Need to soon build a relic cluster, the place where 33 Youth Volunteer Soldiers sacrificed their lives in Nghe An
The Rocket Cave Relic Complex and the Railway Martyrs Cemetery (in the old Hoang Mai Town) have been recognized as National Historical Relics and have been planned to be built into a complex of relics and landscapes. However, to date, this project has not been implemented.
Heroic evidence
Fire Rocket Cave is a natural cave, located in Eo Kin mountain range, in Hoang Mai ward (Quynh Thien ward, old Hoang Mai town). During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Hoang Mai had an extremely important strategic position to support the southern battlefield, so military forces, militia, and youth volunteers from many localities were sent here to protect this route.
During the fiercest years of the destructive war, Hoa Tien cave was chosen as a shelter and base for Group 4 - Team 27, unit C271 Youth Volunteers, tasked with protecting the vital railway from Hanoi to the South.
On April 28, 1966, during a fierce bombing raid by the US Air Force to destroy the vital traffic route, enemy bombs collapsed the cave entrance, causing 33 youth volunteers who were taking shelter inside to die en masse. Since then, the local people have called this place Rocket Cave, to remember the heroic sacrifice of the Youth Volunteers. They sacrificed themselves when they were only eighteen or twenty years old, with many ambitions, aspirations and unfulfilled dreams.
After the country's reunification, the State and people gathered and built the Railway Martyrs Cemetery right next to the cave as a resting place for the heroic martyrs. To commemorate the heroic martyrs' contributions, on April 27, 2011, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed Decision No. 1410/QD - BVHTTDL recognizing the Rocket Cave and the Railway Martyrs Cemetery (Hoang Mai town, Quynh Luu district - now Hoang Mai ward) as National Historical Relics.
Since then, local authorities and relevant agencies have regularly held activities to pay tribute to and commemorate the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Hoa Tien Cave as well as the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the fight to protect this vital route.
Despite the attention of relevant departments and agencies, over the years, this national historical relic cluster has not received investment commensurate with its value.
In late June 2025, when visiting this relic site, we could not help but feel sad when the road leading to the relic site was damaged, narrow, rocky and deserted, making the memorial space (especially the area around Hoa Tien cave) become dim and deserted.
Don't let planning hang!
With the historical values of the Rocket Cave Relic Complex and the Railway Martyrs' Cemetery, on June 30, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 1881/QD-UBND approving the detailed construction planning at a scale of 1/500 of the Rocket Cave Relic Complex in Quynh Thien Ward, Hoang Mai Town (now Hoang Mai Ward), with the aim of preserving, promoting and serving educational, cultural, gratitude and spiritual tourism activities.
The planning focuses on preserving the natural landscape of the cave and cemetery, while adding important structures. The items will be designed in harmony, in conjunction with the terrain and natural landscape, ensuring both the memorial function and creating conditions for this place to become an attractive destination for traditional education and spiritual tourism.
In particular, the total planned area of this relic cluster is more than 51.6 hectares, divided into many landscape architectural spaces, focusing on the Rocket Cave Relic and the Railway Martyrs Cemetery to form spaces with highlights with different functions, such as: Memorial space; Space to promote the value of the relic; Public service area; Auxiliary area, technical infrastructure.
On August 25, 2023, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town at that time also announced the detailed construction plan at a scale of 1/500 for the National Historical Relic Complex of Hoa Tien Cave. This is an important step forward in the investment and construction of this relic complex. With this plan, all levels, sectors and localities will have a legal basis to allocate capital, implement investment packages, call for socialization, and at the same time, strictly control land use, avoid encroachment, illegal construction or let the relic continue to deteriorate.
However, in reality, according to our observations, the current status of the planning area is still deserted. In the planning area, there are a number of constructions of local people such as livestock farms, production facilities, local cemetery areas, etc. If this planning is not strictly managed, it will lead to the risk of additional constructions arising, affecting the site clearance work later.
Besides, the distance between the relic sites such as Rocket Cave, Railway Martyrs Cemetery, and Memorial House is quite far, while the roads are degraded and damaged, which has greatly affected people's sightseeing and visiting.
Mr. Pham Van Hao - Chairman of Hoang Mai Ward People's Committee (former Vice Chairman of Hoang Mai Town People's Committee) said: After announcing the detailed planning 1/500 of Hoa Tien Cave Relic Complex (in Quynh Thien Ward, old Hoang Mai Town), the local government at that time also took the next steps to implement the project. However, in the context of merging and abolishing the district level, in the coming time, there will certainly be adjustments to assign appropriate tasks. If Hoang Mai Ward (new) is assigned the investment task, it will take the next steps to implement the project to ensure the correct progress and approved planning.
It can be seen that the construction of the Rocket Cave Relic Complex is not simply a responsibility to preserve history, but also a political and cultural task of profound significance. In the coming time, it is necessary to have the synchronous and drastic participation of the entire political system. When assigned tasks, all levels, sectors and localities need to speed up the progress of establishing, appraising and approving the next steps of the planning; need to allocate priority capital for the infrastructure investment phase, and at the same time, issue management regulations to avoid encroachment or damage to relics while waiting for implementation.
If properly invested, the Rocket Cave Relic Complex will not only be a place to remember sacrifices, but also a space for culture, traditional education, and community connection. It will be an important highlight in the sustainable development strategy of Hoang Mai, Nghe An, where modernity and tradition go hand in hand.