Ho+Chi+Minh+Trail

Ho Chi Minh Trail Timmy M.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail, known in Vietnam as the Truong Son Road, is a set of trails that span from 9,000 miles from North Vietnam through the jungles of Laos and Cambodia and finally into South Vietnam. The trail name “Ho Chi Minh” was given by Americans for the leader of North Vietnam. The trail was not one path, but instead a complicated labyrinth of paths. Many historians believe the trail was the single greatest reason the Vietcong won the war. Geography: The Ho Chi Minh Trail starts in the panhandle of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) where it remains for about 230 km. and then enters Laos where it turns south. The strategic point of entry to the trail is the Mu Gia Pass. The Pass is 418 meters above sea level and is on the Mekong river about 90 km northwest of Dong Hoi Vietnam The trail is entirely in the Chaine Annamitique mountains. The mountains are heavily forested. Due to these forests, the trail is impossible to see from the air. The Chaine Annamitique Mountains form the border between Laos and Vietnam and at their highest points reach up to 13,000 feet. At the Laos-Cambodia border, the trail splits in two, one path heads straight to South Vietnam; the other goes south into Cambodia before veering east to the plateau of South Vietnam. Early Trail: The North Vietnamese began working on the trail in July of 1959. The trail was organized by DRV government group 559. Group 559 re-established old WWII trails that ran through the jungles of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The original aim of the trail was to help the DRV reunify Vietnam. Traffic increased tremendously in the early sixties with 60 tons a day of supplies delivered to the NLF. Despite this, it was a very treacherous hike and it took over a month to go from start to finish. War Trail: As the war in Vietnam escalated in the late sixties, the importance of the Ho Chi Minh trail grew tremendously. Most of the roads were redone and some even paved. By the late sixties you could drive a truck from the start of the trail to the finish. Horses were also common. As the U.S. bombed all the strategic locations in the North, important buildings were put on the trail, in neutral Cambodia and Laos. Underground hospitals, bases, fuel tanks, barracks, workshops, and weapons caches lined the trail. The trail also had complex anti-aircraft procedures in case the U.S. DID start bombing it. Traffic on the trail was heavy and even traffic jams weren’t uncommon in some sections. Despite the well-known location of many of the paths, the U.S. still had difficulty finding it. The many underground tunnels allowed Vietcong troops to head into the front lines without any risk of seeing an American or South Vietnamese. The U.S. realized the importance of the trail and soon took action. Trail in the seventies: When Nixon took office he announced he had a secret plan to win the Vietnam War. This plan was to bomb the Ho Chi Minh Trail by disrespecting the neutrality of Laos and Cambodia. He thought the plan was flawless, little did he know the trail was at this point lined with anti-aircraft defense, nearly impossible to see from the air, and most of the stuff worth bombing was underground. More underground barracks were placed on the trail, but, despite the bombings, traffic on the trail seemed to increase. When the U.S. withdrew from the war the trail did not slow down and was the primary reason for the DRV takeover of South Vietnams in 1975. After the war and the trail today: Following the North’s takeover of the South the trail’s usage was stopped. The trail was left in shambles and forgotten. In the nineties, a group of Americans hiked the whole length of the trail, making them the first Westerners to set foot on the trail. More recently a highway was built, most of it miles away from the trail, but some parts of the highway are on parts of the old trail. The trail allowed North Vietnam to win the Vietnam War and must be credited as one of the primary reasons the North won the war. Sources:

"Mu Gia Pass." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 23 May 2007 . MLA style: "Ho Chi Minh Trail." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica  Online. 23 May 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9040631