The largest fortress in Indochina.

Rach Cat Fort, also known as Rach Coc Fort, is located in Long Huu Dong commune, Can Duoc district, Long An province. This massive military fortress, built by the French colonialists in 1903, is a sturdy coastal defense stronghold with a unique architecture and a strategic location for both defense and offense. It can withstand heavy artillery fire and is equipped with the most modern heavy artillery of the early 20th century.

Once the most advanced and modern fortress in Indochina.

In 1900, facing the threat of World War I spreading, the French reinforced their coastal defenses in southwestern France and their fortress defenses along the German-French border. They installed new types of guns with a range of over 20km, using explosive projectiles similar to torpedoes, capable of destroying large warships, and built numerous fortified structures.

In Vietnam, after conquering the six southern provinces, the French consolidated their defense system based on the fortifications left behind by the Nguyen dynasty , modernizing it with bunkers and fortresses equipped with the most advanced weapons in the world at that time.

The Rach Cat Fort was strategically located at the confluence of three rivers – Rach Cat, Vam Co, and Soai Rap – connecting to the Vam Lang estuary. This location was adjacent to a major waterway for the transportation of goods from the Southwestern region to Saigon-Chợ Lớn and the Southeastern provinces, and vice versa. It also guarded the waterway from the sea to Saigon, and routes connecting to Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. The fortress's mission was not only to control all waterway traffic into Saigon but also to control a portion of the Vung Tau sea area.

Rach Cat undergoes a transformation in peacetime.

After more than a century of existence, the once-famous fortress now hides amidst the lush green mangrove forest , instead of having the panoramic views from its roof as it once did. The external landscape has changed, but the overall structure of the Rach Cat fort remains intact, and the fortress still bears the clear marks of a century of history. The two 12cm thick steel doors are still riddled with bullet holes, the latches are still in place, and the hinges are still tightly fitted to the walls.

The fortress holds immense historical significance and is situated amidst lush greenery, with vast mangrove forests and a characteristic canal system of the lower reaches of the rivers. Surrounding it are tourist attractions, most notably the national historical monument, the Hundred-Column House, built by Hue artisans over a hundred years ago. The Nang Thom Cho Dao rice-growing region, the Nui Pagoda, and the Ton Thanh Pagoda are also associated with the Can Giuoc Martyrs' Eulogy and the patriotic poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu.

With its majestic beauty, this artillery emplacement has served as the backdrop for over 10 films since 1975, including the famous film "Southern Land". Therefore, Rach Cat Fort is considered to have the potential to become a particularly attractive tourist destination. Long An province has also proposed a tourism project and invited investors, and currently, the locality has a plan to invest in tourism development on an area of ​​tens of hectares.

Currently, a unit of the 7th Military Region is stationed here, so permission from the authorities is required to visit. It is known that following the policy to develop tourism at the Rach Cat fort historical site, Long An province is working with the 7th Military Region (the unit managing the fort) to discuss options for land handover and subsequent tourism development plans. Rich in both historical value and artistic value in its European-style fortifications, Rach Cat fort has been classified as a national historical site.