New vitality in Truong Bon

Brighten the spirit of youth volunteers

In 1972, Ms. Dang Thi Trach - a daughter of My Son land turned 22 years old. In the most beautiful age of her youth, she joined the youth volunteer force. During the peak of the fierce bombing period of the American empire, her and her comrades' footprints were imprinted all over the key areas in Nghi Loc, Quynh Luu, Hung Nguyen...

Despite living in harsh conditions on the battlefield, always ready to face danger and death, she never lost her enthusiasm and optimism. In 1973, she was honored to join the Party.

After completing her duty to protect the Fatherland and returning to her hometown in 1975, she and her husband began to build a new life. When the war had just ended, My Son land was still full of difficulties and shortages. Mrs. Trach and her husband also had their own hardships as they came from a large family. She was the second child of four siblings. Her husband was the eldest in a family of eight children. After getting married, the couple had to build a temporary thatched house in Hamlet 4, My Son commune to live.

Having a place to live, Mrs. Trach and her husband were determined to build an economic model to escape poverty. In addition to cultivating the family's rice fields effectively, they also renovated the garden and hill area to build a farm of more than 2,000 square meters. This farm planted more than 100 citrus fruit trees and raised bees for honey. Using short-term income to support long-term livestock development, the number of pigs and chickens gradually increased. At peak times, the farm had nearly ten pigs and thousands of poultry.

Not only being active in economic development, former youth volunteer Dang Thi Trach also performed well in her roles as Chairwoman of the Women's Union of My Son commune, Head of the Women's Union of Hamlet 4 and in population work for a long time.

There are many examples like Mrs. Trach in My Son. They have contributed to reviving the once dead land into a cradle of life and development. In the process of building new rural areas, the youth volunteer force here has also maintained its pioneering role in contributing human and material resources.

A shining example is former youth volunteer Dang Quang Mai (born in 1948). In his role as Chairman of the Association of Former Youth Volunteers of My Son Commune, he voluntarily contributed 80 million VND to build rural roads in Hamlet 6 where he lives. When starting the construction of Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site, he also fulfilled the responsibility assigned by the local Party Committee, being a factor that always accompanied, supervised and did not hesitate to "get involved" whenever needed during the entire construction and completion of the relic site. Up to now, during peak times, he always accompanies the Relic Management Board to welcome many tourists on their journey of gratitude at Truong Bon.

Looking back on the past journey, Secretary of the My Son Commune Party Committee Dang Van Tu affirmed that in the development of My Son land, there is an extremely important contribution of the former youth volunteer force. Currently, the former youth volunteer force in the area has 33 people, in the past time, many of them have successfully built economic models, built new rural areas, participated in creating sources of party members and participated in key positions in villages and hamlets. Under the forest canopy of My Son commune, dozens of farms and livestock farms with high income have been formed and developed.

From the land of “bomb bags and fire pans” in the past, My Son is now known for its farms and ranches that combine livestock and poultry farming with fruit tree growing for a good income. The commune was recognized as a new rural commune in 2019 with an increasingly developed infrastructure system, a changing rural appearance, and improved and enhanced people's lives.

"Red address" connects the revolutionary source

Amidst the revival of Truong Bon land, it is impossible not to mention the Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site built on an area of ​​nearly 22 hectares, located on strategic route 15A - a place that was once associated with the fierce but heroic fighting years of our army and people.

With the attention of the Party and the State with the aim of building Truong Bon into a "red address" to educate revolutionary traditions for the young generation today and tomorrow, on April 19, 2010, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 1591/QD.UBND-CNXD approving the Construction Investment Project: Preservation and restoration of Truong Bon Historical Relic Site. The project started construction on October 27, 2010 and officially came into operation at the end of 2014 with many items such as: memorial, traditional house, bell tower, electronic sand table "fire coordinates" Truong Bon.

The most prominent is the grave of 13 heroic martyrs of the youth volunteer. The grave is nestled in the old pine forest - formerly a shelter for the youth volunteer. In front of the grave is the place where the American enemy fiercely attacked and also the place where 13 heroes fell and sacrificed their lives in the bombing on the morning of October 31, 1968. From the bomb crater that buried the blood and bones of many children of Nghe An in the past, it has now taken on a new form, becoming a meaningful address for many people to come back to express their gratitude.

Joining the crowd of people returning to Truong Bon in recent days, Mr. Chu Vinh Hiep (born in 1958) - Chairman of the Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Nghe An province, former Director of the Management Board of Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site confided: "Since April 2014, when the Management Board of Truong Bon Historical Relic Site was established, I was honored to be assigned the task of Director of the Management Board of the Relic Site until November 2018.

After nearly 5 years of working in Truong Bon, I retired and joined the Provincial Association of Former Youth Volunteers. In my new position, I am honored to continue working in Truong Bon. Every time I return, I feel happier when this heroic land is developing more and more, the lives of the people here are increasingly prosperous and happy. In particular, the relic site has truly met the expectations of the Party Committee, the government and the people of Nghe An when it has become a "red address" welcoming millions of visitors to come to remember and pay their gratitude.

Mr. Ngan Van Tu - Vice Chairman of Xa Luong Commune (Tuong Duong District) shared: "Every time I come to Truong Bon, I am moved and moved by the "sacred land", which was once a "fire coordinate". Along with that is the joy of witnessing the Truong Bon Memorial Site becoming more and more spacious and majestic. Passing through each road, each hamlet, I feel a green color full of vitality rising strongly every day. That revival is placed in the general context when Do Luong land is increasingly developing, worthy of the expectations of the province"...

Amidst the ceaseless flow of time, the land of Do Luong in general, and the Truong Bon site in particular, has truly become a bridge between history and the future. That red address is a shining light for revolutionary tradition, patriotism and hope for a bright future on the “fire coordinates” of the past.