HISTORY OF THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL – ROUTE 20 By Virginia Morris . 20 September 2023 Pictures By Clive Hills Route 20 in Laos is an historic part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and when I first went there in the late 1990s it looked as if the war had not long ended….
The Constellation Hotel Vientiane Location-https://goo.gl/maps/wemEzPEAmFfQd7gR7 In the capital city of every war-torn country exists a curious oddity: a War Hotel. In Beirut, it was The Commodore; In Saigon, The Caravelle. War Hotels are the one sanctuary amidst the chaos and destruction of war, where journalists, diplomats, pilots, spies, war profiteers, smugglers, soldier, and mercenary,…
Tham Phanang Location: Ban Phanang Khammouane N17° 20.383′ E105° 11.368 The cave (Tham) is located just past the Ban Phanang -Mahaxai District, you can ask the locals to show you or just follow the over head electric cables past the village. The cave was home to 1000’s of people during the war, there are…
After 8 months of being Locked down or having travel bans in place, I finally got the chance to go for a ride. The plan was to go as far down the trail as Saravan. I set of the day before New Year’s Eve and made it to Nam Ngum lakes for the 1st…
Air Craft Fuel Drop Tanks. Location: Khammouane Province Ban Thabak-N18° 14.027′ E104° 39.742′ As a way of extending the flight duration, exterior fuel tanks were fitted on the wings or the main fuselage. Some Tanks were 600 gallons, some 2500 liters extending range considerably. Once empty the tanks were jettisoned and would fall…
Route 23: Savannakhet Tad Hay Bridge. Location: N16° 16.760′ E105° 57.534′ The Red Princes Bridge. Over the Xe Bang Heing River, this bridge was built in 1942 and designed by Souphanouvong who became the first President of Lao PDR in 1975. It was destroyed by the American bombing in 1967. South West of…
Electronic Warfare On the Ho Chi Minh Trail – Igloo White The war against the trucks on the Ho Chi Minh trail was an intense one. Day and night Fighter planes would be called in to hit targets on the trail, causing huge disruption to the supply line. The NVA though were masters at…
Muang Nong to Ta Oy -Savannakhet Location N16° 22.478′ E106° 29.869′ Updated June 2021 There are a few different ways of getting to Ta Oy from Muang Nong. The most popular is Via Ban Along over the 300 meter Bamboo bridge, the bridge is removed in the wet season and built again in…
Tham Nam -Ban Nongboua Location; N17° 32.915′ E105° 44.863′ Caves played a huge part during the conflict in Laos, with the war against the Americans run from a massive cave complex housed in Xam Neua. Smaller caves served similar purposes, and were all very safe, natural shelters from the bombers above. Cant imagine…
The Phanop Valley Location. Khammouane province; N17° 32.210′ E105° 44.489′ Along the Trail there are a huge number of small villages, many of which played key parts in the Trail’s history . Ban Phanop is one such village, located quite near the top in Khammouane Province. Ban Phanop is famous for a daring…
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