Quang Tri Province has decided to preserve and reconstruct a tunnel found near the coast at Cua Tung dating back to the American War.

War tunnel unearthed

The 1.2-metre high and one-metre wide tunnel was dug during the American War. It has a Y shape with one branch stretching 200 metres.

This tunnel was unearthed at a depth of 4-5 metres while workers were digging the foundations of the Cua Tung Border Post. It is located very near to Cua Tung Estuary, and the Ben Hai River was the temporary demarcation line that split the country in 1954.

Local resident Hoang Van Doi said the tunnel was dug in 1962 and completed after four years. It partly collapsed in February 1968 during bombing. The elders and veterans expressed desire to set up a memorial stone with the names of those who died near the tunnel.

Quang Tri Historical Site and Scenic Preservation Centre proposed to reconstruct part of the tunnel as a historical site. The provincial border command was asked to work with agencies and researchers to find the remains of the deceased while rebuilding the tunnel.

The US escalated the war in north Vietnam between 1965-68. People in Vinh Linh District, Quang Tri Province, created a system of 114 tunnels and bunker villages across 15 coastal communes as shelters from the raids.

In January 2015, the tunnel village of Vinh Linh was recognised a special national historical site.