A Shau Valley
A Shau area lodens remarked
Discover the A Luoi District, sandwiched between the western part of Central Vietnam’s mountainous A Shau Valley and the Laotian border (Saravane and Sekong Provinces), and gain insight into some of the strategic focal points during the Vietnam War. Together with Ashau Special Forces Camp and Ta Bat, A Luoi Camp formed the backbone in the U.S. Special Forces’ presence in the Ashau Valley. Today, little remains from the military base except the enduring old runway stretching across the rural town of A Luoi.
Operation in A Luoi
Ashau Special Forces Camp, located only two miles from the Laotian border, one of the most inaccessible valleys in the country. During the Vietnam War, the U.S Army Special Forces occupying Camp A Shau were able to monitor NVA activity along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The surrounding hills reach approximately 1500 feet above the valley floor. Due to surrounding mountains and low-lying clouds and fog, access to the valley by air could be difficult. In 1966, A Luoi and A Shau camps were abandoned due to increased pressure from the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces and the A Shau Valley became a major PAVN base area supporting operations throughout Central Highlands.
A Luoi mountain © Mack Payne
Climb the infamous Ap Bia Mountain, which American troops called Hamburger Hill, or Hill 937, where a deadly battle in May 1969 which lasted 11 days carnage by both sides to take control of the high ground. Rising from the floor of western A Shau Valley, Ap Bia is a solitary massif unconnected to the ridges of the surrounding Annamite range. The entire mountain is an uninviting wilderness blanketed in double- and triple-canopy jungle, dense thickets of bamboo forests, and fields of high elephant grass. The Proto-Indochinese who inhabit the area call Ap Bia the mountain of the crouching beast.
Meet Ms. Ho Can Lich, a Vietnamese Amazonian, originating from A Luoi, the first woman declared a People’s Armed Force Hero who led a 160-strong, all-female guerrilla brigade during the war. Drive along the famous Hô Chi Minh trail and stop at a “Montagnard” village to become acquainted with the Bru people. Enjoy fantastic mountain views while passing through Katu and Ta Oy ethnic villages, green hills, crystal-clear bubbling streams and pretty waterfalls.
