Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: Viengxay caves

Among this hills there were hidden the caves and the sanctuary from the Pathet Lao and its leader Khaysone Phomvihane. The Pathet Lao are still the only party in this one party communist state. Communism is into its fourth decade and the Lao PDR on to its fifth president but the people seem very contented with their one party state. Maybe communism can work? My view is altered after actually visiting one of the five communist countries left in the world (Vietnam, China, Cuba and North Korea are the others) rather than listening to the western biased propaganda in the media.

Keysone Phomvihane's wooden house constructed outside his cave after signing of 1973 Paris Peace accords. The Pathet Lao government in exile directed the resistance struggle from the “Hidden City”. Five caves were selected as the family homes and offices of the key leaders. Natural caves were enlarged, tunnels developed and artificial roofs built to keep out water. Airtight evacuation chambers with manual filter mechanisms to guard against gas attacks were constructed, along with five-feet thick blast walls to cover cave entrances and prevent rockets and guided missiles from entering. Government ministries were set up in caves in far flung locations. Printing presses, a fuel depot and light industry caves were established to support the war effort. A cave hospital complex was built to take care of the injured and dying, and an underground theatre constructed to entertain the population, with visiting theatre troupes from Vietnam. Fidel Castro visited the caves to lend his country's support.

The tour of the caves takes us to the caves of several of the key leaders of the Pathet Lao: Kaysone Phomvihane (second president of Lao PDR 1991-1992 and leader of the Lao People’s Revelotionary Party who established Pathet Lao HQ in Vieng Xai); Nouhak Phoumsavan (minister for Finance during the Secret War, third president of Lao PDR 1992-1995); Prince Souphannouvong (first president of Lao PDR 1975-1991).

Some parts of the sanctuary were completely underground, most room had doors and windows to outside.

Lenin bust and Che Guevera picture above Pathet Lao leader Keysone Phomvihane's work desk.

Air pumps to supply the bunker rooms with fresh air.

Security door to the bunker rooms

Passage ways inside the army cave.

For more than nine years the quiet tranquillity of Viengxay’s humble existence was totally and brutally interrupted on a devastating scale. As the United States of America stepped up its efforts to halt the spread of communism across Indochina, Laos became caught up in a secret war that remains largely ignored in world history1. In 1962 events forced the Lao Communist party – the Pathet Lao – to flee from the capital in Vientiane across the enigmatic Plain of Jars (hundreds of 2,000 year old stone urns) and, in 1964, to take shelter and refuge in the limestone caves and inaccessibility of Viengxay.

Entrance to the meeting room of the Party's Central Committee, at Khaysone Phomvihane's cave. The natural caves were enlarged by hand and tunnels blasted with dynamite. Five feet thick blast walls were built to protect cave entrances and to prevent rockets and guided missiles from entering. Supplying the headquarters in Vieng Xai with food, building materials, weapons and ammunition during the conflict was an enormous task. Trucks transported goods from the Soviet Union, China and Vietnam through North Vietnam into Laos at the border, 55km from Vienxai. 13. Limestone Karst scenery in Vieng XaiAs most bombing occurred during the day, the trucks drove at night. In 1970, emergency rooms were built in many of the caves, and fitted with an air filter machine because of the fear of chemical attack.

Here we visited the Laotian girl who guided us into the Khaysone Phomvihane's cave. Up to 23,000 people lived in the caves, which contained a hospital, a school, Pathet Lao offices, bakeries, shops, and even a theatre, the Khaysone Phomvihane's cave was one of many. The area was home to the Communist army, who were fighting the royalist forces, based in Vientiane. The caves were used for living and working in because the US Army was bombing the area so heavily. Locals say that farmers had to farm at night to avoid bombing raids. Vieng Xay served as a base for the Communist forces because it was close to the Vietnamese border for logistical and political support.