Van Ru ferry

(Baonghean) - If you have the opportunity to visit Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan), stop to admire the scenery of Van Ru - Ru Tret ferry, which was once an extremely fierce "fire coordinate". With a spirit of courage, intelligence and resilience, our army and people have created miracles on this important land...

Van Ru ferry.

According to historical documents, in order to support the southern battlefield, in early 1968, the General Department of Logistics of the Vietnam People's Army decided to survey and deploy a petroleum pipeline to the South. The task was extremely urgent, because it had to be completed before the rainy season. Moreover, developments on the battlefield were increasingly urgent, and the demand for petroleum for combat was increasing. Therefore, ensuring secrecy would determine the survival of this petroleum pipeline. On April 12, 1968, the General Department of Logistics established the Irrigation Construction Unit 01 (later renamed Construction Site 18) with 34 soldiers trained in basic techniques, commanded by Colonel Mai Trong Phuoc, Deputy Director of the Petroleum Department. In the context of frequent enemy attacks, the construction encountered many difficulties and dangers. In particular, the construction of the pipeline across the Lam River was a great challenge, so the narrowest location had to be chosen to save time and effort. Van Ru ferry is quite ideal for construction, in addition to this narrow river section, there are also surrounding mountains and forests to shield it, and it is not far from the main road.

Many options were proposed, and finally the Command Board decided to place the pipeline underground under the riverbed to prevent enemy aircraft from detecting and destroying it. However, the problem was that there was a lack of construction equipment, both tractors and canoes were not available, so they had to use manpower. On the night of June 22, 1968, the Construction Site 18 force and a large number of militiamen from Nam Dong commune (now Khanh Son commune) were ordered to join forces to pull the pipeline across the river. Overhead, enemy aircraft roared, dropped coordinate bombs, and then dropped flares that lit up the sky. Despite the danger, the soldiers and militiamen still steadfastly pulled each section of the pipeline, their cheers growing louder and louder. By 5 a.m. the next day, the entire 500m-long pipeline was secretly pulled safely across the Lam River, and enemy aircraft did not detect any trace of it.

After crossing the river, the oil pipeline system continued to be constructed on land by filling it underground, all kept secret and ensuring absolute safety. By mid-August 1965, the first oil pipeline of more than 40 km was successfully installed through the "triangle of fire" Vinh - Nam Dan - Linh Cam. From here, the oil pipeline continued to be connected to the South and North to meet the needs of the battlefields, contributing to the glorious victory during the war against the US.

Route 15A through the Nam Dong area was extremely dangerous, with mountains on one side and rivers on the other, creating a "bottleneck" in the journey to support human and material resources for the southern frontline. American planes regularly dropped bombs to cut off the strategic route, and every day this place had to endure 8-10 bombs. To reduce the damage caused by American bombs, we deployed a plan for the troops to march down the Lam dike, to Xuan Lam commune, then through Van Ru ferry. After a while, the enemy discovered the new direction of our troops' movement, so they increased their bombing in this area. At that time, Dai Thanh Cooperative - a unit responsible for exploiting, catching and transporting fish on the Lam River - was mobilized to carry troops and weapons and equipment across the river safely. There were nights when more than 150 boats had to be mobilized to transport soldiers across the river. Children aged 14-15 all went out to the river to row the boats. Each family had 3-5 members participating and forming a team. The mission was carried out from around 5pm until dawn the next day. Each night, 4,000-5,000 soldiers crossed the river safely.

The US planes bombed more and more fiercely, Nam Dong commune decided to establish the "Steel" Company and the "10 Lam River Girls" Squad ready to carry out the assigned tasks. That was to coordinate with the anti-aircraft artillery unit to shoot back at enemy planes, fill bomb craters, clear mines, protect the oil pipeline system and transport soldiers and weapons across the river, and participate in rescue when there were injured people. Van Ru - Ru Tret ferry witnessed the fall of many cadres, soldiers and people. That was on June 10, 1968, a convoy of vehicles carrying wounded soldiers from the battlefield was bombed by enemy planes, killing 23 people and injuring dozens of others. More than a month later, on July 25, 1968, US planes bombed again, killing 16 people and injuring 96 others. Not long after, they bombed again, killing 26 people and injuring 97 others... And many other sorrows that happened in this land are remembered by the people here.

The war and bombs have receded, this land is reviving. The fields are green with corn and peanuts; the hills are covered with trees and the villages are peaceful and prosperous. The people of Nam Dong in the past and Khanh Son today always remind their children and grandchildren of a fierce but heroic time.

Tuong Anh