Route 9 Problem

The Battle for Lang Vei

When the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) planned to send forty thousand troops to attack the six thousand US Marines at Khe Sanh in 1968, it expected a decisive victory. Certainly, the small US Special Forces camp in the way at Lang Vei would be quickly overcome.  

The tough, tenacious defenders at Lang Vei had other ideas. The two dozen US Army Green Berets and their four hundred tribesmen at Lang Vei gave the NVA such a monumental headache that they became known as the “Route 9 problem” all the way to the highest levels of the North Vietnamese government. Even the NVA’s tanks—their first use in the war—couldn’t completely defeat the stubborn US fighters.

More than an intense, moment-by-moment description of the battle, Route 9 Problem: The Battle for Lang Vei details the personal side—who these men were, how they got there, who was waiting for them back home.

Dave Stockwell has done an excellent job putting together so many different points of view and making them blend into the true story that will live as long as the US Army has soldiers that proudly wear the Green Beret.

— William R. Phillips,  Author of Night of the Silver Stars: The Battle of Lang Vei

A masterpiece! The hair-raising account of the renowned fight will leave you feeling you were there. When enemy tanks breach the perimeter wire at the start of the battle, you’ll break out in a sweat. Route 9 Problem—The Battle for Lang Vei is a must-read for every Viet Nam veteran and for anyone else who needs a good dose of patriotism.

— Gary Linderer, US Army Ranger Hall of Fame
    Author of The Eyes of the Eagle and Others on Vietnam 

One of the most outstanding books we have read, Route 9 Problem delivers an honest rendering of that conflict in the words of those who fought. By showcasing each branch of the service’s unique capabilities, Stockwell provides a fresh and thoughtful look at Lang Vei’s enduring truths of leading, planning, and showing courage in combat. 

— Victor Holman, US Army Lieutenant Colonel Retired and Somalia Veteran, and
    Emmanuel Holman, US Army Captain and Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran