Deep affection between the two homelands

Sharing a mat with each other

Mr. Nguyen Ke Toan, 90 years old and a Party member for 72 years (formerly in charge of Department 10 and the K10 People's Committee of Tan Ky District Party Committee), and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lieu, 86 years old and a Party member for 55 years (formerly the Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Nghia Dong Commune, Tan Ky District), are historical witnesses to the time when the Party Committee, military, and people of Tan Ky welcomed the people of Vinh Linh (Quang Tri) who evacuated under the K10 plan. Recalling this event brings back vivid memories for them. Back then, the people of Vinh Linh who evacuated with the people of Tan Ky lived together like brothers and sisters, sharing food and clothing, deeply affectionate and supportive of each other.

Mr. Toan and Mrs. Lieu (Nghia Dong commune, Tan Ky district) recall the days of welcoming people from Vinh Linh to evacuate. Photo: Thanh Le

With her warm, persuasive voice, Mrs. Lieu's story transported us back in time to the brutal years of war. During the resistance against the US in 1965-1968, Vinh Linh (Quang Tri), as the frontline of the socialist North and the direct rear area of ​​the Southern battlefield, became a target for destruction by the US imperialists. To minimize casualties and ensure resources for national defense and future development, following the directives of the Central Party Committee and President Ho Chi Minh, Vinh Linh implemented Plan K10 to evacuate the elderly and children to northern provinces, primarily concentrating them in Tan Ky district. At that time, 13 out of 16 communes in Tan Ky had residents from Plan K10 living there.

“The people of Nghia Dong commune waited for the people from Vinh Linh to evacuate right at night. Everyone gathered at the Thuong Thang Cooperative Hall, and the vehicles didn't arrive until very late. Local officials divided up the villages to welcome the people from Vinh Trung commune (Vinh Linh). Over 850 people from Vinh Trung evacuated to Tan Ky, all women, the elderly, and children under 5 years old. Initially, before the Tet holiday of 1969, one family from Nghia Dong would welcome one family from Vinh Trung to live together in one house. Houses back then weren't as spacious as they are now; they were mostly thatched with bamboo and mud walls, and there weren't enough blankets. But we welcomed them as if they were our own relatives returning home. We ate meals together in the same ditch, and worshipped our parents together at the same altar.”

During that time, many unforgettable stories and memories recounted the affection between the people of the two districts. The people of Nghia Dong still often tell the story of two families from Nghia Dong and Vinh Trung who shared a house, with only one woven mat to sleep on. Neither family wanted to use it, constantly offering it to the other, and eventually they used it as a headrest – a true story.

Back then, there was a shop owner named Trinh Huu Duc who had to sleep at the shop. He gave his single bed to an elderly man from Vinh Trung commune who had evacuated. After the war, the man asked to take the bed back to his hometown as a memento. The second time I visited Vinh Linh with my colleagues, that bed was still sitting in the lower part of the house. I asked why he wasn't using it, and he said, "I'm keeping it as a memento; I can't bear to use it, ma'am." Mrs. Lieu said emotionally, "I think only things that deeply touch the memory, things that are etched in the heart, can move people so much. My family named our son Ngo Gia Vinh to remember a time when we were intimately connected to Vinh Linh…"

The people of Vinh Linh arrived just before Tet (Lunar New Year), and after celebrating Tet, they had to deal with a series of issues: First, they had to worry about bamboo, thatch, and land for building houses. Just two months after settling in Tan Ky, they had stabilized their lives and began production, participating in combat and supporting the war effort. The people of the two communes learned from and exchanged experiences in production, sheltered, supported, and wholeheartedly helped each other. Through years of living together, the people shared hardships, joys, and sorrows, working together in production, reclaiming and cultivating land…

A rural area in Tan Ky district. (Archival photo)

A land that nurtures affection and loyalty.

Tan Ky became the second home, nurturing nearly 30,000 children from Vinh Linh during a unique migration in the nation's history. More than half a century has passed, and wherever they may be, this bond of friendship has been continuously nurtured by generations of officials and people from both districts, becoming a special relationship known as "Shared Homeland." To preserve and cultivate this precious tradition, in 2008, under the guidance of the Party Committees of Vinh Linh and Tan Ky districts, the youth of both districts signed a fraternal agreement with many practical activities.

Accordingly, the Youth Unions of the two localities have actively propagated and educated, raising awareness about the historical significance of the K10 campaign, and the precious sentiments of the Party Committee, military, people, and youth of the two districts during the anti-American war period as well as the period of national construction. Over the past 10 years, the youth of Vinh Linh and Tan Ky have organized nearly 10 activities at the district level.

The Youth Union of Tan Ky and Vinh Linh districts organized a camp with the theme "Shared Homeland" in Vinh Linh district (Quang Tri province). Photo: Tan Ky District Youth Union

The two sides exchanged experiences in youth union work; visited practical examples of youth economic development models and creative forms in building youth union organizations; and organized "back to the roots" activities to visit, give gifts, and help disadvantaged families in the area. In particular, during the commemoration of the traditional day of the two districts, the youth of both districts participated in a camping trip with many traditional activities and cultural and artistic performances.

Notably, in October 2018, the youth of the two districts inaugurated a youth project demonstrating their shared hometown spirit: the "Canteen for boarding students at Tan Hop Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School" in Tan Ky district, with a construction investment of over 800 million VND. On August 23, 2019, the Standing Committee of the Tan Ky District Youth Union and the Vinh Linh District Youth Union inaugurated the youth project "Vinh Linh District Logo" in Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province, with a budget of over 200 million VND, of which the youth of Tan Ky district contributed 100 million VND.

Youth from two districts inaugurated a canteen for boarding students at Tan Hop Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School (Tan Ky). Photo: Tan Ky District Youth Union

Besides activities at the district level, youth union branches and socio-political organizations at the commune and town levels in Vinh Linh district organize exchange and twinning activities with their counterparts in Tan Ky district. To date, 13 communes and towns have organized twinning activities with diverse content. “These meaningful activities between the two districts will be the foundation and premise for building a close relationship between generations of Vinh Linh and Tan Ky people, past, present, and future. Through various stages of development, the Party committees, governments, and people of Tan Ky and Vinh Linh have maintained their unwavering affection,” emphasized Phan Van Giap, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Tan Ky District Party Committee.

Thanh Le