Dong Ha: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
For twenty-one years Vietnam was cut in two a short drive north of Đông Hà. The 1954 Geneva Accords drew the line along the Bến Hải river, and a strip of land on either side became the demilitarised zone, which in practice was one of the most bombed places on earth. This loop goes up Highway 1 to the bridge and the flagpoles, then out to the coast and down into the tunnels. Half a day; bring a torch for the tunnels and water, as there is little shade.
A short history of Dong Ha
Đông Hà is the capital of Quảng Trị province, not far south of the Bến Hải River. In 1954 the Geneva Accords made the river the line dividing Vietnam into North and South, along the 17th parallel, and the area around it became a demilitarised zone that was in practice a battlefield. Large American bases stood in and around Đông Hà. In the Easter Offensive of 1972 the city was captured by the North Vietnamese army, and in 1975 the war ended. Today it is a starting point for tours of the sites of the demilitarised zone, such as the Hiền Lương Bridge and the Vịnh Mốc tunnels.
The ten best sights in Dong Ha
1Hiền Lương BridgeFrom 1954 to 1975 this bridge on the Bến Hải river was the line between North and South Vietnam
2Hiền Lương FlagpoleNorth and South raised ever-taller flagpoles facing each other across the river; this is the northern one
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3Vịnh Mốc Tunnels
A whole village lived underground here during the bombing; the tunnels are narrow, skip if you are claustrophobic
4Quảng Trị CitadelAlmost nothing is left of the walls after the 1972 battle; today it is a quiet memorial park
5Khe Sanh Combat BaseThe old US Marines airstrip, with a small museum and aircraft on display; about an hour west on Route 9
6Our Lady of La VangVietnam's most important Catholic shrine; huge crowds at the pilgrimage in August
7Trường Sơn National CemeteryMore than 10,000 soldiers who died on the Ho Chi Minh Trail are buried here, laid out by home province
8Route 9 National CemeteryFive minutes from town; locals come with incense on 27 July, Vietnam's day for the war dead
9Quảng Trị MuseumThe provincial museum in Đông Hà; a good hour before driving into the DMZ
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10Dốc Miếu Base
A former US base on the McNamara Line, the barrier of sensors and mines along the DMZ
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Dong Ha →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Dong Ha:
Free walking tours in Dong Ha
Along the 17th parallel
For twenty-one years Vietnam was cut in two a short drive north of Đông Hà. The 1954 Geneva Accords drew the line along the Bến Hải river, and a strip of land on either side became the demilitarised zone, which in practice was one of the most bombed places on earth. This loop goes up Highway 1 to the bridge and the flagpoles, then out to the coast and down into the tunnels. Half a day; bring a torch for the tunnels and water, as there is little shade.
- Trường Sơn National Cemetery · The cemetery was built from 1975 for the soldiers who died on the Trường Sơn road, the supply route the West calls the Ho Chi Minh Trail. More than 10,000 are buried here, and the graves are grouped by the province each soldier came from.
- Dốc Miếu Base · Dốc Miếu was one of the US bases on the McNamara Line, a planned barrier of fences, mines and electronic sensors across the DMZ, named after the US defence secretary. The barrier was never completed.
- Hiền Lương Bridge · The bridge crosses the Bến Hải river on the 17th parallel. While the country was divided, each side painted its own half of the bridge, and when one side repainted, the other answered.
- Hiền Lương Flagpole · The two sides fought a war of flags here: the South raised a tall flagpole on its bank, the North answered with a taller one, and the race went on until the northern pole stood close to 40 metres high.
- Cửa Tùng Beach · The French, who built holiday villas here, called Cửa Tùng the queen of beaches. The whole coast north of the river was evacuated or driven underground during the bombing, and the beach is quiet again.
- Vịnh Mốc Tunnels · The villagers of Vịnh Mốc dug about two kilometres of tunnels on three levels into the coastal clay and lived in them from 1966 to 1972. Seventeen babies were born underground, in a room still marked as the maternity room.
Route 9 to Khe Sanh
Route 9 leaves Đông Hà westwards and climbs into the hills towards Laos. In 1968 it was the only road to the Marine base at Khe Sanh, and the battles along it are why the names on this drive are known to anyone who has read about the war. The road is good and the scenery turns green and mountainous within half an hour. A full day there and back; the base museum closes for lunch, so plan to arrive in the morning.
- Route 9 National Cemetery · The cemetery holds soldiers who fell in the battles along Route 9 and in the 1971 fighting over the road into Laos. It is the first thing you pass on the way out of town, and a quiet place to understand the scale before the sites.
- Cam Lộ · The red basalt hills of Cam Lộ grow much of Quảng Trị's black pepper, sold in markets across central Vietnam. Look for the vines climbing on poles in the gardens beside the road.
- The Rockpile · US Marines kept an observation post on top of this 230-metre limestone tower. The sides are so steep that the post could only be reached and supplied by helicopter.
- Đakrông Bridge · This is where the western branch of the Trường Sơn road, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, crossed Route 9 on its way south. Today the modern Ho Chi Minh highway follows much of the old trail from here.
- Khe Sanh Combat Base · From January 1968 some 6,000 US Marines were besieged here for about 77 days, and the base could be supplied only from the air. A few months after the siege ended the Americans dismantled and left the base.
