Dong Ha

Dong Ha Thành phố Đông Hà
Dong Ha Location of in Vietnam
Coordinates: 16°49′49″N 107°5′50″E / 16.83028°N 107.09722°E / 16.83028; 107.09722
Country	Vietnam
Province	Quang Tri
Area
- Total	72.96 km2 (28.2 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	82,046

Đông Hà ( listen) is the capital town of Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It is located at around 16°49′49″N 107°5′50″E / 16.83028°N 107.09722°E / 16.83028; 107.09722Coordinates: 16°49′49″N 107°5′50″E / 16.83028°N 107.09722°E / 16.83028; 107.09722. Dong Ha is situated at the crossroads of National Highway 1A and Route 9, part of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC). It lies on the Reunification Express Railway and is served by Dong Ha Railway Station. EWEC is an economic development program which includes Northeast Thailand, Southern Laos, and central Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, Dong Ha was the northernmost town in South Vietnam and was the location on a strategically important U.S. Marine Combat Base, outposted to provide surveillance of troops movements across the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Dong Ha was overrun on March 31, 1972, during the initial assaults of the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive.

Tourists come to Dong Ha nowadays, especially ex-servicemen from the U.S. and Vietnam, who nearly always include a DMZ tour in their programs. The contemporary Vietnamese singer Nhu Quynh was born in Dong Ha in 1970.