In 2019, while renovating its headquarters at 20 Tran Nguyen Han Street, Ly Thai To Ward, Hoan Kiem District, the Northern Power Corporation discovered the bunker lying deep underground with its entrance sealed off.
A sign at the bunker’s entrance stated that it was built over 125 years ago, at the same time as the French-style villa within the grounds of the Bo Ho Lamp Factory. The sign also notes that during the war against the US, particularly amid the B-52 carpet bombings from 1968 to 1972, the bunker served as a shelter for Bo Ho Lamp Plant’s workers and a command centre for operating Hanoi’s power system.
The bunker features a vaulted concrete design and is divided into four sections, two small rooms and two larger ones, covering a total area of some 30 square metres.
The bunker’s entrance is around 1.5 metres tall, requiring most adults to stoop when entering. Inside, the bunker measures nearly 2.3 metres in height, nearly 13 metres in length, and 2.2 metres in width, permitting convenient movement.
The bunker’s rooms are separated by three reinforced concrete walls, the central one measuring 80 centimetres thick, and the other two about 30 centimetres each.
The bunker’s walls are decorated with historical photos of the Vietnamese power sector.
The facility has been well preserved in its original condition, thoroughly cleaned, and equipped with electrical wiring, lighting fixtures, and ventilation fans.
The drainage system of the bunker is solidly built with reinforced concrete.
The exit is just 80 centimetes high, forcing anyone going through to bend down.
Within the headquarters of the Northern Power Corporation is a traditional room spanning over 200 square metres. Once part of the Bo Ho Lamp Factory before 1954, it now displays the corporation’s history and development.
The room exhibits artefacts and images documenting key wartime events: the Yen Phu Power Plant’s militia shooting down a US F4 fighter jet on May 10, 1972; the heavy destruction of thermal and hydropower plants during the resistance war; and the swift recovery efforts after the US bombing of the Yen Phu Power Plant.
