Before the American War (1965-75) the Ben Hai River divided ‘democratic’ South Viet Nam and communist North Viet Nam.
The demilitarized zone spread about 5 km north and south of the river.
During the war the DMZ was heavily militarized and became one of the most savaged places on earth.
Located here was the huge U.S. Khe Son marine base, Hamburger Hill and other infamous battle sites.
All that remains of Khe Son is a musuem, some rusty aircraft and a long weed patch that was once an enormous runway.
Nearby are some of the countless underground Viet Cong tunnels.
The war exacted a huge human cost: in addition to approximately 58,159 U.S. soldiers killed, 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, and 1.5 to 2 million Laotians and Cambodians lost their lives
The rest is silence.
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