The person who wrote the stele inscription at Truông Bồn

The person chosen for this important role.

In 2015, when Truông Bồn was rebuilt to become a national historical site befitting its historical significance, the Nghe An Department of Culture and Sports, in coordination with the Nghe An Department of Transport and the Nghe An Department of Construction, erected commemorative stele at the Truông Bồn Historical Site.

At that time, many people knew journalist Tran Van Hien through his vivid writings about various aspects of wartime, especially the Truong Bon area. Therefore, he was entrusted by the People's Committee of Nghe An province and the Department of Transport to write these two important commemorative inscriptions.

Journalist Van Hien stands beside the commemorative plaque at Truong Bon. Photo: Hanh Ngan.

As the eldest son in a large family, with his father a war hero, journalist Van Hien was always deeply concerned about the losses and suffering caused by the war. Before becoming a writer, young Tran Van Hien was an official in the Nghe An Department of Transportation. During the years of resistance against the American imperialists in the North, he was present at key transportation hubs that were heavily attacked, such as Cau Bung, Cau Cam, Hoang Mai Station, Ben Thuy ferry, and Highway 15A in Truong Bon, etc. Having witnessed the destructive bombing campaign by the American air force, journalist Van Hien collected moments of suffering and the courageous fighting spirit of our soldiers and people, especially the youth volunteer forces, during the fierce war in Nghe An, preserving them in his writings that will live on forever.

In July 1968, in response to the "Two Excellences" movement, he was assigned by his unit to write about exemplary individuals who excelled in both combat and production within the Transportation sector. This also gave him the opportunity to meet many cadres and workers in the Transportation sector, as well as members of the Youth Volunteer Force fighting against the US for national salvation in his province.

During his years of traveling extensively, witnessing the brutality of war, and meeting the brave soldiers who fought on the front lines, he compiled 30 notebooks, including the signatures of young volunteers. This can be considered a valuable "treasure" in his writing career. Even now, when he revisits those pages of shorthand notes, the familiar faces still appear. The images of the most brutal years of history seem to linger, vividly present in the mind of journalist Văn Hiền.

Therefore, when he received the request to write an inscription for the Truông Bồn site, it seemed that all the necessary information was already readily available in his memory. The task was to rearrange the data, encapsulating the most glorious chapters of this land's history within the confines of 500 words. Journalist Văn Hiền shared that the most difficult part was ensuring the writing wasn't dry, while simultaneously capturing glimpses of history and recreating the poignant and heroic emotions of a generation of young volunteers and the entire nation.

One of the two stone inscriptions recounting the history of the Truông Bồn place name contains the following passage:With the motto "Live clinging to bridges and roads, die bravely and resolutely," the officers and soldiers of Youth Volunteer Companies 317 and 304, belonging to Team 65, Company 30, Battalion 27 of the 4th Military Region's Engineering Corps, along with the militia and people of My Son commune, Do Luong district, and Nam Hung commune, Nam Dan district, faced danger, defying bombs and bullets, clinging to key points to fill bomb craters, open bypass roads, evacuate goods, defuse unexploded bombs, and, wearing white shirts as suicide markers, ensured smooth traffic for hundreds of thousands of vehicles and main army units crossing the Truong Bon pass to advance to the front lines...

Recreating the brutality and the spirit of heroic sacrifice.

It can be said that Highway 15A, though only about 20km long, is a strategic transportation route for Nghe An province and the entire country. Especially after August 5, 1964, when the US escalated its bombing campaign against North Vietnam, Highway 15A became a bomb-ridden area, a crucial link in the conflict with many other key transportation routes in Nghe An. The US Air Force and Navy tried every means to prevent and sever the connection and support from the North to the battlefields in the South. And the place Truong Bon, in My Son commune, Do Luong district, became the location chosen by history.

Between 1965 and 1968, this area endured hundreds of bombing raids by the US Air Force. 18,936 bombs of various types were dropped on National Highway 15A and the Truông Bồn area. Between June and October 1968 alone, 2,692 bombs were dropped, aiming to destroy Truông Bồn and this critically important road. At that time, not a single hillside remained intact in Truông Bồn; many villages and hundreds of houses were destroyed or damaged by bombs and bullets. But this place also witnessed the courageous and heroic fighting spirit of the army and people of Nghe An. In particular, the dedication and sacrifice of the youth volunteer force on this fiery road were noteworthy.

Truong Bon was the encampment of Squad 2, Company 317 – Nghe An Youth Volunteer Force. Day and night, through sunshine and rain, in freezing cold and scorching heat, the men and women tirelessly filled bomb craters and erected human markers to guide vehicles through…

And then came the fateful morning of October 31, 1968. At 4:00 AM, 14 Youth Volunteers from Squad 2, Company 317, were urgently filling bomb craters so that a military convoy could pass through Truong Bon to the South before dawn. At 6:10 AM, when the work was almost complete, American planes suddenly arrived and bombed the area. The 14 Youth Volunteers did not have time to retreat to the shelter. 13 Youth Volunteers perished, just over 10 hours before the US Air Force would cease bombing the entire North. 11 girls and 2 boys of the "steel squad" sacrificed their lives at a very young age, taking with them their youth and unfulfilled dreams.

Returning to journalist Tran Van Hien, he stated that he drafted the content of the two commemorative inscriptions within a month. That month was filled with much deliberation and inner turmoil. How to recreate the brutal nature of Route 15A and the Truong Bon area, and fully express the noble dedication and sacrifice of a generation of young people with aspirations and desires to save the country, was something that Tran Van Hien constantly pondered. Upon completing the draft, he submitted it to experts and historians for evaluation. Before carving the inscriptions, his draft was enlarged and displayed at the shrine of the volunteer youth at the Truong Bon National Historical Site for six months to gather public feedback. In 2017, the inscriptions were completed and placed in a prominent position within the Truong Bon Historical Site.

Journalist Van Hien with his book about Truong Bon. Photo: Hanh Ngan

Today, when visiting Truông Bồn, the memorial site still preserves books written by him about Truông Bồn, a land once filled with suffering that gave rise to legend. Books such as "The Path Through the Fiery Crossing" or "The Road to the Legendary Truông Bồn" by journalist Văn Hiền are still sought after by visitors to better understand the history of the Truông Bồn battlefield of yesteryear.

That is the joy, the happiness, and also the responsibility of a writer and a journalist: when their writings not only remain on the page but also linger in the minds of readers, thereby conveying the belief in the principle of "drinking water and remembering the source," and contributing to the education of traditional values ​​for future generations.