Hang Quân Y

Useful Information

Location:	Trân Châu, Cát Hải, Hải Phòng, Vietnam. In the center of Cát Bà island, on Đường Hùng Sơn (Hung Son Road) at the northern end of the village Trân Châu. (20.7700933, 107.0207376)
Open:	All year daily 8-17. [2024]
Fee:	Adults VND 80,000, Children (<1.2m) VND 40,000, Guide VND 15,000. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave Secret Bunker
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=200 m. Bunker: Ar=2,000 m².
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Hang Quân Y, Trân Châu, Cát Hải, Hải Phòng, Tel: +84-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1963–1965	hospital bunker built inside the cave.
1975	bunker abandoned.

Description

Hang Quân Y (Hospital Cave, Military Hospital Cave, Army Hospital Cave) is a natural cave named Hung Son which was transformed into a bunker. In this case it was not a command center or military installation, it was a hospital. Cat Ba Island was inhabited mostly by Viet-Chinese fisherman. As it was a strategic look-out point, it was the place of fights and bombing during the French and American wars. These are the local names for the fight for independence from colonial France in the late 1940s and the Vietnam War between North and South Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s, which was actually a war between Communism and a Capitalism. This cave was transformed into a hospital and a safe house for Viet Cong leaders by the construction of a concrete bunker inside.

The bunker has three levels, the cave is obviously quite big. On the ground floor is the main hospital with 14 function rooms such as operating rooms, waiting rooms and medicinal treatment facilities. The second floor has a cinema and a practice room and fitness room. The third floor is the administration, rooms for guards and officers, including some confidential tactical rooms, which are still secret and closed to the public. This field hospital was big enough for up to 100 patients. The bunker has several entrances and electricity, water and sewage, as well as a ventilation system. However, the equipment was not very good, for example, they had no generator. The electricity required for the light was generated by soldiers pedalling on special bicycles. The entrance door was small and curved, to resist bullets and bombs. The door was also soundproof, concealing the existence of the field hospital.

The bunker was built in the early 1960s with Chinese help, and was in use until 1975. Later, the abandoned bunker was used by the locals as a shelter during heavy storms. Today the trail to the cave is concrete and stone stairs. During the war, the stairs leading up to the cave entrance were detachable wooden stairs for camouflage purposes. The cave now has a monument for fallen soldiers. It seems the cave is visited self-guided, which is quite common in Vietnam, but there are local tour guides which can be hired for a small fee. A few years ago, visitors reported that they were guided by a former army general, who shared patriotic songs and war anecdotes with the visitors. It seems this is over, most likely he retired.

The cave was originally known as Hung Son. Son is the name of a general of the Tran dynasty who fought in the battle on Bach Dang river. According to legend, he discovered the cave. Outside the bunker, there are still stalactites and stalagmites, the cave is much bigger than the bunker. Concrete platforms with benches were used by the patients of the hospital.