Places / Special national relic
Khe Rinh Ford
A river ford on the Trường Sơn road where 3,700 bombs fell in 75 days and nights.
Transcript
This is Khe Rinh Ford, where the old Trường Sơn trail crossed the stream.
Its limestone caves sheltered troops and served as a staging point for supplies bound for the southern front.
Within about one kilometre of the ford, 3,700 bombs fell in 75 days and nights.
In July 1967, nine drivers were killed here. Local people gathered their remains and buried them on a nearby hill.
Khe Rinh Ford is a special national relic.
Khe Rinh Ford lies in the former Trung Hóa commune, now Kim Phú, where Route 15A (today the Hồ Chí Minh Road) crossed the stream, close to Route 47 into Laos. Its limestone caves sheltered army units and youth volunteers, and it was a staging point for weapons, ammunition and supplies bound for the southern front.
From 1965 US aircraft bombed the area so heavily that it became known as “dead land”. Within about 1 km of the ford, 3,700 bombs fell in 75 days and nights. In July 1967 a military convoy crossing the ford was spotted and bombed; nine drivers were killed on the spot. Local people gathered their remains and buried them on a nearby hill. Between 1965 and 1972 more than 100 people of Trung Hóa died, including over 60 soldiers and cadres.
On 25 June 1968 local unit 367 of Minh Hóa, on Đại Minh hill, shot down the 3,000th US aircraft, earning a letter of praise from President Hồ Chí Minh. The ford is part of the Trường Sơn – Hồ Chí Minh Road historic site, ranked a special national relic by Decision 2383/QĐ-TTg of 9 December 2013. Today Khe Rinh bridge on the Hồ Chí Minh Road has replaced the old ford, about half a kilometre from the Kim Phú Commune office.
- 3,700
- bombs in 75 days within 1 km of the ford
- 9
- drivers killed in July 1967
- 2013
- special national relic
Things to do
- Stop at Khe Rinh bridge and look down at the stream the convoys once forded
- Light incense in memory of those who died
- Ask at the nearby commune office, then continue to Yên Phú lake and Rục Mòn cave
Frequently asked
Where is Khe Rinh Ford?
In Kim Phú (the former Trung Hóa commune). Khe Rinh bridge on the Hồ Chí Minh Road now stands at the ford, about 0.5 km from the commune office.
Is Khe Rinh a national relic?
Yes. It is part of the Trường Sơn – Hồ Chí Minh Road historic site, ranked a special national relic by Decision 2383/QĐ-TTg of 9 December 2013.