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VIETNAM’S LEADING BATTLEFIELD TOUR OPERATOR
Join us for a journey through the history of Vietnam conflicts.
KHAM DUC SPECIAL FORCES CAMP ( SOUTHERN II CORPS )
On 10 may 1968 the NVA attacked the camp. The Americans, supported by massive airpower and artillery, fought heroically. General Westmoreland decided the base was indefensible, and ordered evacuation rather than risk a public relations disaster if Kham Duc were to be overrun. The evacuation was somewhat confused, disorganized, and at times frantic, but C-130s along with Army CH–47 and Marine CH–46 helicopters successfully evacuated the entire garrison. The 2d NVA Division shot down six American helicopters, two C–130 transports, one O–2 spotter plane, and one A1–E fighter-bomber. They also gained now-uncontested access to a major logistics route into I Corps from the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The intense fighting on May 12 at Kham Duc resulted in 18 American Army casualties, most of them killed manning hilltop outposts that surrounded the valley, and five Air Force crewmembers of a C-130 that was shot down during the evacuation. At the time, none of the bodies were evacuated. All were listed as missing in action.
Today Kham Duc camp has been partially turned over to farmland but the hard-surface runway of the airfield remains visible. We should use Da Nang as the base for the trip which takes some 7 hours ( round trip ), combining the visit to Ngok Tavak outpost, about 8 km west of Kham Duc and a local hilltribe village at Ngok Tavak.
The Special Forces/CIDG camp at Kham Duc, established in 1961, was a remote intelligence gathering and border surveillance post in Quang Tin Province in southwestern I Corps near the Laotian border. During the Tet Offensive in 1968, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) leadership sought to build a high-speed infiltration route into the Que Son Valley. As it happened, Kham Duc and a smaller base at the old French fort at Ngok Tavak were located along Highway 14, the planned route. Anticipating the possibility of a major attack based on increased 2d NVA Division activity in the area, Miliary Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) initiated Operation GOLDEN VALLEY, a relief plan for Kham Duc that included reinforcements from the 196th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB), 23d Infantry (Americal) Division’s 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment (2/1) with two supporting batteries from 3d Battalion, 82d Artillery.
Today Kham Duc camp has been partially turned over to farmland but the hard-surface runway of the airfield remains visible. We should use Da Nang as the base for the trip which takes some 7 hours ( round trip ), combining the visit to Ngok Tavak outpost, about 8 km west of Kham Duc and a local hilltribe village at Ngok Tavak.
Price: $160
The price quoted is for 1-2 person(s). First extra person: $30, further extra person: $20
Included features:
• Private transfer ( 7 seater SUV cars or 15 seater minivans )
• English speaking guide
Excluded features:
• Lunch