Quảng Trị Province is located in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam, bordered by Quảng Bình Province to the north and Thừa Thiên-Huế Province to the south; Savannakhet Province in Laos to the west and the South China Sea to the east. The region was seized by the French by 1874 and, in 1887, it became part of the Annam Protectorate of French Indochina. Upon the division of Vietnam in 1954 into North and South, Quảng Trị became the northernmost province of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), bordering the 17th Parallel Demilitarized Zone. From 1964, the province gradually became a centre for American bases. The provincial capital, Quảng Trị City, was the battleground for the first Battle of Quảng Trị (1968), the second Battle of Quảng Trị (March 1972) and the third Battle of Quảng Trị (June 1972). However, conflict in Quảng Trị Province during the Second Indochina War can be traced back to 1966.
