During the American War, considerable fighting took place in 3 provinces (Dak Lak, Kon Tum and Gia Lai) which I visited on this trip. In the spring of 1972, the area in and around Kon Tum province was devastated by hundreds of US B-52 raids during the course of a major battle. You may have heard about the Charlie Hill, which was the famous site of the battle in Dak Tô - Tân Cảnh. Kon Tum city is the capital of Kon Tum province. There are more than 10 ethnic minority groups in this province, for example, Bahnar, Jrai, Sedang, Rengao etc. A few years ago I met an American veteran, who used to work as a helicopter maintenance engineer in Kon Tum during the late 1960s. He shared with me his surprise when he went
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