The vibrant green of Hang Duong Cemetery

(Baonghean) - In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, we were in Con Dao. Like many other delegations, our first task was to visit the martyrs' cemetery at Hang Duong. This is the resting place of tens of thousands of revolutionary soldiers and patriotic citizens. But beneath this land, much blood of revolutionary soldiers and patriots has been shed here. Now, Hang Duong cemetery is lush with trees and flowers in full bloom.

NHang Duong Cemetery, covering 20 hectares in the heart of Con Dao, is built in harmony with nature. Along the paths leading to the burial areas are rows of beautifully manicured casuarina trees. This season, the cherry blossoms in the cemetery bloom, painting a corner of Section A purple. Section A contains 690 graves, including 7 mass graves. Here, martyr Le Hong Phong, an outstanding son of Nghe An province, rests in peace. Of the graves in Section A, only 91 are named; the rest are anonymous.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Xuan, a tour guide at the Con Dao Historical Site, said: “During its 113 years of existence, the prison system of the French colonialists and American imperialists in Con Dao exiled hundreds of thousands of patriots from the mainland. Their tortures caused the deaths of more than 20,000 revolutionary fighters and patriotic citizens. However, only 1,921 graves have been found, of which 713 have been identified with names and hometowns. Every handful of soil in Con Dao is mixed with the blood and flesh of heroic martyrs…”

The entire Hang Duong Cemetery has five sections containing the graves of fallen soldiers. The graves here are not arranged in straight rows because, during the renovation process, due to the large number of unidentified remains, the cemetery management decided to erect tombstones wherever remains were found. A piece of information that brings immeasurable sorrow to all of us is that the current population of Con Dao is nearly 8,000 people, while the number of fallen soldiers on the island is over 20,000. In such a sacred place, the patriotic spirit and unwavering will of revolutionary heroes throughout history are commemorated, and the cruelty of the colonial and feudal regimes is denounced. Arriving at Hang Duong, amidst the mournful music and listening to the tour guide's choked-up recitation of poetry, we couldn't hold back our tears: “Con Lon Mountain (Con Dao) is stained with blood / Con Lon land has five or six layers of human bones / Each step covers a life / Each stone is a sky of suffering…”

Staff of the Con Dao Relics Management Board take care of Hang Duong Cemetery.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Xuan has read those verses aloud to hundreds of visitors to Hang Duong Cemetery. Each time she reads them, she chokes up and sobs. Mr. Nguyen Nam Long, a reporter from the Army Television station in Hanoi, wept uncontrollably while listening to Ms. Xuan's explanation. He confided: “I had learned about Con Dao, about Hang Duong Cemetery, and about the sacrifices and losses of our ancestors through history lessons and books. But today, coming here, I truly feel the full extent of the suffering as well as the value of peace…”

According to statistics from the Con Dao Relic Site Management Board, over 100,000 domestic and international visitors visit Hang Duong Martyrs' Cemetery each year. During their trip to the islands, the delegation from the Command of Naval Region 2, along with reporters and journalists, visited Hang Duong Cemetery to lay flowers and offer incense in remembrance of the heroes and martyrs. On behalf of the delegation, Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Van Dung, Deputy Head of the Party Committee's Inspection Committee of the 2nd Naval Region Command, stated in his eulogy: “We deeply understand that the peaceful and happy life we ​​enjoy today is the result of the persistent, unwavering, and steadfast efforts, the noble sacrifices, and the selfless dedication of generations of brave and resilient Vietnamese people. Their blood has stained our motherland! We will forever admire, be proud of, cherish, and remember the generations of our forefathers who fell for the independence and freedom of our Fatherland. We will continue to strive to overcome all difficulties and hardships to firmly protect our maritime sovereignty, safeguarding every inch of land so that they may rest in peace and so that present and future generations may continue their legacy…”

Walking through the lush green rows of casuarina trees, offering incense in reverence to the heroes and martyrs, feeling the rustling of the casuarina trees and the sound of the waves from the open sea, one can reflect on the messages of our ancestors about the responsibility of succeeding generations in the cause of preserving independence and freedom.

Nguyen Son