After the Paris Agreement: Temporarily put down your guns and welcome spring in a "house of harmony"

In the spring of Dinh Suu year 1973, the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam was signed. At this time, more than 85% of the area of ​​Quang Tri province, including districts and towns on the northern bank of Thach Han river and part of Trieu Phong district and Quang Tri town, was liberated.

The Thach Han River and the liberated area of ​​Trieu Phong, Quang Tri town were considered the second border after the 17th Parallel - Ben Hai River. In this area, "national reconciliation houses" were built between the barbed wire fence, the boundary line between the liberated area and the area under the control of the Saigon government.

In those “harmony houses”, people from both sides put aside their hatred and had moments of conversation and confiding as if they were part of the same family. Many people from the other side of the front line longed for peace, put down their guns and returned to the revolution. 45 years have passed, many people who lived and fought during those years in Quang Tri still cannot forget the voices and smiles in those “harmony houses” every time Tet comes and Spring comes.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Binh in Ward 1, Quang Tri Town, Quang Tri Province always remembers the Spring of the Year of the Ox 1973. The day after the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam was signed, it was also the time when people on both sides celebrated the traditional New Year.

That day, our side established 4 large-capacity loudspeaker clusters along the northern bank of the Thach Han River. Mr. Binh was a reporter from Hai Duong Province Radio Station who was assigned to do enemy propaganda work at the Tich Tuong - Nhu Le checkpoint, Quang Tri town.

That spring, the Voice of Vietnam radio waves regularly broadcast news about the battlefield, calling for national reconciliation. Mr. Binh still remembers the first day of the silence, when soldiers from both sides raced to plant flags and set up border demarcation posts. At that time, more than 85% of Quang Tri province was liberated, and part of the land on the southern bank of Thach Han River, especially Trieu Hai district, was in a "leopard skin" position. The red-blue flag with a yellow star of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was planted close to the three-striped flag of the Republic of Vietnam along the border between the two sides.

Although according to the Agreement, both sides ceased fire, the other side still tried to erase the “leopard skin” situation, openly encroaching on the liberated areas. On this front, guns continued to explode and blood was still shed. From then on, superiors directed the construction of “national reconciliation houses” at checkpoints along the border for both sides to sit down and discuss the implementation of the Paris Agreement and resolve disagreements.

Our side proactively met to propose building a “reconciliation house”, with a volleyball court for exchanges, chess games, etc. Every week, the two sides met three times at the “reconciliation house”. “At the end of 1973, there were two “reconciliation houses”. Whenever they needed to meet, the two sides had an appointment with each other. The other side and this side were about 5 meters apart. Sometimes, they fought for a whole week and there was no reconciliation at all. When things calmed down, they sat down together. We had to propagate to love each other and not listen to the American tactic of using Vietnamese people to fight Vietnamese people. We had to join hands and unite to bring Vietnam to unification”, Mr. Nguyen Tien Binh recalled.

After the signing of the Paris Agreement, “harmony houses” at the checkpoints and along the border continuously sprang up, from Tich Tuong, Nhu Le, Quang Tri town to Sai market, An Long, Phu Lieu, Long Quang, Trieu Van, Trieu Phong district… Along each checkpoint there is a “harmony house”, some checkpoints have two or three houses.

Called a “house”, it was just a small makeshift hut made of bamboo and thatch, located in the middle of the border line full of barbed wire and mines. In that “house of harmony”, there were often heated arguments due to differences in viewpoints. The stories that people from both sides often mentioned had the power to move hearts, imbued with the love of people with red blood and yellow skin.

Ms. Duong Thi Hoai Nam, a former enemy propaganda officer at Bich La Trung post, Trieu Dong commune, Trieu Phong district, recalled: "Once, Vinh Linh Special Zone gave Trieu Phong district 10 buffaloes to plow the fields and restore production. The buffaloes were numbered, but after a few days, 8 of them were lost.

Our cadres went to the Radio Station to announce that the South side should return the buffaloes. So the two sides had a conflict and were about to draw their guns and fight. The enemy cadres immediately invited representatives of both sides to the "reconciliation house" to make peace. Although they did not admit to capturing the buffaloes of the Viet Cong, the Republic of Vietnam soldiers still tried to return the four buffaloes as compensation for the emotional loss.

Ms. Duong Thi Hoai Nam said that at first, it was very difficult to approach the soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam. The enemy cadres had to use the tactic of "slow and steady wins the race", and gradually they understood where the justice lay. "On Tet, we sang songs about the revolution, or in some years, we could even sing Golden songs like "Xuan Nay Con Khong Ve".

Singing songs of war for the homeland, do you ever think about the future for tomorrow... to evoke human love and affection. Now Tet is here but the soldiers are still on the battlefield, still on the post alone missing their mothers. After that, we will propagate our policies, gradually at night many soldiers will return to us", Mrs. Nam said with emotion.

Ms. Do Thi Thanh Mai, a cadre of enemy propaganda in Quang Tri town, once witnessed two soldiers, one wearing the uniform of the Liberation Army, the other wearing the uniform of the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps, putting their arms around each other and smoking a Dien Bien cigarette. People also gave each other souvenirs. They cherished and kept the souvenirs to show off to their relatives.

Once, brothers from both sides took cigarette packs and asked each other for signatures. Many women on our side brought their children into the “reconciliation house” to socialize and chat. The image of a mother carrying her child to play during Tet made many soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam homesick. And then, hundreds of soldiers on the other side of the front line threw away their guns and crossed the fence to the liberated zone to join the revolution.

According to Mrs. Mai, at that time, our side propagated that our homeland was liberated, clearly stating our lenient policy that the people were ready to welcome us. We fought the enemy without wasting blood or bullets, but still called on the enemy to put down their guns and follow us.

The mission of the “national reconciliation houses” built between the two sides’ borders only existed for 3 years, from Spring 1973 to Spring 1975, liberating the South and unifying the country. “National reconciliation houses” were a unique innovation in the political struggle - military and enemy agitation work suitable to the conditions and circumstances at that time.

This spring, remembering the past springs, the people here still cannot forget the image of soldiers from the two fronts sitting together in the "harmony houses". In them, the desire for peace is always burning and they hope to soon return to reunite with their families./.

Dinh Thieu