Bunker on Ben Hai river
December 05 2001

The Ben Hai river used to mark the border between North and South Vietnam. There is a memorial to those who died here but the bullets one can still try to pry from the bunker here on the north side are more poignant.

Khe Sanh airstrip
December 05 2001

The bombardment of the marine base at Khe Sanh from the surrounding hills was so heavy that planes had difficulty landing and most supplies had to be airdropped. The airstrip was once paved with large steel plates which have long since been removed by the scrap metal scavengers who still come here to dig for 'treasure'. Today, after more than 30 years, nothing grows on this strip of land while all about coffee plants now obliterate any other sign of what occurred here. Just 3 months after the bloody siege was lifted, US troops were redeployed and the infamous hill that as many as 500 Americans died to protect was left to the Vietcong.

Inside Vinh Moc Tunnels
December 06 2001

The Vinh Moc tunnels on the coast just north of the old border between South and North Vietnam were dug by the Viet Cong as a staging ground for forays into the Demilitarized Zone and to protect part of the supply line known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. These damp tunnels have many small alcoves and once housed 200 people. 17 babies were born down here in the 'maternity room'.