Cửa Việt Base

Cửa Việt Base (also known as Cửa Việt Combat Base, Cửa Việt Naval Support Activity, Camp Kistler or simply Cửa Việt) is a former U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base north of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam.

1966-7
The base was located at the mouth of the Cửa Việt/Thạch Hãn River approximately 16 km north of Quảng Trị and only approximately 10 km south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

1972-5
In late October 1972 the ARVN began attacks north of Quảng Trị to try to regain positions along the south bank of the Cam Lo/Cửa Việt River. The attacks were met with a stiff People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) response and were stopped at the Thạch Hãn River. A further attack from the coast by the Vietnamese Marines in November made limited gains. As the ongoing peace negotiations would soon lead to a ceasefire, the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff sought the most advantageous battlefield positions possible and so ordered a further effort to regain the south bank of the Cam Lo/Cửa Việt River. In mid-January 1973 an attack by the South Vietnamese Marine supported by armor initially succeeded in recapturing the base, but was stopped some 5 km east of Đông Hà. The South Vietnamese forces were finally pushed back by a North Vietnamese counterattack with considerable losses on both sides.

Following the capture of the base the PAVN integrated it into their logistics network in northern Quảng Trị Province. During the 1975 Spring Offensive, the PAVN moved the 66th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 202nd Armored Brigade by rail to Vinh and then by ship to Cửa Việt.

Current use
The port remains in use.