National Road 9 (Vietnam)
Encyclopedia
National Route 9 runs across Vietnam roughly in line with the 17th Parallel
. The route includes two segments. The segment called National Route 9A begins at Dong Ha
and ends at Lao Bảo on the Vietnam-Laos
border and is entirely within Quang Tri Province
. The 8 km-long segment called National Route 9B begins at Dong Ha and runs eastward to Cửa Việt Port.
:
With the partition of Vietnam following the First Indochina War
, Route 9 was the northernmost West-East road in South Vietnam
and ran roughly parallel to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
.
In the early 1960s as the Vietnam War
began to increase in intensity, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
(ARVN) and US Special Forces
began to build a chain of bases south of the DMZ to interdict the flow of men and materiel from North Vietnam
. These bases included:
Route 9 became a vital supply artery to these bases and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) were frequently able to cut or ambush Route 9 during the "Border Battles" period from 1967 to 1969. Route 9 was the access road used in Operation Pegasus and Operation Lam Son 719
.
In recent years with the implementation of Vietnam's Doi Moi reforms there has been an increase in cross-border trade with Laos and Route 9 has been progressively upgraded. With the completion of the Ho Chi Minh Highway
, Route 9 has become an important link between the Ho Chi Minh Highway and Route 1.
17th parallel north
The 17th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 17 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, Central America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean....
. The route includes two segments. The segment called National Route 9A begins at Dong Ha
Dong Ha
Đông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...
and ends at Lao Bảo on the Vietnam-Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
border and is entirely within Quang Tri Province
Quang Tri Province
Quảng Trị is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, north of the former imperial capital of Huế.-Geography:Located in North Central Vietnam, Quang Tri Province is surrounded by Quang Binh Province on the north, Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south, Savannakhet Province of Laos on the...
. The 8 km-long segment called National Route 9B begins at Dong Ha and runs eastward to Cửa Việt Port.
Road layout
Route 9 runs through the following towns and cities of Quang Tri ProvinceQuang Tri Province
Quảng Trị is a province on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, north of the former imperial capital of Huế.-Geography:Located in North Central Vietnam, Quang Tri Province is surrounded by Quang Binh Province on the north, Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south, Savannakhet Province of Laos on the...
:
- Dong HaDong HaĐông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...
, where it connects with Route 1 - Cam LoCam LoCam Lộ is a rural district of Quang Tri province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 46,231. The district covers an area of 347 km²...
- Ca LuCa LuCa Lu was a United States Marine Corps base located at on Highway or Route 9, near Krông Klang, Đa Krông District, western Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam....
- Tân Hợp, where it connects to the Ho Chi Minh HighwayHo Chi Minh HighwayHo Chi Minh Road or Ho Chi Minh Highway is a highway in Vietnam. It runs from the north to the south of Vietnam, west of National Road 1A. The highway was named after Hồ Chí Minh. The route roughly coincides with the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War...
- Khe SanhKhe SanhKhe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...
- Lang Vei
- Lao Bảo where it connects to Route 9E in Laos which runs through Xepon and Xeno to SavannakhetSavannakhetSavannakhet or Kaysone Phomvihane is a city in western Laos and the capital of the Savannakhet Province, previously known as Khanthabouli . This is the second-largest city in Laos, after Vientiane. The city is birthtown of Kaysone Phomvihane, former president of Laos, and was named after him in...
History
Route Coloniale 9 or RC9 was constructed by the French in the early 20th century.With the partition of Vietnam following the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
, Route 9 was the northernmost West-East road in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and ran roughly parallel to the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War.During the Second Indochina War , it became important as the battleground demarcation separating North Vietnamese territory from South Vietnamese territory.-...
.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
began to increase in intensity, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
(ARVN) and US Special Forces
United States Special Operations Forces
United States Special Operations Forces under United States Special Operations Command are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military...
began to build a chain of bases south of the DMZ to interdict the flow of men and materiel from North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. These bases included:
- Dong HaDong HaĐông Hà is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around . Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor . It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station...
- Con ThienCon ThienCon Thien , was a United States Marine Corps combat base located near the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone about 3 km from North Vietnam...
- Camp CarrollCamp CarrollCamp Carroll was a United States Marine Corps artillery base during the Vietnam War. It was located at , 8 km southwest of the town of Cam Lo. Camp Carroll was also at the centroid of a large arc of the strategic Highway 9 corridor south of the DMZ, which made it a key facility.-History:The...
- The RockpileThe RockpileThe Rockpile , known in Vietnamese as Thon Khe Tri, is a karst rock outcropping near the former DMZ of South Vietnam. It rises to an elevation of 240 m MSL, about 210 m above the surrounding terrain...
- Ca LuCa LuCa Lu was a United States Marine Corps base located at on Highway or Route 9, near Krông Klang, Đa Krông District, western Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam....
- Khe SanhKhe SanhKhe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...
- Lang Vei
Route 9 became a vital supply artery to these bases and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) were frequently able to cut or ambush Route 9 during the "Border Battles" period from 1967 to 1969. Route 9 was the access road used in Operation Pegasus and Operation Lam Son 719
Operation Lam Son 719
Operation Lam Son 719 was a limited-objective offensive campaign conducted in southeastern portion of the Kingdom of Laos by the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam between 8 February and 25 March 1971, during the Vietnam War...
.
In recent years with the implementation of Vietnam's Doi Moi reforms there has been an increase in cross-border trade with Laos and Route 9 has been progressively upgraded. With the completion of the Ho Chi Minh Highway
Ho Chi Minh Highway
Ho Chi Minh Road or Ho Chi Minh Highway is a highway in Vietnam. It runs from the north to the south of Vietnam, west of National Road 1A. The highway was named after Hồ Chí Minh. The route roughly coincides with the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War...
, Route 9 has become an important link between the Ho Chi Minh Highway and Route 1.