"Celebrating Tet" with the General at Vung Chua

In the last days of the year, when everyone is eagerly awaiting the New Year of the Horse, the border guards assigned to guard General Vo Nguyen Giap's "sleep" in Vung Chua (Quang Binh province) are still calm in their special green soldier uniforms.

And, despite the undulating sea waves and the strong forest winds, the hurried crowds of visitors and the early blooming wild apricot flowers were enough to make the soldiers in Vung Chua feel the spring air.

“Cold wind, hard work but honor”

In the winter afternoon, the wind from the open sea poured onto the shore even more fiercely. Around the mountain range, the trees roared one after another as if to "threaten" the soldiers guarding the General's tomb in Vung Chua. But through it all, the border guards remained solemn in the face of the wind's sweeping force.

Right at the foot of the mountain - where the convoys are entering the parking lot, every time a group of tourists gets off, the border guards rush to their tasks: Guiding the tourists to the registration desk, reminding everyone not to leave money or offerings, then lining up, and tidying up their belongings before going up to visit the tomb and pay their respects to Him.

Before the crowd of people hurriedly lining up to visit the grave, the border guards took turns observing and did not forget to remind when they saw a strange guest "sticking" to the prohibition: "Excuse me! Visitors to the General's grave are not allowed to wear torn clothes. I hope you understand."

After a moment of hesitation, the young man took the initiative to step back, looking at the group going up to burn incense before the General's grave with regretful eyes: "I came from the North to Dong Hoi city for work, conveniently came with the group to visit him! However, it was too careless, so I have to apologize..."

Before he finished speaking, he firmly said: “I will definitely come back to burn incense for the General at the beginning of the year. After this trip, I will also remind everyone to pay attention, so as not to encounter such an incident.”

On the road leading visitors to the General’s tomb, border guards continued to stand guard at important positions. Nearly a dozen soldiers took turns guiding visitors up and down the designated road. Long lines of people were lined up with bouquets of bright yellow chrysanthemums.

At the position right at the foot of the grave, two soldiers were on duty to inform visitors to leave flowers according to regulations and then stand in line. Immediately after, the soldiers distributed incense sticks to visitors one by one. Inside, near the grave, four soldiers stood solemnly, their eyes looking out to the vast ocean.

Sharing with Vietnam+ reporters about the days of protecting the tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap, Lieutenant Khac Ngoc Tan Hao, Captain of the Protection Team, answered briefly: "It's cold and windy here, hard work but very honorable!"

Lieutenant Hao said the difficulty here is that Vung Chua is completely isolated from residential areas so there is no electricity grid yet. Moreover, eating and personal activities are also difficult because the market is far away and traveling takes a lot of time, especially during the days before Tet.

“But the biggest problem for Vung Chua is the problem of fresh water. Because it is a coastal area, we cannot use the water on the spot. Therefore, to have water for drinking and bathing, we have to take turns going to the residential area nearly 5km away to bring it back to the tank for later use,” Lieutenant Hao confided.

There were difficulties and shortages of food and shelter. However, regardless of rain or shine, night or day, weekdays until Tet, groups of soldiers were still solemn and respectful at the tomb of the people's general, the eldest brother of the Vietnam People's Army, with infinite gratitude.

Proud to watch over His "sleep"

It is known that, in addition to the task of protecting the mausoleum and guiding visitors to the General's tomb, the border guards also take turns doing logistics and environmental sanitation work. Despite the difficulties, the group of 30 border guards "stationed" on Vung Chua land still wholeheartedly protect the General's sleep with a sincere heart.

Sharing his feelings about having to celebrate Tet away from his family, Lieutenant Hao said that February 2014 will mark 10 years since he put on his military uniform, participating in the mission of protecting his homeland and national sovereignty. During those 10 years, he has spent 7 years celebrating Tet away from his family with very special feelings.

In 2014, Lieutenant Hao continued to be away from his family, staying in Vung Chua to "celebrate Tet with the General" and his fellow soldiers. Another Tet away from family and relatives, but Lieutenant Hao and his fellow soldiers were still proud to be trusted by their superiors and given the responsibility of guarding his "sleep".

“Staying in Vung Chua to watch over the General - a man loved by the whole world - is an honor and pride not only after 10 years in the army, but also a lifelong memory,” Lieutenant Hao shared.

According to Lieutenant Hao, when he was still a student, he was lucky enough to meet the General 3 times when the General visited his hometown. And, all those brief meetings left in the young soldier's mind the simplicity and closeness of the General.

During the past 3 months, the soldiers protecting the General’s mausoleum have also witnessed hundreds of touching and tearful stories. Especially the elderly men and women, with blurred vision and tired knees, still tried to travel thousands of miles with only one wish: “To Vung Chua, to burn incense to show gratitude to Him.”

Talking about the most memorable memory, Lieutenant Hao said that anyone who comes to Vung Chua brings with them their heart and respect for the General. Recently, a 93-year-old woman in Can Tho city traveled a long way to visit the General's grave, making all the soldiers on duty extremely emotional.

“This old lady said she could not live to visit the General a second time, so she had to go as long as she had the strength, so that she could close her eyes with peace. Her words made us turn away to hold back our emotions when we saw her crying. And, more than anything, her words of comfort and encouragement also helped dispel the cold that was clinging to the soldiers celebrating Tet in Vung Chua,” Sergeant Hao shared.

In the late afternoon of the year, when the Year of the Horse is bustling everywhere, when the flow of people visiting the General's grave is somewhat thinner because every household and every person is thinking about the New Year's Eve meal, the soldiers in Vung Chua, full of fog, wind and sea waves, are still proud of their noble duty - guarding the General's "sleep"./.

According to vietnamnet