Remembering a time when 'An - Ngai rose up', 'Lam - Tra rose up in waves'

"From the same tree, from the same family"

Inanti-American resistance, the country was divided by a temporary border but not by the blood ties of the people of the North and South. At that time, many movements were launched in the North for the South, typically the North-South twinning movement. Ha Nam was the place where the movement was initiated. On April 2, 1959, in Phu Ly town, with the presence of representatives of the Central Reunification Committee, Ha Nam province and representatives of Bien Hoa province held a twinning ceremony between the two localities.

From here, a movement of Northern localities forming twinning ties with Southern localities was ignited, such as: Hai Phong - Da Nang; Quang Binh - Quang Tri - Thua Thien, Thanh Hoa - Quang Nam, Ha Tinh - Binh Dinh, Ha Giang - Lam Dong... Hanoi - Hue - Saigon, three localities representing the three regions of North - Central - South, the last cities in the country to hold a twinning ceremony on October 8, 1960 at the Ba Dinh Club, Hanoi.

Nhan Dan newspaper, issue January 5, 1961, reported that Nghe An people were enthusiastically entering the An - Ngai uprising campaign.

The North-South twinning movement created great strength for the people of the two regions to work together in the resistance war against the US. The people of the North worked hard to produce, “each person worked as hard as two”, providing human and material resources to the South to “fight the Americans out, fight the puppets down”; welcomed and nurtured cadres and children of the South who had gathered in the North… In the South, the army and people also fought hard for the unification and territorial integrity of the country.

The twinning movement was a strong declaration to the imperialists and their lackeys about the great strength of solidarity and close ties between the entire Vietnamese people, who were of the same root and the same family, and which no enemy or force could separate. During those years of the fierce resistance against the US,Nghe An - Quang Ngai- The two localities soon had historical affection, becoming twin provinces. During those years, Nghe An province launched many large movements for Quang Ngai and the South.

"The bond of brotherhood permeates the rhythm of life"

During the resistance war against the US, the image of Quang Ngai was always associated with the determination and movements of the people and army of Nghe An associated with the tasks of each revolutionary stage. Exactly 60 years ago, the People's Newspaper on Thursday (January 5, 1961) published the following short news: "Following the victory of the "Soviet Drumbeat" campaign, Nghe An province launched the An - Ngai uprising campaign" on January 1, 1961. This campaign aimed to promote the indomitable tradition of the people of Nghe An and the people of Quang Ngai (a sister province of Nghe An province), pushing to the peak of production in 1961, making Nghe An province move towards complete self-sufficiency in food".

With the spirit of “Heroic Nghe An - Quang Ngai, on the path of struggle, we share the same steadfast heart”, with the will of “brave as Soviet soldiers, determined as Ba To guerrillas”, the cadres, people and soldiers of Nghe An eagerly went to the fields to produce amidst the sound of gongs, drums, and trumpets, shaking like the days of Vo Liet, Thanh Chuong, and Ba To in the old days.

Nghe An farmers with the movement "Lam - Tra makes waves". Photo archive

The “An - Ngãi uprising” campaign contributed to the construction of a number of significant technical and material facilities, creating development steps in the fields of economy, culture, society, security and defense during the implementation of the first 5-year State plan, initially building the material facilities of socialism (1961 - 1965) in Nghe An province, as well as preparing conditions to enter the period of building socialism, fighting against destructive wars and supporting the South (1965 - 1975).

During this period, in the face of the situation where the US imperialists were waging a war of destruction in the North by air force,under the enemy's bombsPatriotic and revolutionary emulation movements on production, combat and battle readiness fronts were still launched vigorously and widely in Nghe An, determined to strive with the spirit of "All for the front line! All to liberate the South and unify the country".

In particular, after “An - Ngai uprising” was the “Lam - Tra rising waves” campaign (named after Lam river in Nghe An - Tra Khuc river in Quang Ngai) which created a vibrant atmosphere as poet Te Hanh felt: “Every construction site, every cooperative competes/ Twinning relationship permeates deeply into the rhythm of life/ The land of Nghe An, our homeland, blooms with more seasons”…

The Nghe An - Quang Ngai twinning does not stop at the provincial level but also spreads down to the district level such as: Quynh Luu - Binh Son, Nam Dan - Mo Duc, Nghia Dan - Ba To, Quy Chau - Tra Bong... Now when coming to Quynh Luu district, we see Binh Son drainage canal solving flooding for 5 communes in the central agricultural region of the district with an area of ​​over 2,000 hectares named after a district in Quang Ngai, or An Ngai lake in Quynh Tan commune with a reserve of over 3 million m³The country is also named after the last two letters of the two provinces. These important irrigation works were formed in the 60s of the last century, associated with the name of comrade Truong Kien - at that time, the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee decided to strengthen him to become Secretary of the Quynh Luu District Party Committee.

Similarly, in Binh Chau commune, Binh Son district (Quang Ngai), there is a saltwater dam named Quynh Luu, built with the efforts of thousands of people and the support of the people and the wholehearted strength of the sister district Quynh Luu. The road along Tra Bong river passing through the center of Binh Son district is named Quynh Luu as a symbol of the loyal and steadfast love between the two localities.

Tra Bong girls in the old Catering Team revisit the restaurant location - now Tra Bong Hotel (Vinh City). Photo: Thanh Duy

At that time, to show solidarity with Quang Ngai, many constructions, places, combat and service units in Nghe An were named after some localities in Quang Ngai, which are still effective today, such as: The image of "Six Tra Bong girls" in the food service team for soldiers on the way to support the South via Ben Thuy ferry. Under the fierce bombs of the US air force, all 6 girls in the team were given a live memorial service before receiving their mission.

Today, the former location of the restaurant in Vinh City of the “Six Tra Bong Girls” is now the Tra Bong Hotel (named after a district in Quang Ngai). Or in the mountainous district of Tan Ky, there is Nghia Hanh commune established in 1969, also named after Nghia Hanh district in Quang Ngai, and An Ngai Youth Farm established on March 26, 1972, from the name also representing the loyal and affectionate relationship between Nghe An and Quang Ngai.

The war has been over for nearly half a century, but as April 30th approaches, finding stories from that special period will help us to feel more deeply the value of solidarity and the great strength of compatriots. That is the source to continue writing the journeys of today and tomorrow...