Cat Ba District (Hai Phong) is an archipelago consisting of 366 large and small islands. The main island is Cat Ba with an area of 200km2. Cat Ba is located to the southwest of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay (60km from Hai Phong port)...
Cat Ba has a proud tradition of fighting against foreign invaders. In 1873, the French colonialists landed and invaded the island, but they were fiercely resisted by the fishermen. During the resistance war against the French colonialists (1945-1954), the guerrilla warfare movement developed strongly on Cat Ba Island. A typical example is Ha Sen, the island's guerrilla base. During the 9-year resistance war, the army and people of Ha Sen overcame countless difficulties and hardships, both producing and fighting, and achieved many brilliant successes, and were awarded the Third Class Military Exploit Medal by the Government. During the resistance war against the US, Cat Ba was the place that suffered many bombs and bullets from US aircraft and warships during the years they waged a destructive war in the North of our country. Notably, the first battle against US aircraft by the army and people of the island district took place at 1:00 p.m. on August 5, 1966. 10 American planes divided into many groups, dived and dropped 80 500 pound bombs on the island. The army and people on the island fought back fiercely to minimize the damage caused by them.
Then came the years of overcoming difficulties and hardships, fiercely fighting against the enemy's attacks and blockades... In total, during the 8 years of conducting the destructive war in the North, on Cat Ba Island alone, the US used 1,735 aircraft sorties, dropping 1,165 bombs, 31,160 cluster bombs and sub-piercing bombs, 1,922 rockets, 95 missiles, and 40 naval artillery shells on the island. Cat Ba town was leveled along with 518 roofs, most of the boats, and docks were destroyed. However, Cat Ba bravely overcame and stood firm at the forefront of the waves and winds. Together with Hai Phong, which was surrounded and blockaded by the enemy, the army and people of Cat Ba Island united into a solid block, always proactively attacking the enemy, fighting bravely and intelligently, contributing with the whole country to defeat the destructive war by American planes and warships. In particular, the militia and self-defense forces, accounting for 5% of the island's population, were proficient in using weapons and equipment: rifles, machine guns, heavy machine guns, 12.7mm guns and 47mm anti-aircraft guns, fighting back 580 US aircraft, shooting down 7 aircraft. A typical example was the battle on October 20, 1966, when the island's militia and self-defense forces, together with the island's army unit, opened fire and shot down 2 low-flying enemy aircraft.
Along with the achievements of fighting, Cat Ba also had many other outstanding aspects that contributed to the victory. The army and people of the island district joined hands and hearts, both producing and fighting, overcoming the consequences of war; doing well in local military work, taking care of the army's rear, recruiting troops to support the battlefield. There were families with 4 to 5 children in the army, fighting on battlefields A, B, C and all achieving outstanding achievements, some of whom became brave soldiers.
During eight years of steadfastly defending the island and clinging to the sea, the army and people of Cat Ba shot down 19 planes and burned 4 American warships. The Government awarded them many noble prizes: 2 First Class Resistance Medals, 2 Feat of Arms Medals of various types, 3 Third Class Labor Medals; many units and individuals were awarded the titles of Determined to Win Unit, Determined to Win Soldier, and Emulation Soldier.
Today, promoting the heroic tradition in fighting against foreign invaders, the army and people of Cat Ba island district join hands and hearts to build the island into an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign visitors. Nature has endowed Cat Ba with many beautiful landscapes, rich forest and sea resources, a dynamic island and sea complex that fascinates visitors.
In 2004, Cat Ba was recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve , headed by Cat Ba National Park. The park is planned and protected with an area of over 15,000 hectares, including 9,800 hectares of forest and 5,400 hectares of sea. The terrain is diverse, mainly limestone mountains, many interesting caves, interspersed with smooth white sand beaches. Here, the rich fauna includes 32 species of mammals, 69 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles and amphibians; especially the white-headed langur (on the red list)...
Cat Ba, which is blessed with wonderful landscapes and ecosystems today, was once a fierce battlefield 30 years ago. The army and people of Cat Ba have poured in a lot of effort, sweat and blood to achieve today. That is the motivation for the army and people of the island district to be more determined to build the island district to be more and more beautiful and an attractive tourist destination for visitors from near and far./.
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-chong-dien-bien-hoa-binh/cat-ba-khu-du-tru-sinh-quyen-the-gioi-447634
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