High above Cat Ba Town, on a hilltop rising 177 metres above the sea, sits one of the island’s most significant historical landmarks: Cannon Fort, known locally as Pháo Êi Thân Công, or by its wartime name, “Point 177.” If you’re staying with us at Lan Homestay in Viet Hai Village and want to understand the deeper history of Cat Ba beyond its beaches and bay, this fortress is where that story begins.
A fortress built for three wars
Cannon Fort was constructed on the hilltop overlooking Cat Ba Town in the late 1930s and early 1940s, during the French colonial period, and was further developed under Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Its position — 177 metres above sea level, with a clear line of sight over the entrance to the Gulf of Tonkin — made it one of the most strategically important defensive points on Vietnam’s northern coast.
Over the following decades, the fort was used successively by three different forces: the Japanese during WWII, French colonial troops during the First Indochina War, and Vietnamese forces during the resistance war against the United States. Large coastal-defense cannons, said to have a firing range of up to 40 kilometres, were installed to guard the sea approach, alongside an extensive network of bunkers, tunnels, and trenches carved into the hillside.
What’s inside the fort
The site is a genuine maze of military architecture: underground tunnels connecting gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery caves, command bunkers, and the restored cannon positions themselves. Walking through it gives a rare, tangible sense of how remote islands like Cat Ba played an outsized role in Vietnam’s modern military history.
Current status — please check before visiting
As of 2026, Cannon Fort is closed to visitors. The site was closed at the end of 2023 for conservation work, to protect the structure and its historical artifacts and ensure visitor safety while restoration continues. We keep this guide updated, but we always recommend checking current status locally before making a special trip up the hill.
In the meantime, if a panoramic hilltop view over Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay is what you’re after, our own Navy Peak trek from Viet Hai Village offers a similarly breathtaking — and currently open — alternative, with views over Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba National Park, and the village itself.
Getting there
Cannon Fort sits above Cat Ba Town, roughly a 20–30 minute walk or short motorbike ride from the town centre. It pairs naturally with a visit to Cat Ba National Park headquarters and the town’s harbor viewpoints. If you’re based at Lan Homestay in Viet Hai Village, the fort is best combined with a day spent in Cat Ba Town before or after your boat transfer.
For more on exploring the wider area, see our guide to the best attractions in Lan Ha Bay, or read about how to plan your trip to Lan Homestay.
Sources: VinWonders Wonderpedia, Traveloka Vietnam, Luhanh Vietnam, and local Cat Ba tourism information portals.
