Khe Sanh Combat Base

Demilitarised Zone


The site of the most famous siege of the American War, the USA’s Khe Sanh Combat Base was never overrun, but it saw the bloodiest battle of the war. About 500 Americans, 10,000 North Vietnamese troops and uncounted civilian bystanders died around this remote highland base. It’s eerily peaceful today, but in 1968 the hillsides trembled with the impact of 1000kg bombs, white phosphorus shells, napalm, mortars and endless artillery rounds, as desperate American forces sought to repel the North Vietnamese Army (NVA).

The 75-day siege of Khe Sanh began on 21 January 1968 with a small-scale assault on the base’s perimeter. As the marines and South Vietnamese rangers braced for a fullscale ground attack, Khe Sanh became the focus of global media attention. It was the cover story for both Newsweek and Life magazines, and made the front pages of countless newspapers around the world. During the next two months the base was subjected to continuous ground attacks and artillery fire, and US aircraft dropped 100,000 tonnes of explosives in its vicinity. But the expected attempt to overrun the base never came.

On 7 April 1968, after heavy fighting, US troops reopened Hwy 9 and linked up with the marines, ending the siege.

It now seems clear that the siege was an enormous diversion to draw US attention away from the South Vietnamese population centres in preparation for the Tet Offensive, which began a week after the siege started.

Today the site is occupied by a small museum, which contains some fascinating old photographs, plus a few reconstructed bunkers and American aircraft. Most of the area is now planted with coffee, and vendors offer high-grade local Arabica beans for sale at the entrance.

Khe Sanh is 3km north of the small town of Huong Hoa.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Demilitarised Zone attractions

1. Dakrong Bridge

6.15 MILES

Crossing the Dakrong River 13km east of the Khe Sanh bus station, this bridge was rebuilt in 2001 and bears a marker hailing its importance as a conduit…

2. Rockpile

12.21 MILES

Visible from Hwy 9, this 230m-high karst outcrop once had a US Marine Corps lookout on top and a base for American long-range artillery nearby. The…

3. War Museum & Ho Chi Minh Trail Site

19.63 MILES

Twenty kilometres east of Sepon, Ban Dong (Dong Village) was on one of the major thoroughfares of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and was the site of the only Lao…

4. Truong Son National Cemetery

25.67 MILES

A deeply evocative memorial to the legions of North Vietnamese soldiers who died along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, this cemetery is a sobering sight. More than…

5. Bao Tang Quang Tri

26.83 MILES

A modest museum that documents the history of the Quang Tri province, with a focus on its ethnic minorities. The most interesting attractions for…

6. Mine Action Visitor Centre

27.16 MILES

Quang Tri province was the most heavily bombed part of Vietnam and it remains the most contaminated with ordnance. This museum provides an excellent…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "vietnam/central-vietnam/demilitarised-zone-dmz/attractions/khe-sanh-combat-base/a/poi-sig/1390952/357870",
      "destination": "Demilitarised-Zone",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Vietnam",
      "region": "Demilitarised-Zone",
      "position": "superzone"
    }