Smokeless 'Hoang Cam' kitchen was a small yet extremely significant initiative of a soldier chef named Hoang Cam in the Hoa Binh campaign in 1951 – 1952. This legendary stove, later named after him, accompanied the nation in the 1954 Dien Bien Phu Campaign, and during the resistance war against the US.
"Hoang Cam” stove ensures hot meals for soldiers in training, combat
readiness.
General Vo Nguyen Giap said that when mentioning
the Hoa Binh campaign, it would be a mistake not to mention the initiative that
brought about very important improvements for the meals of soldiers.
During the Hoa Binh campaign, Hoang Cam, a
soldier chef at Infantry Division 308, invented astove intake and chimney
system which diffused and dissipated smoke from cooking, thus preventing aerial
detection of smoke by military planes. The smoke from the stove rising through
the chimney system is only a thin strip that quickly dissipates as it leaves
the ground.
The "Hoang Cam” stove quickly became popular
among units, especially in Dien Bien Phu Campaign.
The invention helped chefs cook during the day
even when enemy reconnaissance planes flew overhead. The stove was effective in
all subsequent campaigns, even in the resistance against the US.
Many veterans said that without the Hoang Cam
stove, cooking meals to ensure the health of soldiers would still be very
difficult.
With this initiative, soldiers were able to take
hot meals and hot water in winter, and field military medical stations had hot
water to sterilise medical instruments. This initiative held significant value
in practical military operations and combat, contributing to maintaining the
health and the number of soldiers in long campaigns.
The use of the "Hoang Cam" stove in combat
was proven effective during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, ensuring secrecy and
surprise, and avoiding detection by enemy aircraft, thereby minimising
casualties for the military.
