The 'Logic' of the Seventeenth Parallel as a Boundary in Indochina

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42Yearbook of the AssociationVol. 1 8 THE 'LOGIC OF THE SEVENTEENTH PARALLEL AS A BOUNDARY IN INDOCHINA Forrest R. Pitts University of Oregon On July 21, 1954, the newly created Communist state of North Vietnam was separated from "free" South Vietnam by a line running close to the 17th parallel north, from the seacoast westward to the crest of the mountains* Thus the 17th parallel joined the 38th parallel in the minds of 1he public as a geodetic boundary between the Communist world and the "free," and the mountain chain between Laos and Tonking joined the Oder-Neisse, the Danube and the Rhodope mountains in serving as more "natural" boundaries between the great ideologies of our time. Based upon an ad hoc decision of the Geneva Armistice Conference, it was officially termed the "provisional military demarcation line." The choice of this line was immediately attacked by various news commentators and scholars. After type had been set, but before the printing of Asia: East by South, at the time of partition,, Joseph E. Spencer had a twenty-four hour opportunity to add a brief comment to his manuscript and, in doing so hurriedly wrote a statement containing the following: ". . . the present lines of demarcation correspond to nothing in either the physical or cultural landscapes."1 Before we can condemn a new boundary, we should first thoroughly consider its possible advantages, something Spencer obviously had no opportunity to do. We should ask ourselves to what extent it marks topographical and ecological , historical, and cultural transition areas. It is the purpose of this paper to examine for the Indochina coast the various criteria that are used to delimit "geographic" regions. If even one boundary in nature comes close to the ad hoc political boundary, then there would be — in logic at least — one point in favor of it. If two or three boundaries were found nearby the 'logic' of the unpopular boundary would be thereby strengthened. Nature of the Boundary When we examine the actual line of demarcation, we find that contrary to popular belief, nowhere is the 17th parellel of north latitude actually used as a boundary, a fact of which no one was aware at the first news announcement. The sea boundary starts at the mouth of the Benhai river (Fig. 1) and trends northeast "perpendicular to the general trend of the coast."2 The landward section of the demarcation line follows the thalweg of the Benhai river in a southwestward direction to a point about eight miles, or fourteen kilometers, south of the 17th parallel.3 From that point, which marks the southernmost part of the * Both states compete in using the name Vietnam, the term Vietminh properly referring only to the political movement in North Vietnam. 1956of Pacific Coast Geographers43 Fig. 1. Demarcation of the Indochina Boundary near the 17th Parallel 44 Yearbook of the Association Vol. 18 Honol '° STRUCTURE CLIMATE Porte d Annom Mw Col des Nuages Touren t Phnom ?·?? SAIGON Fig. 2. Structural and Climatic Criteria for the Indochina Boundary. 1956 of Pacific Coast Geographers 45 ECOLOGY COffM\»0 V las' durlon mdngo ijjjiDrum,; CULTURE Han China Chin··· proiua ^ Champa £m»lro Red-brown cloth·· Man; tieIrcut« Woman: grindstone hat· "pur·" Annam··· CactiM had«·· Block cloth·· 'psych·* knelt muahroom hot· "Anmynftliad" Moi ond Chôma s//;"" »'* 17e HOUSC TYKS • III ? % CI.T.ÄL: m — ^ ? M ?a? Fig. 3. Ecologie and Cultural Criteria for the Indochina Boundary. 46Yearbook of the AssociationVol. 18 Fig. 4. The Porte d'Annam, from Gourou (Citation 8, page 16). Fig- 5. The northern grindstone hat, from Franck (Citation 1 1 , page 256). Fig. 6. The southern mushroom hat, from Franck (Citation 1 1, page 104). 1956of Pacific Coast Geographers47 river's course, a geodetic line proceeds directly westward to the Annam-Laos line, passing just south of the small village of Hohosu. The geodetic line closely follows the ridge of hills south of the Benhai river. Parallel to the demarcation line and extending from the Laos boundary to the sea, is a demilitarized zone ten kilometers, or about six miles, wide.4 This zone includes the "communist-side" village of Quatung — with its famous swimming beach —5 and the "free-zone" village of...

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