- Khe Sanh Market · The French planted coffee on the Khe Sanh plateau in the early twentieth century, and it is still grown around the town today. The market is the place to buy a bag and to see the highland villagers who come down to sell.
The citadel and the Virgin
South of Đông Hà the war story turns into a story about remembering. The old provincial capital was destroyed in 1972 and never rebuilt as it was; the citadel became a park, and the river beside it a place for lanterns. A few kilometres on is a Catholic shrine that also lost its church to the war and kept the ruin. This is an easy half day on flat roads, ending at the sea for a late swim and seafood.
- Quảng Trị Museum · The province was on the front line from 1954 to 1975, and the museum tells the story from the local side, with maps of the DMZ that help make sense of the sites around it. Start here before the citadel.
- Đông Hà Market · Đông Hà grew up as a crossroads, where Route 9 from Laos meets Highway 1, and the market sits beside the Hiếu river where boats once unloaded. Breakfast here is a bowl of bánh canh or a plate of bánh bột lọc.
- Quảng Trị Citadel · For 81 days and nights in the summer of 1972 the two armies fought over this square fortress, built in the nineteenth century under the Nguyễn emperors. The bombardment flattened the citadel and the town around it.
- Thạch Hãn River · Many soldiers died crossing the Thạch Hãn to reach the citadel, and their bodies were never found. Families and veterans set flowers and paper lanterns on the water in their memory, especially in July.
- Our Lady of La Vang · Catholics hiding here from persecution in 1798 said the Virgin Mary appeared to them in the forest. The church was wrecked in 1972, and its broken bell tower was left standing beside the new basilica.
- Cửa Việt · During the war Cửa Việt was a supply port at the mouth of the Thạch Hãn for the bases inland. Now it is a fishing port with a long beach, and the boats bring the catch for the seafood places along the shore.
Getting to Dong Ha and getting around
- Đông Hà Station · The Reunification Express stops here; Huế is about an hour and a half south by train
- Quảng Trị Station · Some slower trains stop here too; it is the closer station for the citadel and La Vang
Cheap eats in Dong Ha
Quảng Trị sits between Huế and the north, and eats like a poorer cousin of Huế: rice noodle soups, little steamed cakes, and a lot of fish and chilli. The local breakfast is bánh canh, a thick soup with fat rice or tapioca noodles, and the province is also known for its black pepper. In the hills around Khe Sanh coffee is grown, and on the coast the seafood comes straight off the boats. Prices are lower than in Huế or Hội An.
- Bánh canh at Đông Hà Market · A bowl about 20,000-30,000 dong, best before 9 am
- Bánh bột lọc stalls · Clear tapioca dumplings with shrimp and pork, a plate about 20,000-30,000 dong
- Quán Chay · Small vegetarian place on Nguyễn Trãi street; a rice plate about 25,000-40,000 dong
- Cafe Thanh · Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, about 15,000-25,000 dong
- Khe Sanh coffee · A cup about 15,000-20,000 dong, a bag of beans from about 100,000 dong
- Cam Lộ pepper · Black pepper sold by the bag along the road and in town markets, about 30,000-60,000 dong
- Seafood at Cửa Việt · Choose from the tanks and pay by weight; squid or prawns about 150,000-300,000 dong a kilo
Museums in Dong Ha
- Quảng Trị Museum · Provincial history and the war years; signs mostly in Vietnamese
- Khe Sanh Victory Museum · Small entry fee; closed at lunchtime
- Vịnh Mốc Tunnels · Small museum at the entrance, then a guided walk underground
- Quảng Trị Citadel Memorial · Free; there is a small exhibition hall on the grounds
- Hiền Lương Bridge · Exhibition rooms on the north bank about the divided country
Nature and day trips near Dong Ha
- Cửa Tùng Beach · Best May to August; rough sea in the autumn storms
- Cửa Việt Beach · The nearest beach to Đông Hà, quiet on weekdays
- The Rockpile · View from Route 9; the hills around it are covered in new forest
- Đakrông River · Stop at the bridge; the river is wide and fast after rain
- Thạch Hãn River · Walk the riverbank by the citadel in the late afternoon
Holy places in Dong Ha
- Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang · Free; Mass several times a day, pilgrimage around 15 August
- Trường Sơn National Cemetery · Free; dress modestly, keep voices low
- Route 9 National Cemetery · Incense is sold at the gate; busiest on 27 July
- Ruins of Long Hưng Church · The shell-scarred walls of a church hit in 1972, kept as they were beside Highway 1
- Citadel memorial · Incense and flowers for the dead of 1972 inside the old walls
Things to do in Dong Ha with kids
- Vịnh Mốc Tunnels · Takes about an hour; bring a torch
- Cửa Tùng Beach · Gentle water in summer and seafood shacks for lunch
- Aircraft at Khe Sanh · Small entry fee; hot and exposed at midday
- Cửa Việt Beach · Watch the fishing boats come in late afternoon
Frequently asked questions about Dong Ha
What is there to see in Dong Ha?
The top sights in Dong Ha are Hiền Lương Bridge, Hiền Lương Flagpole and Vịnh Mốc Tunnels. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Dong Ha?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Dong Ha without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Dong Ha?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Dong Ha, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Along the 17th parallel.
How do you get to Dong Ha and get around?
The main ways are Đông Hà Station and Quảng Trị Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Dong Ha, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Dong Ha that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Dong Ha for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.