The soldiers of Vi Xuyen in Anh Son

(Baonghean.vn) - We arrived in Anh Son on a sunny day. Throughout the villages and hamlets, many slogans welcoming the District Party Congress and commemorating the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs were displayed. Few people know that, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life today, the soldiers of Vi Xuyen from those years still harbor a deep longing for a time of heroic suffering.

The man returns.

More than 30 years have passed, but the soldiers of Vi Xuyen from that time still cannot forget landmarks like the "meat grinder hill," the "century-old lime kiln," etc., in the land of Ha Tuyen (now Ha Giang). A time of fierce bombing, tragedy, and heroism, yet upon returning to ordinary life, they are simple, working with hoes and plows in the fields and gardens of their homeland.

Mr. Le Van Son recounted his years on the Vi Xuyen front.

Mr. Le Van Son, from Hamlet 15, Duc Son Commune (Anh Son District), welcomed us as he hurried back from the fields. In his small house, Mr. Son recounted the historical days in Vi Xuyen with immense pride.

In September 1983, young Le Van Son joined the ranks of the Vietnam People's Army. He was assigned to the 306th Division, 2nd Corps, fighting in the "Four Tunnels" area. This was the Vi Xuyen front, the most fiercely contested battleground in the late 1980s. The most intense fighting included positions 1509, 1030, and 772. Le Van Son recounted that early on the morning of January 12, 1986, he and two other soldiers were assigned to man a checkpoint. The checkpoint was only a few dozen meters from the enemy's position, and both sides could clearly hear each other. Suddenly, artillery fire shattered the silence, and our troops immediately advanced to seize the Co Ich hilltop. A shell hit the very spot where Son and his two comrades were manning the checkpoint. When he woke up, he learned that his comrades had been killed.

After that battle, Mr. Son was transferred to the rear and discharged from the army. His old wounds ached when the weather changed, but he still laughed heartily, recounting the hardships of those days: "Outside, artillery was booming / Inside the cave, we still proudly welcomed spring."

The letter was not sent in time.

In the Tào Sơn area, we visited the family of Mrs. Phan Thị Tùng, a relative of the fallen soldier Trần Văn Sơn. In the warm atmosphere of their small house, Mrs. Tùng showed us the remaining mementos of her husband. And the story of the fallen soldier Trần Văn Sơn unfolded from memory.

Mrs. Phan Thi Tung stands beside a portrait of her deceased husband.

Mr. Tran Van Son enlisted on August 15, 1976, and fought on the Southwestern battlefield. After the Beijing government deliberately created the border conflict in the north of Vietnam, along with many comrades, Mr. Son was transferred to the northern border. He died in a fierce battle on December 2, 1985, while serving as a company commander. The most precious thing about martyr Tran Van Son is that before his death, despite the extremely harsh conditions of war, he still regularly wrote letters to his wife and children back home. His letters are considered "battlefield diaries" as they recount unforgettable memories. The martyr poured all his love for his wife, children, and family into his emotionally charged handwriting. His last letter was dated November 18, 1985, just two weeks before his death. This letter was brought to Mrs. Tung by his comrades along with his death certificate. As if by premonition, in his letter he gave very careful instructions to his wife and children, and also recounted: "Currently, we are face-to-face with the enemy at a short distance, only 50 meters. Day and night, enemy artillery is raining down relentlessly, without a single moment of respite..."

An unsent letter from martyr Tran Van Son.

The hastily written notes from the battlefield by martyr Tran Van Son were never sent home before he died in battle on December 2, 1985. That day, at only 3 a.m., enemy artillery was devastating the area. Company commander Tran Van Son led his troops to retake the mountainside, but halfway up, they were subjected to intense enemy shelling. Commander Son said, "Let me go ahead and see what they're up to?" But a bullet struck him in the chest, causing him to collapse. Several days later, his comrades recovered his body for burial. His grave was moved from Ha Giang more than two years ago to the Vietnam-Laos Martyrs' Cemetery.

Lighting incense before the portrait of martyr Tran Van Son, Mrs. Tung said sadly, "He sent home another diary back then, but it's now lost. Currently, the family is consolidating the paperwork to reclaim the benefits for the martyr's family." The eyes of the wife, who has remained a widow for over 30 years, were red and teary in the afternoon sun. In those eyes, however, shone a glimmer of pride for having a heroic husband who left his flesh and blood on the land of Ha Tuyen.

Dao Tho - Huu Vi