Letter from Vi Xuyen

(Baonghean.vn) – Despite fighting in fierce conditions, facing the enemy day and night, the soldiers of Vi Xuyen still have deep feelings for their families and homeland. That is the special thing that we accidentally came across through the letters of martyr Tran Van Son (Hamlet 3 - Tao Son - Anh Son).

Letter from martyr Tran Van Son to his family dated November 15, 1985

Through the documents that Mr. Tran Van Hung, son of martyr Tran Van Son, still keeps, it is known that: Martyr Tran Van Son enlisted in the army on August 15, 1976 to fight in the Southwest battlefield. Then, after China massively attacked and invaded the northern border, he and his unit marched to the North to directly fight the enemy.

And, in a fierce battle, Captain Tran Van Son sacrificed himself on December 2, 1985. What moved the martyr's family deeply was that, despite the harshness of the battlefield, Mr. Son still wrote regularly to his wife and children at home. Every 2 weeks, he sent a letter home. He recounted the hardships and fierceness on the battlefield through emotional letters, while not forgetting to share the hardships and difficulties of his wife at home.

Mr. Tran Van Hung with his father's relics.

His last letter was dated November 18, 1985, just two weeks before he died. This letter was brought by his comrades to Mrs. Phan Thi Tung (his wife) along with his death notice. At the beginning of the letter, he wrote: "My dear Tung, my three children miss you. Perhaps you are anxiously waiting for news of me... Today on the land of Ha Tuyen, every day, every hour, we and China are fiercely fighting each other... We faced the enemy at a distance not too long, only 50 meters. Day and night, the enemy's artillery was pouring down without stopping for an hour. All day long, we had to lie in the bunkers of high mountains like Tho Son..."

Portrait of martyr Tran Van Son was sketched at the Vi Xuyen battlefield.

In the letter, he was restless: “This year's crop must have failed, have you planted rice yet? This year I cannot come back to help you pull up the seedlings, it is really hard for you. But I hope you will try to overcome it to take care of the housework so that I can focus on fighting.”

The last letter of martyr Tran Van Son has not been sent to his family yet.

The hastily written words on the battlefield had not yet been sent to his wife and children at home when he died. That day, at 3am, enemy artillery exploded and destroyed an entire area. Company Commander Tran Van Son led his troops to occupy the mountainside area, but halfway up, enemy artillery fire blocked our troops' progress. "Let me go up there and see how they are" - were the last words his comrades heard before Company Commander Son decided to find a way to go up to the high point himself to both scout and study the terrain, and grasp the enemy's firepower. He heroically died on the mountainside, and his comrades found his body several days later and brought him back for burial.

Cherishing the mementos left by his father, Mr. Hung said: “My father died when I was young, but we truly had a wonderful father through the letters he sent home to the family. I am very proud of my father.”

Dao Tho