Ben Cat was one of the larger towns in the province surrounding the 1st Division base camp at Lai Khe. The town is on the eastern edge of the l40 square mile region known as the Iron Triangle. The Iron Triangle was a major Viet Cong stronghold at the beginning of the build of US military forces in Vietnam, in 1966 and 1967. Operation Cedar Falls, the largest operation of the war, was an operation to clear that Viet Cong stronghold. It ended on 26 January 1967, after 2700 acres of jungle had been cleared, and 500 tunnels and 1100 bunkers destroyed.
Bridge
leading west of Ben Cat to Andien and the Iron Triangle.
What's
happens when you put a tank and a tank retriever, each weighing over 50 tons,
on a bridge rated to support 50 tons.
Sunset
near the bridge entering Ben Cat.
Entering
Ben Cat from Highway 13 on the south.
Entering
Ben Cat from the west, near the bridge to the Iron Triangle.
Ben
Cat from the north, leading to Long Cau.
Central
Ben Cat.
A
small bus entering central Ben Cat from the east.
The open farmers market in Ben Cat.
Boys
at the flag pole in central Ben Cat.
Young
boy in Ben Cat.
A
young girl taking care of her brother.
Inside
a general store in central Ben Cat.
The
central water well in Ben Cat.
Washing
clothes in the river on the west side of Ben Cat.
