Hospital Cave
On the road leading north from Cat Ba -- on your way from Cat Ba town to the Cat Ba National Park -- you'll crest a small hill and spy first a small cave entrance and ladder off to your right. Then you'll likely spot him: one of Vietnam's greatest treasures. Wearing his finest dress brown drabs and stiff officer's hat, 74-year-old Mr. Khoi will likely be out on the road waving you down. You see, these are his caves, more or less. Mr. Khoi is originally from the area, but the war against the United States took him far and wide as an artilleryman in the Viet Cong. Upon his retirement, the kindly Mr. Khoi took it upon himself to be the steward of this cave complex. The labyrinth of well-designed underground buildings once housed a large hospital and recovery rooms, as well as offices and planning rooms, ammunition storage, recreation rooms, a theater, and a small swimming pool. The caves are important vestiges of the war: In fact, this is the spot where Everett Alvarez, the first American pilot shot down in combat operations in Vietnam (on Aug 5, 1964), was originally held. The complex of concrete reinforced walls set deep in the cave was built from 1960 to 1965. But Mr. Khoi himself is the most memorable part of a visit here. He lines up visitors at the entrance and gives a bellowing North Vietnamese salute before entering the cave, where he hales forth with a constant stream of information while waving his flashlight from room to room. Be sure to go with a translator, or his voice will be lost. He has a wonderful message of peace and of how visitors to the cave take part in the healing and reconciliation process between Vietnam and the world and can move to the future. He even sings a rip-roaring military ballad for you. He'll ask you to sign his book and make comments, and you'll come away with a memory of his cherubic smile and a good feeling about life, peace, and possibilities.
On the road leading north from Cat Ba -- on your way from Cat Ba town to the Cat Ba National Park -- you'll crest a small hill and spy first a small cave entrance and ladder off to your right. Then you'll likely spot him: one of Vietnam's greatest treasures. Wearing his finest dress brown drabs and stiff officer's hat, 74-year-old Mr. Khoi will likely be out on the road waving you down. You see, these are his caves, more or less. Mr. Khoi is originally from the area, but the war against the United States took him far and wide as an artilleryman in the Viet Cong. Upon his retirement, the kindly Mr. Khoi took it upon himself to be the steward of this cave complex. The labyrinth of well-designed underground buildings once housed a large hospital and recovery rooms, as well as offices and planning rooms, ammunition storage, recreation rooms, a theater, and a small swimming pool. The caves are important vestiges of the war: In fact, this is the spot where Everett Alvarez, the first American pilot shot down in combat operations in Vietnam (on Aug 5, 1964), was originally held. The complex of concrete reinforced walls set deep in the cave was built from 1960 to 1965. But Mr. Khoi himself is the most memorable part of a visit here. He lines up visitors at the entrance and gives a bellowing North Vietnamese salute before entering the cave, where he hales forth with a constant stream of information while waving his flashlight from room to room. Be sure to go with a translator, or his voice will be lost. He has a wonderful message of peace and of how visitors to the cave take part in the healing and reconciliation process between Vietnam and the world and can move to the future. He even sings a rip-roaring military ballad for you. He'll ask you to sign his book and make comments, and you'll come away with a memory of his cherubic smile and a good feeling about life, peace, and possibilities.
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