Ben Hai River

With a total length of about 100km, Ben Hai River is located in central Vietnam that became an important landmark in the partition of the country into a northern and a southern zone along the 17th parallel by the Geneva Accords of 1954. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two parts extended about 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from both sides of the river. Ben Hai River originates from Annamite Mountains bordering Laos and flows into the South China Sea at Cua Tung.

There is a famous bridge over Ben Hai River - Hien Luong Bridge, also called Peace Bridge built from steel by the French in 1950, which was bisected between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. At the time of the partition, the principal north-south road (Highway 1) crossed the Ben Hai River over Hien Luong Bridge. After the partition, the northern portion of the bridge was painted red and the southern portion yellow. The bridge was damaged during the Vietnam War in 1967. Later, a modern bridge was built next to the old bridge.