Memorial Temple of the Martyrs of Route 20 – Quyet Thang

The Eight Youth Volunteers Cave (also known as Eight Ladies Cave) and the Memorial Temple of the Martyrs of Route 20 – Quyet Thang are located at Km 16 on Route 20 – Quyet Thang, Tan Trach Commune, Quang Tri Province.

During the years of resistance against the United States for national salvation, Route 20 – Quyet Thang was known as a “coordinate of fire,” a vital transportation artery and “a red thread piercing through the Truong Son Range.” This road became a powerful symbol of courage, resilience, and the unwavering determination of Vietnam’s Youth Volunteer forces.

Along this historic route, countless outstanding sons and daughters of the nation bravely sacrificed their lives to keep the lifeline of transportation open. Among tens of thousands of silent sacrifices, the story of the eight youth volunteers at Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tam Co) remains deeply moving and unforgettable for generations whenever it is recalled.

On June 20, 1971, the young men and women: Nguyen Van Hue (1952), Nguyen Huu Phuong (1954), Nguyen Mau Ky (1947), Hoang Van Vu (1953), Do Thi Loan (1952), Le Thi Luong (1953), Le Thi Mai (1952), and Tran Thi To (1954), all from (Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province)enthusiastically answered the call of the Fatherland. They joined Youth Volunteer Unit 163, C217, under Command 67, undertaking the mission of road construction, bomb crater repair, and ensuring traffic flow along Route 20 – Quyet Thang.

On November 14, 1972, the sky over Route 20 turned dark and heavy, shattered by the roar of aircraft engines and the relentless bombardment of coordinate bombs. The Truong Son forests trembled as the earth was torn apart. Route 20 was ripped open and devastated, while thick smoke blanketed the vast mountains.

Amid the smoke and fire, those on duty at Km 16+500 suddenly heard a strange, deep, heavy sound, echoing like the earth and sky writhing. The entire mountainous region shuddered, as if it had just suffered a violent earthquake.

As the bomb smoke began to clear, the youth volunteers rushed back onto the road to fill bomb craters, rescue the wounded, and search for missing comrades. In that moment between life and death, a youth volunteer squad consisting of To, Luong, Loan, Mai, Hue, Phuong, Vu, and Ky (four men and four women) hurried into a small roadside cave to take shelter. Tragically, a massive bombing collapsed the cave entrance, burying them beneath hundreds of tons of rock.

They became one with the Truong Son Mountains, living forever with the land and the nation. From that moment on, Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tam Co) became a shared tomb in the heart of the great forest - a place where time seems to stand still, yet the indomitable spirit of those brave souls endures through the years.

That same fiery afternoon, five artillery soldiers of Unit 5043 also fell heroically: Mai Duc Hung, Dinh Cong Dinh, Nguyen Van Quan, Sam Van Mac, and Nguyen Van Thuy—men who continued to write a heroic epic of courage and comradeship.

Though the war has long since ended and the country has been reborn, the memory of Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tam Co) remains like a sacred flame burning eternally at Km 16+500 of Route 20 – Quyet Thang. The B-52 bombings of that year not only shook the mountains, but also etched an immortal epic into the Vietnamese collective memory—where youth became eternal and loyalty turned into legend.

Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tam Co) is not merely a “red address” of revolutionary history; it stands as a powerful symbol of revolutionary heroism and the vitality of Vietnamese youth during the years of “crossing the Truong Son Range to save the nation.” Every step taken to this place invites silent reflection, reminding us that today’s peace was forged through immense loss and sacrifice by previous generations. The story of Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tam Co) amid the Truong Son Mountains lives on like an unending heroic anthem, reminding us that some chose to rest forever in the heart of the Motherland so that the nation might be reborn into an eternal spring.

Today, Eight Ladies Cave (Hang Tam Co) has been respectfully restored, becoming a solemn spiritual site where people and visitors from all walks of life come to offer incense and bow in reverence to the immortal souls of the fallen heroes.

(Spiritual and historical site – free admission)

Tour Operator: Phong Nha – Ke Bang Tourism Center
Hotline: 0918 841 455 / 0868 815 678
Website: www.phongnhatourism.com.vn
Email: phongnhakebangdl@gmail.com