Nghe An: Meeting to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the opening of Road 20 Quyet Thang

Attending the meeting were representatives of Construction Liaison Committee 67 - Cienco5, General Company 36 of the Ministry of National Defense, Nghe An Province Veterans Association and more than 60 delegates representing cadres, soldiers, youth volunteers, workers, civil servants, and frontline laborers from Nghe An who once fought and performed duties on Route 20 Quyet Thang.

Meeting scene. Photo: Cong Kien

At the meeting, the delegates recalled the memories of their years of duty on Route 20 Quyet Thang. Accordingly, at the end of 1964, the soldiersTruong Sonstarted to switch from carrying loads to mechanical transport. The only border crossing route at this time was Highway 12 from Khe Ve, Mu Gia connecting Highway 128 on Laotian soil, through Seng Phan, Lum Bum, Vang Mu... then joining Highway 9 at Na Bo. But Seng Phan in the rainy season is considered a "water bag", mechanical transport is extremely difficult.

Faced with that situation, the Command of Group 559 presented to the Central Military Commission a plan to open a second crossing route to avoid the "deadly point" of Seng Phan. After a period of survey, on January 21, 1966, at the foot of Dong Tien slope in Bo Trach district (Quang Binh), Deputy Commander Nguyen Tuong Lan gave the order to detonate the first series of explosives, opening the way.campaign"Breaking through Truong Son, opening the way to victory", all forces were ordered to build Road 20 Quyet Thang from 2 directions East - West.

Delegates recall memories of their days on duty on Route 20 Quyet Thang. Photo: Cong Kien

In total, nearly 8,000 people participated in the construction, digging and filling more than 1 million cubic meters of earth and rock, building hundreds of meters of underground tunnels across rivers and streams, and building hundreds of temporary bridges. After nearly 3 months of construction, on April 14, 1966, the two construction teams met in the area.Vietnam - Laos border, the road was officially opened.

Route 20 Quyet Thang started from Km 0 in Phong Nha (Quang Binh), crossed the Truong Son peak, and connected with Routes 128 and 129. Since its opening, Route 20 has broken the one-way situation, contributing greatly to the support for the Southern battlefield. When discovering this route, the enemy attacked frantically, using all kinds of bombs and bullets to rain down, including B52 "carpet" bombers with increasing intensity, creating extremely fierce "fire coordinates".

Youth volunteers opened road 20 Quyet Thang. Photo: Archive

However, the US imperialists could not stop the will and determination of the cadres, soldiers, and youth volunteers on duty on Route 20 Quyet Thang. Every day, layers of troops and convoys still overcame bullets and bombs, moving forward to provide timely support.battlefield, contributing to the victory, bringing the country back together. In about 10 years, thousands of officers and soldiers sacrificed and were injured while on duty.

The joy of reunion of those who once served on Route 20 Quyet Thang. Photo: Cong Kien

On Route 20 Quyet Thang, there will forever be imprints of the children of Nghe An who participated in surveying, opening the road, transporting, fighting and maintaining the road. They were engineers, transporters, liaisons, especially the collective of Nghe An Youth Volunteer Team who were present from the very first days of opening and maintaining the road with the spirit of"Cut through Truong Son to save the country/With a heart full of hope for the future."

The meeting took place happily, friendly and warm with comradely affection.