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DONG HA |
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As a former US Marine Command Post and then ARVN base, DONG HA was
obliterated in 1972 but it has bounced back, thanks largely to its
administrative status and location at the eastern end of Highway 9,
which leads through Laos to Savannakhet on the Mekong River. As the
closest town to the DMZ, Dong Ha also attracts a lot of tourist traffic,
though most people choose to stay in nearby Hué.
Dong Ha is a two-street town: Highway 1, known here as Le Duan Avenue,
forms the main artery as it passes through on its route north, while
Highway 9 takes off inland at a central T-junction. The town's bus
station is located on this junction, and its train station lies 1km
south towards Hué and just west of the highway. The market and bridge
over the Cua Viet River, 1km beyond the bus station, mark Dong Ha's
northern extremity, where a road branches left to the post office and
the remains of three US tanks. Information , expensive car rental and
guides can be found at DMZ Tour (tel 053/853047), in the Dong Ha Hotel,
and at the state-owned Quang Tri Hotel and Tourism Co, 203 Le Duan (tel
053/852927).
The local authorities' reluctance to grant permits to put up foreigners
means that the accommodation market is dominated by dreary state-run
guesthouses. Before the police put the frighteners on them, the Nha Tro
Hai Ly (no phone; $5-10), a small place with negotiable prices tucked
down a lane right across from the bus station, used to be the best
option for budget travellers, and may still be worth a try. Otherwise
there's the Ngan Ha Guesthouse (tel 053/852806; $5-15) at 1a Le Quy Don:
walk left out of the bus station onto Le Duan for about 400m and take
the first left. Or try the good-value rooms at Buu Dien Tinh Guesthouse
(tel 053/854417; $10-20), 600m south of the bus station on the Hué road.
Dong Ha's two best restaurants, the Hiep Loi and Tan Chau, are on the
intersection of Highways 1 and 9.
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