Hospital Cave Cat Ba 2026: History, Tickets and Trung Trang Cave

Hidden inside a limestone hill on the road across Cat Ba Island, Hospital Cave was a secret field hospital during the Vietnam War. It's one of the island's most memorable short visits, and Trung Trang Cave, a few kilometers up the same road, makes an easy pairing. This guide to Hospital Cave Cat Ba covers the history, what you'll see inside, 2026 tickets and hours, how to get there and how to fit both caves into one morning.

Updated October 2026. Tickets, opening hours and access can change with the season and the decisions of the site managers.

See also: Cat Ba National Park: Hikes, Caves and the Cat Ba Langur

See also: Cat Ba Entrance Fees 2026: Lan Ha Bay, National Park, Caves and More

1. What is Hospital Cave on Cat Ba?

Hospital Cave is a natural cave that was turned into a bomb-proof hospital in the 1960s. Built into the hill on three levels, it treated the wounded in secret while the island was under air attack. Today you can walk through its concrete rooms and dark corridors in well under an hour.

It sits beside the main road between Cat Ba Town and the national park, so it's easy to combine with a hike or a visit to Trung Trang Cave.

2. A short history of Hospital Cave

The cave was once known locally as Hung Son. As American bombing intensified in the mid-1960s, it was converted into a field hospital between 1963 and 1965 and stayed in use until 1975. Local government records credit the island's soldiers and residents with the work.

Accounts of its size vary, but the official district portal puts its capacity at around 200 patients. A hidden, rock-sheltered hospital let doctors keep working when buildings in the open would have been targets.

3. What to see inside Hospital Cave

The hospital covers about 2,000 square meters on three levels, with 17 rooms and a corridor of roughly 200 meters running between doors on the west and east sides.

• Level 1: Reinforced concrete rooms that once held the operating and emergency room, wards, a pharmacy, a kitchen and a meeting room.
• Upper levels: Natural cavern spaces used as a cinema and exercise room, plus reception, guard and officers' rooms.
• Defenses: A curved iron door built to deflect blast waves and a wooden staircase that could be pulled up.
• Details: A water tank, simple furniture and mannequins that help you picture the rooms in use.

The top level has been closed after rockfall, so you'll see the lower parts of the hospital. Expect about 100 steep steps up to the entrance, and allow 20–45 minutes inside. The cave isn't suitable for wheelchairs.

4. Where is Hospital Cave and how do you get there?

Hospital Cave is in Hai Son hamlet, partway up a hill beside the road that crosses Cat Ba Island, on the town side of the national park. Sources give distances from 7 to 13 kilometers, but by road it's roughly 8–10 kilometers from the town center, or around 15–20 minutes by car.

• Taxi: The easiest option. Ask the driver to wait, or arrange a pickup for the trip back.
• Scooter: Around VND 100,000–150,000 a day to rent in Cat Ba Town. The road is steep and winding, so ride only if you're experienced.
• Tour: Some island tours stop here on the way to the national park.

See also: Cat Ba Island Travel Guide 2026: How to Get There and What to Do

5. Hospital Cave tickets and opening hours in 2026

Hospital Cave isn't covered by Hai Phong's 2026 sightseeing fee schedule, and we couldn't find an official published tariff. Recent visitors report paying around VND 40,000–80,000 per adult in cash at the entrance, and travel sites quote figures in the same range. Local guides sometimes offer short tours at the door, and a tip is expected if you accept.

The cave usually opens daily from around 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Its status in 2026 isn't fully clear: at least one travel company has listed it as closed, while visitors in mid-2026 still got in. Ask your hotel before you set off.

6. Trung Trang Cave

Trung Trang Cave lies inside Cat Ba National Park, beside the cross-island road about a kilometer before the park headquarters and roughly 12–15 kilometers from Cat Ba Town. It's a natural cave rather than a wartime building, and the two sites complement each other well.

6.1. What to see in Trung Trang Cave

A walkway leads about 300–400 meters through the mountain, past stalactites, low ceilings and narrow passages. The lighting is kept dim on purpose to protect the bats that roost inside, which is why some people call it Bat Cave. During the war it also housed a naval radio station, and archaeologists have found traces of prehistoric habitation. A local legend links its name to a woman called Trung Trang.

You reach the entrance by a paved path and about 100–140 steps, and most visitors spend 30–60 minutes inside.

6.2. Trung Trang Cave tickets and hours

There's no cave-only ticket. Under Hai Phong's 2026 fee schedule, Trung Trang Cave is part of the national park's central route, which also takes in Kim Giao forest and Ngu Lam Peak. That route costs VND 120,000 per adult and VND 60,000 per child aged 6 and over, and children under 6 go free. Tickets are sold in cash at a roadside booth.

The park lists opening hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the last tickets go at around 4:00 p.m. Storm flooding hit the valley road in late August 2026, so check conditions after heavy rain.

7. Hospital Cave, Trung Trang Cave and Ngu Lam in one morning

The two caves and the Ngu Lam Peak hike sit on the same road, so they fit into one half day. Start at the national park before 9:00 a.m. and hike up Ngu Lam, a steep 2–3 hour round trip through Kim Giao forest. Visit Trung Trang Cave on your way out with the same ticket, then stop at Hospital Cave on the drive back to town.

If you have a full day, add a long lunch in Cat Ba Town or an afternoon on the beach. Cannon Fort, the hilltop fort near town, has been closed for conservation work, and reports from early 2026 say it hasn't reopened yet.

8. What to wear and bring

• Shoes: Closed shoes with good grip. Cave steps and forest paths are uneven and often damp.
• Layers: A light top for the cooler air inside the caves.
• Water: Bring a bottle, especially if you're adding the Ngu Lam hike.
• Insect repellent: Useful in the forest, and leeches appear after rain from about June to October.
• Cash: Small notes in Vietnamese dong for tickets, parking and drinks.

9. Good to know

• Best time of day: Arrive early, before tour groups, which tend to reach the caves from mid-morning.
• Rain: The caves give shelter, but steps get slippery, and heavy rain can flood the valley road.
• Parking: Expect a small parking fee for scooters and cars at the cave entrances.
• Respect: Hospital Cave is a historic wartime site, so keep your voice down inside.
• Opening status: Hours and access can change at short notice, so check with your hotel the day before.

10. FAQs about Hospital Cave Cat Ba

Hospital Cave Cat Ba takes less than an hour, but it tells a big part of the island's story, and Trung Trang Cave adds a natural cave just up the road. Check the opening status before you go, and pair both with the Ngu Lam hike for a full morning.

When you're back from the caves, Flamingo Cat Ba Sea & Sand Resort on Cat Co 1 and Cat Co 2 beaches is an easy place to cool down. Swim in the Shell Pool infinity pool on the 4th floor of the Sea tower, book a massage at SEVA Spa, or walk the Cau May Sky Walk between the towers on the 11th and 12th floors for views over the forest and the bay.

Plan your stay at Flamingo Cat Ba Sea & Sand Resort:

• Rooms and residences with Lan Ha Bay views
• Restaurants and sky bars
• Ruriko Onsen and SEVA Spa
• Free extras when you book direct

Photo: TomFitzhenry, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.