Quang Tri Province

Quang Tri is the name of both a province of Vietnam, and its major city; the capital is Dong Ha. During the Vietnam War, it was the northernmost province of South Vietnam, with its northern border on the Demilitarized Zone between the two Vietnams. It is now considered part of north central Vietnam. Quang Binh Province is its northern neighbor and Thua Thien-Hue Province on the south. Like its northern neighbor, Laos forms its western side and its eastern side is on the South China Sea.

While little is left of it, there was a historically significant Citadel. The Battle of Khe Sanh was in the province.

It is still one of the most war-damaged parts of Vietnam. Its major east-west road is National Highway 9, which intersects the north-south National Highway 1. There is a very serious problem with unexploded ordnance; clearing is in progress but is slow. There is also residual chemical damage from deforestation. Farming is limited to subsistence.

It was captured by the North Vietnamese during the Easter Offensive of 1972, and changed hands after heavy bombing. 11 of 3500 villages were intact in 1975; every building in Quang Binh Province (now in Quang Binh Province) and Quang Tri city were gone. The largely Catholic area was policed roughly after the war ended.