Cannon fort, Cat Ba’s visiting points
In about 1938, French colonialist occupiedd Cat Ba island, after investigating the island, French army discovered that among 366 islands of Cat Ba archipelago, the mountainwith the height of 177 m is located in the South and meets important requirements for observation and self-defence in the seashore. Therefore, they chose this moutain to place “Height 177”. In 1942, they decided to arrange cannon battlefield here.
In 1945, Japan fascit staged a coup d’etat to French army and occupied Cat Ba island. French army retreated and left cannon and bullets but remove firing-pin which is used to blow up bullets. Therefore, these cannons were un-useful. When Japan fascist surrendered, Cat Ba island belonged to Vietnam revolution force, “Battlefield of Cannon fort” at height 177 was man-aged by Ky Con company – Hai Phong soldiers and Cat Ba people. When French army came back, their warships shot cannon to the island from the offshore, Ky Con company and Cat Ba people used cannon left by French army in the past to shoot back by loading bullets to cannon, hammer the ignite instead of firing-pin. By this way, the soldiers continued shooting to French warship. Military experts said that this was the first land-against-sea cannon completion between our military and French army in Ben Rung, so it was forced to drop the cannon to the sea.
In the 60 – 70th decade of the past century, seashore self-defence plan was change; therefore the Height 177 was abandoned.
During the business travel in Cat Ba, Minister of National Defence Phung Quang Thanh visited the Height 177 and decided to handover for Cat Hai island district to develop a tourist attraction so that people of Cat Hai district as well as visitors everywhere to Cat Ba enjoy wonderful landscape which the Creator presents our country leadership of Cat Hai district assigned Department of Culture – Spot – Tourism to direct and investment until Hung Vuong investment Joint stock Company to explore the Height 177 and name this tourist attraction “Cannon fort”.
Apart from trench sections embanked with large and thick cubic meters of stone, bulky section compared with domes going deep into hillside and enough large space for the whole delegation to pass though. All neglected and simple features impress specially tourists about historical evidence which is nearly undamaged.
Tuan Chau Pearl Isle
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