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Eight Ladies Cave

Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tám Cô) is a special national historical relic on Road 20 - Quyết Thắng in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, marking the site where eight young Youth Volunteers - four men and four women - were killed by American bombing on November 14, 1972, while sheltering in a roadside cave.

Vietnam War MemorialSpecial National Historical RelicHistoryRoadside Site
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Overview

Best Time to Visit
Any time of day works, though many visitors combine a stop here with a morning or afternoon drive along Road 20 - Quyết Thắng
Entry Fee
Free
Opening Hours
Open daily, roughly 7 AM - 5 PM
Address
Tân Trạch, Bố Trạch, Quảng Bình

Things to Know

Crowds
Quiet and serene, with minimal visitor traffic
Accessibility
The cave entrance is sealed and cannot be entered; visitors view it from outside. About a 50m walk from the parking area to the site.

About This Place

What Makes Eight Ladies Cave Special

Eight Ladies Cave - Hang Tám Cô - is part of the special national historical relic complex on Road 20 - Quyết Thắng, at Km 16+200, in Tân Trạch commune within Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, roughly 20m deep and 10m wide. The name predates the 1972 tragedy: locals had long called this stretch after a nearby liaison station once staffed by eight cheerful young women, and the name stuck even after a different, mixed-gender group died here. On the afternoon of November 14, 1972, eight young Youth Volunteers (Thanh Niên Xung Phong) - accounts consistently describe four men and four women - were sheltering in the cave when American bombing struck the area; a large dislodged rock sealed the entrance, trapping all eight inside, who died from lack of oxygen and food. Their ages are usually given as around 18-20, with one member older (different sources cite this as either 25 or 37). Sources differ on the exact names recorded, though several commemorative accounts list them as Trần Thị Tơ, Lê Thị Mai, Đỗ Thị Loan, and Lê Thị Lương among the women, and Nguyễn Văn Huệ, Hoàng Văn Vụ, Nguyễn Mậu Kỷ, and Nguyễn Hữu Phương among the men - members of Company 217 (part of the Quảng Bình Youth Volunteer Corps) tasked with keeping this stretch of the strategic Road 20 open under heavy bombing during the war, and reportedly originally from Thanh Hóa province. The cave itself remained sealed for nearly 24 years: on March 22, 1996, a search team used explosives to clear the blocking rock and recovered all eight sets of remains, which were formally handed over and returned to their home province of Thanh Hóa for burial on June 4, 1996. The cave sits within a larger memorial complex that also includes the Đền thờ các Anh hùng liệt sĩ đường 20 - Quyết Thắng (Memorial Temple for the Road 20 - Quyết Thắng martyrs), and the site - officially the Special National Historical Relic of Road 20 - Quyết Thắng and Eight Youth Volunteers Cave - is a place of pilgrimage for Vietnamese travellers, particularly around the anniversary of the incident and on War Invalids and Martyrs Day (27 July).

How to Get There

Getting There

Eight Ladies Cave sits directly on Road 20 - Quyết Thắng at Km 16+200, roughly 55-70km northwest of Đồng Hới (sources vary on the exact distance) and about 1.5-2 hours by road from Phong Nha. It's reachable by motorbike, car, or bus - no guide or trekking is required, and the road is paved. One common route follows Road 20 - Quyết Thắng to Trạ Ang bridge, then continues around 4km further to the site; an alternative is via the western Hồ Chí Minh trail to Trạ Ang bridge, then following signage the rest of the way.

What to Expect

On the Ground

The site includes the cave itself - a modest opening in the roadside karst, now sealed and not enterable - along with a memorial area, shrine, and the adjacent Road 20 martyrs' memorial temple nearby. Information panels and a memorial wall explain the history for visitors. It's a quiet, contemplative stop rather than a physical exploration site: most visitors spend a short time here paying respects and reading the history before continuing their journey. The broader Road 20 - Quyết Thắng corridor, of which this is one stop, was a heavily bombed strategic supply route during the war, and other memorial sites and a war cemetery lie along the same road.

Travel Tips

Tips

Eight Ladies Cave is one of the more accessible historical stops in the Phong Nha area precisely because it sits right on the road rather than requiring a trek - it fits easily into a day that also includes the Phong Nha cave system or a drive along Road 20 - Quyết Thắng itself, a scenic route through national park forest with its own wartime significance. Because the visit itself is brief, most travellers treat it as one stop among several on a fuller day out along this corridor rather than a standalone destination.

Insider Tips

Based on real traveler experiences and commonly mentioned advice from multiple visitors.

Consider a guide if you want deeper context connecting this site to the broader history of Road 20 - Quyết Thắng and the wider Phong Nha area
This is a history and remembrance stop rather than a cave-exploration site
The site lies along the western Hồ Chí Minh trail corridor, near other wartime historical sites in the region
This is a national memorial site and a place of pilgrimage for Vietnamese visitors - approach it with the same respect you would give any war memorial
The site is directly accessible by road (motorbike, car, or bus) on Road 20 - Quyết Thắng at Km 16+200 - no jungle trek or guide is required to reach it, despite what some older write-ups suggest
The cave entrance itself is sealed (blocked by a large rock dislodged in the original bombing) and cannot be entered - visitors pay respects at the memorial area and shrine outside
Vietnamese visitors often bring incense, fresh flowers, or fruit as offerings - elaborate offerings aren't expected, and sincerity matters more than what you bring
Morning (roughly 7:00-9:00 AM) or mid-afternoon (around 3:00-4:00 PM) tend to be quieter and more contemplative than midday
Locals consider the site spiritually significant - visitors are generally advised to stay respectful in word and manner while inside, in keeping with local custom
A short stop of 15-30 minutes is typical, though the adjacent Đền thờ các Anh hùng liệt sĩ đường 20 - Quyết Thắng (memorial temple for the Road 20 martyrs) is worth the extra few minutes if you want a fuller picture of the site's history
Time needed: 15-30 minutes for the memorial site itself

FAQ

Common questions from travelers who've visited this place.

Can I enter the cave?›
No - the cave entrance has been sealed since the original incident and is marked not to enter. Visitors view it from outside and pay respects at the memorial area.
What happened at this cave in 1972?›
On November 14, 1972, eight young Youth Volunteers - accounts describe four men and four women, despite the site's popular name - took shelter in the cave during American bombing of this stretch of Road 20. A large rock dislodged by the bombing sealed the entrance, trapping and killing all eight.
If four of the eight were men, why is it called 'Eight Ladies Cave'?›
The name predates the 1972 tragedy. A nearby liaison station had previously been staffed by eight young women, and locals had already been calling the area after them; the name was kept afterward as a way of remembering the fallen, even though the group who died there in 1972 was of mixed gender.
How long does it take to visit?›
Most visitors spend 15-30 minutes at the memorial site itself, including the short walk from parking, the shrine, and the information displays. The adjacent Road 20 martyrs' memorial temple is worth a few extra minutes if you have time.

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