I spent one night in Dong Ha, which is decidedly not a western tourist destination. However it was convenient for the next day drive east on the infamous Route 9 towards the Laotian boarder and my visit to Khe Sahn.
These pictures include a view of the main street in Dong Ha taken from my hotel window, along with one in the room and the courtyard below.
It was, by central Vietnam standards, a very nice hotel however most westerners would probably be a bit uncomfortable. No sheets on the bed and large numbers of mosquitoes which were controlled to a point by a contingent of geckos hanging out in the shower, along with a can of bug spray the desk clerk gave me when I checked in.
Finally, around 10 PM an amplified Vietnamese voice began screaming God only knows what. There were megaphone speakers on poles near the hotel so the local Communist government could preach to the people. My guide Phuc explained the next morning that was simply the standard propaganda and that likely few other than me even bothered to listen. I couldn’t understand a word of it.
