was. This was their symbolic messege of reunification.
The Freedom bridge over Ben hai river
Then, we headed to the coast for Vinh Moc tunnels. Mr. Vu said the northern part of the DMZ was the most heavily bombed single piece of land on earth during the U.S bombing operation Rolling Thunder against North Vietnam. The aim of the bombing was to destroy the starting points of the elaborate Ho Chi Minh Trail network. Unable to live on the ground, the local people here had to did into the ground to live.
Vinh Moc tunnels
A massive bomb crater on the top of the tunnels
Vinh Moc tunnel is the best example of the tunnel system in the DMZ area. Hundreds of the fishmen from Vinh Moc village began digging the tunnels complex after the village was destroyed by bombing. we went underound between 15 meter to 23 meter below the ground. This is a perfect underground village. They thought of everything and it is an amzing engineering tunnels; family rooms, martenity rooms where 17 babies were born over the years, hospital, meeting rooms, fresh water wells, meeting room, kichen....We walked out to the beach. It was a paradise as compared to the hell in the tunnels.
We drove back to Danang and drop off Mr. Vu in Dong Ha. It was a very long driving day but it worth, it was very informative and educational tour. We really lernt a lot from Mr. Vu. Thank you Mr. Vu and your driver Mr. Hoa.
Vietnam DMZ tour
Private DMZ tour from Da Nang
Tour detail
DMZ tour from Da Nang.