Latitude 17 and Hien Luong Bridge

After 2 days playing with rivers and caves in Phong Nha, we say goodbye to a cute homestay & Son river and continue heading to the south. Today destination is Hue City.

On the way to Hue, we can't help stop in Quang Tri heroic city where latitude 17, Hien Luong Bridge and Quang Tri Citadel taught you a historical lesson.

Hiền Lương Bridge (Vietnamese: Cầu Hiền Lương) is a bridge over Bến Hải River, Vĩnh Linh District, Quảng Trị Province, North Central Coast, Việt Nam. This bridge is located in 17th Parallel and in Vietnam War, it was bisected between South Vietnam and North Vietnam (DRV) from 1954 to 1976. American bombs destroyed the first Hien Luong Bridge in 1967 and again destroyed it in 1970. In 1973, an iron girder bridge was built and reopened following reunification in 1975. The current bridge was built in 1999.

Hien Luong bridge, being located at the military border of the war, witnessed symbolic and propaganda conflicts between the two sides of the war. Both South Vietnam and North Vietnam deployed huge speakers with high power to broadcast their message as far as possible. Moreover, whenever the South Vietnamese repainted their part of the bridge, the North Vietnamese also repainted their part with the very same color, to signify their will to unify of Vietnam nation.Read more