Fodor's Expert Review Truong Son Martyrs Cemetery

Stretching over 202 acres, 27 km (8 miles) northwest of Dong Ha, this somber memorial site marks the final resting place for over 10,000 Vietnamese soldiers and civilians who lost their lives defending and maintaining the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War.

Each tomb is marked with the word "liet si" ("martyr"); some are adorned with pictures or sculptures of the deceased, and others lay empty, a mark of respect to one of the 300,000 soldiers that remain missing in action to this day. Along the way to Truong Son you'll pass Con Thien Firebase, an old French bunker located 1.5 km (1 mile) down a dirt track to the east of the road, barely visible through the rubber plantation that has taken over the area.