Located in the central of Vietnam, Quang Tri plays an important role in the war in the past. Coming to Quang Tri is to come to a suffered land where still remains the most meaningful historical monuments of Vietnam. Except for the narrow piedmont coastal plains, the terrain is dominated by hills and the Annamite Mountains. Therefore, the life of people in Quang Tri is generally poor and difficult.
Quảng Trị Province in the North Central Vietnam is a coastal province with a 75 km coastline and a border with Laos to the west. It is a hilly province other than the narrow coastal strip with forest on the mountain slopes whose peaks are anything up to 2,400 metres. Streams and small rivers flow eastwards to the sea and the many valleys are susceptible to flooding in the monsoon season.
It was originally home to the Cham people whose culture was much different to the Vietnamese further north. The Vietnamese took control centuries ago with the French conquering the area in the middle of the 19th Century. It was the northernmost province of South Vietnam and therefore played a major role in the Vietnam War with several American bases and constant attack by the Viet Cong. It fell to North Vietnam forces in 1975 but danger remained even after the War finished because of the amount of unexploded ordnance. There have been subsequent casualties often due to ignorance on the part of people who are unsure of what they are seeing.
The main reason for visiting Quang Tri is because it was very much in the front line during the Vietnam War. Our Quang Tri travel guide has selected the following places as highlights within the Province.
The Hien Luong Bridge was built by the French in 1952, two years before the agreement to divide the country was signed. American bombing destroyed it at a time that it was seen as a symbol of division. It was rebuilt in 1996 and opened as a relic in 2003; it is now regarded as a symbol of unification.
Quang Tri Citadel was built in 1824 during the Nguyen Dynasty and served as an administrative headquarters. It was riddled with bullets during the war and subsequently a monument was erected to commemorate the bravery of Quang Tri’s people during the War. It had many casualties and the impact of the War has been far reaching. However it has not impacted on the friendliness of the Vietnamese people who are happy to welcome visitors to enjoy everything their country has to offer. Certainly Quang Tri can be a solemn place but those that are interested in 20th Century history will find much to interest them.
