Đông Hà

Đông Hà
Đông Hà Location of in Vietnam
Coordinates:
Country	Vietnam
Province	Quảng Trị
Area
• Total	72.96 km2 (28.17 sq mi)
Population (2005)
• Total	82,046

Đông Hà (<phonos file="Dong Ha.ogg">listen</phonos>) is the capital of Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam. Đông Hà is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East–West Economic Corridor (EWEC). It lies on the North–South Railway (Reunification Express) and is served by Đông Hà Railway Station. EWEC is an economic development program which includes Northeast Thailand, Southern Laos, and central Vietnam.

History

Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War, Đông Hà was the northernmost town in South Vietnam and was the location on a strategically important United States Marine Corps Đông Hà Combat Base, to support Marine positions along the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Đông Hà was overrun on March 31, 1972, during the initial assaults of the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive.

Tourists come to Đông Hà nowadays, especially ex-servicemen from the U.S. and Vietnam, who nearly always include a DMZ tour in their programs. The contemporary Vietnamese singer Như Quỳnh was born in Đông Hà in 1970.

See also

• Dong Ha travel guide from Wikivoyage