NORTH VIETNAM RECONSTRUCTS THE RAIL LINE TOWARD SOUTH VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T05439A000300360046-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2001
• Sequence Number: 46
• Publication Date: April 1, 1964
• Content Type: BRIEF

Approved For Release 2001/11/07 : CIA-RDP78TO5439A000300360046-3
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Approved For Release 2001/11/07 : CIA-RDP78TO5439A000300360046-3
 mmwAA.Ll~ Y-%
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
Current Support Brief
NORTH VIETNAM RECONSTRUCTS THE RAIL LINE
TOWARD SOUTH VIETNAM
CIA/RR CB 64-29
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
S-1?s ~ Q5
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
GROUP 1
Excluded from automatic
It) d declaudcotion and
 Supplied with material and technical aid from Communist China, the
North Vietnamese are making steady progress in reconstructing the rail
line leading south to Vinh, the major staging area for the shipment of
supplies on routes 7, 8, and 12 to Laos and through Laos to South Vietnam
(see the map, Figure 1). Completion of the line to Vinh, scheduled for
May 1964, and expansion of the road capacities in Laos will increase sig-
nificantly Communist military capabilities in southern Indochina. The
North Vietnamese also have started initial reconstruction of the rail line
leading south from Vinh toward South Vietnam, but there is no indication
that the line will be extended entirely to the 17th parallel at the present
time. The intention of the Noicth Vietnamese may be to extend the line
only as far as the junction with route 12, approximately 90 kilometers (km)
below Vinh and 190 km from the 17th parallel.
a. Progress of Reconstruction
25X1 D
Until 1961 the North Vietnamese did little to rebuild the 150-km
section of meter-gauge rail line leading south from Ham Rong to Vinh
that was destroyed during the French-Indochinese War, but concentrated
their efforts instead on rebuilding the lines in the northern part of the
country that radiate from Hanoi to the port of Haiphong, to the Chinese
border, and to the Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Combine. In early 1961,
however, the Chinese Communists agreed to help North Vietnam recon-
struct the Ham Rong Bridge, 160 meters long and 17 meters wide, near
Thanh Hoa -- the major obstacle to the extension of the line southward to
Vinh. The Chinese have provided technicians, heavy work barges, and
steel construction materials, and by the bridge had reached
an advanced stage of construction -- tie approac hes, the abutments, and
the center pier were completed, and half of the steel superstructure was
in place (see the photograph, Figure 2). Manual labor for construction of
the roadbed below the Ham Rong Bridge is being performed by "thousands"
of members of the Lao Dong Youth Federation under the provocative slocan
and, barring unforeseen problems in construction of the Ham Rong Bridge,
the line to Vinh and to the port of Ben Thuy 3 km below Vinh on the Song
Ca probably could be completed in May 1964.
indicated that track had been laid almost to the airfield Just north of V-41-111,
of "for our South Vietnamese blood brothers. " Photography in
This width is sufficient to accommodate a standard-gauge rail line, a
roadway, and ~~ alk~~ ays on either side.
 b. Significance of Reconstruction
There is no immediate economic justification for reconstructing
the rail line South of Ham Rong, nor is there, at the present low level of
support to the insurgents in Laos and South Vietnam, any military justifi-
cation. Rehabilitation of the line to Vinh and expansion of road capacities
in Laos, however, will increase significantly Communist military capa-
bilities in southern Indochina. Vinh is the major staging area for the
movement of men and materiel to central and southern Laos and to South
Vietnam through Laos. At the present time, most supplies destined for
central and southern Laos probably are transported by rail from Hanoi
to Ham Rong and then by truck on route 1 to Vinh. A substantial increase
in the amount of supplies delivered to Vinh would require additional
trucks, spare parts, and fuel, all of which are scarce in North Vietnam.
Large shipments by coastal water are hindered by the small size of the
coastal fleet and the limited capacity of the port of Ben Thuy. Rail ser-
vice to Vinh, therefore, will increase the supply capability while decreas-
ing delivery time. Trucks that are now being used north of Vinh will be
available for use in transporting supplies on routes 7, 8, and 12 into Laos.
Although the present level of traffic on these roads is not known, it is
believed to be well below the estimated road capacities as shown in the
table. Moreover, the capacities of these roads can be increased with
additional construction and constant maintenance. Work is currently
underway on routes 7 and 12, the major supply routes to the Plaine des
Jarres and to southern Laos, respectively.
Estimated Capacities of Selected Roads in Laos a/
7 36
Limited all-zreather road ~L, t oSC5C to
8 Fair ea tier road 27 i;e[l .
Li:-_lted all-~:cat,her road
12
a. Estimates Ii nd _ Cate su"ta-i ned for;: a rd caraci ty and allo . for the
return Of empty truc''.c. The c ~i-._ate o_ car "...'city for any road,
however, should not be re Carded precise s.,. temen_u of its
carryinC ab-ility bu only c? an order o ::a i rude .
 25X6
25X6
The North Vietnamese have not announced publicly their intention
to reconstruct the 280-km meter-gauge section of the rail line from
Vinh to the 17th parallel, but some work has started on parts of this
line.
starting at a point approximately 20 km below Vinh and continuing inter-
mittently for a distance of about 40 km along a section where the line
cuts inland away from the coast. The roadbed is being restored and
some of the smaller bridges are being rebuilt, but no work has yet
started on any of the large bridges that were destroyed during the
French-Indochinese War (see the photograph, Figure 3) -- including
the two large bridges directly southwest of Vinh over the Song Ca and
the Song Giang.
Aerial pho -
ography reveals that reconstruction work is in a preliminary stage,
In contrast to the Ham Rong - Vinh section, the line from Vinh to
the 17th parallel has at least nine major bridges that are out, ranging
from 100 to 425 meters in length. It has taken the North Vietnamese
more than 3 years to reconstruct the Ham Rong Bridge, and a comparable
period of time would be required to rebuild a number of the larger bridges
bel-ow Vinh. It is unlikely, therefore, that the line could be extended all
the way to the 17th parallel much before 1967, even with a stepped-up
construction effort.
The North Vietnamese, ho%%,ever, may intend to rehabilitate the
rail line only as far south as route 12 at the present time. The line now
is under construction near the area where route 12 turns west toward
the Laotian border, about 90 km south of Vinh, but no work has been
observed below this area. In order to extend rail-freight service to
route 12 without rebuilding the two large bridges directly southwest
of Vinh, a rail ferry would be required. The total distance by ferry
from the port of Ben Thuy up the Song Giang to the southern section
of the rail line is about 20 km. The water depth in this area is at least
2. 5 meters at low Atwater, a depth sufficient for the use of rail ferries.
 Il.rrn f:.,nti
I ndrr Rci unarucuun
fir,-tton l_ndcr }tc
nn.tfuc-unn Sch.-dnl?I f,,.
I ndt y I n-c ?n.trucn?n
LAOS and NORTH VIETNAM
Railroads and
Selected Roads
8cr, 7~
Vinh
SECRET
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
 llarn }tong Bridge t ndcr Construction
Note th.tt het-t-1 the first span linking the
north hank of the Song \l.r to the center pier has peen completed
NO FOREIGN DISSEM SECRET