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Laos > Places & Sights > Vieng Xai
The caverns of Vieng Xai, the City of Victory, were opened to the public in 1997.
Located some 650 kilometers northeast of Vientiane, they were used by Pathet Lao during the Vietnam War to escape the extremely heavy USA bombing (in more than 500,000 sorties over two million tons of bombs were dropped).
The system of about 100 caves is very difficult to reach, and nearly invisible. The caves became a troglodyte city of 25,000, with caves that served as schools and factories, with sports areas, and even nightclubs.
It contained a hospital, complete with operating theater, where you still see empty bottles littering the floor. The senior leaders each had separate caves, complete with meeting rooms and living quarters. Air-tight chambers had their own air system, so that a gas attack could be survived.
Living was very primitive and dangerous in these caves. People would go out during the night to farm and harvest. Often, the bombs found their way into the caves.
After the war the caves were used as re-education camps for about 40,000 officials and soldiers of the former government, including King Savang Vatthana, who died in the caves.