Green Hang Duong Cemetery

(Baonghean) - In the days before Tet, we were in Con Dao. Like many other working groups, the first thing we did was to visit the heroes and martyrs at Hang Duong Cemetery. This is the resting place of tens of thousands of revolutionary soldiers and patriots. But underneath this land, there is a lot of blood of revolutionary soldiers and patriots that was shed here. Now, Hang Duong Cemetery is green with colorful trees and flowers.

NHang Duong cemetery has an area of ​​20 hectares located in the center of Con Dao, built in harmony with nature. Along the paths leading to the graves are rows of casuarinas that are beautifully cared for and trimmed. This season, the cherry trees in the cemetery bloom purple in a corner of area A, which includes 690 graves, including 7 mass graves. In this area, martyr Le Hong Phong, an outstanding son of his homeland Nghe An, is resting. Of the total number of graves in area A, only 91 have names, the rest are anonymous.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Xuan - Tour guide of Con Dao historical relic site said: “During its 113 years of existence, the prison system of the French colonialists and the American imperialists in Con Dao exiled hundreds of thousands of patriots from the mainland here. Their tortures caused the deaths of more than 20,000 revolutionary soldiers and patriotic compatriots. However, only 1921 graves have been found, of which 713 graves have their names and hometowns found. Each handful of soil in Con Dao is mixed with the flesh and blood of heroic martyrs…”.

The entire Hang Duong Cemetery has 5 areas of martyrs' graves. The graves here are not in straight rows, because during the restoration process, due to the large number of bones of unknown martyrs, the cemetery management board decided to build tombstones wherever the remains were found. One piece of information that makes us all feel infinitely sad is: Currently, the population of the entire Con Dao is nearly 8,000 people. Meanwhile, the number of martyrs on the island is more than 20,000 people. In such a place, the sacredness marks the patriotic spirit, the steadfast will of revolutionary heroes through the ages and denounces the cruelty and cruelty of the colonial and feudal regimes. Coming to Hang Duong, in the mournful music, listening to the narrator chokingly reciting poetry, we could not hold back our tears: "Con Lon Mountain (Con Dao) is mixed with blood/ Con Lon land has five or six layers of human bones/ Each step covers a life/ Each rock is a sky of suffering...".

Con Dao Monument Management Board staff take care of Hang Duong Cemetery.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Xuan has read those verses to hundreds of groups of visitors to Hang Duong Cemetery. But every time she reads them, she chokes up and sobs. Mr. Nguyen Nam Long - Military TV reporter, from Hanoi, came to listen to Ms. Xuan's explanation and burst into tears. He confided: "I have learned about Con Dao, about Hang Duong Cemetery, about the sacrifices and losses of generations of fathers and brothers through history lessons and books. But today, coming here, I can truly feel all the pain as well as the values ​​of peace...".

According to statistics from the Con Dao Relics Management Board, each year over 100,000 people from home and abroad visit the Hang Duong Martyrs Cemetery. During their journey to the islands, the working delegation of the Naval Region 2 Command along with reporters and journalists visited the Hang Duong Cemetery to offer flowers and incense to commemorate the heroes and martyrs. On behalf of the delegation, Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Van Dung - Deputy Head of the Party Inspection Committee of the Naval Region 2 Command stated in his eulogy: “We are deeply aware that to have a peaceful and happy life today is the result of persistent, tenacious, steadfast, and noble sacrifices, not sparing the youth of generations of brave and resilient Vietnamese children. Your blood has colored our motherland! We will forever admire, be proud, respect, and forever be grateful to the generations of fathers and brothers who fell for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. We will continue to strive to overcome all difficulties and hardships to firmly protect the sovereignty of the sea and islands, to preserve every inch of land for you to rest in peace and for today's and future generations to continue...".

Walking in the green pine trees, offering incense sticks respectfully to the heroes and martyrs, feeling the rustling of the casuarina trees and the waves of the ocean to hear the messages of our ancestors about the responsibility of the next generations in the cause of preserving independence and freedom.

Nguyen Son