July on the sacred land...
(Baonghean.vn) - As a land rich in patriotic and revolutionary traditions, the homeland of heroic martyrs, the resting place of countless people who died for the cause of national liberation, during the days of July, Nghe An becomes a pilgrimage site for people and tourists from all over.
Symbol of indomitable spirit
These days of July, people flock to historical sites and martyrs' cemeteries.More and more people came to pay their respects to those who sacrificed their lives for independence and peace. On Highway 46, passing through Hung Nguyen town (Hung Nguyen), many groups of visitors entered the Soviet martyrs' memorial area in Nghe Tinh to offer incense to those who died more than 90 years ago.
After standing silently in front of the martyrs' graves, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hai in Ben Thuy ward (Vinh city) told his children: "More than 93 years ago, during the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, thousands of farmers protested here demanding that the French colonialists and their feudal lackeys reduce taxes and duties. The French sent planes to bomb the protest, killing 217 and injuring 125, but they could not subdue the fighting spirit of the revolutionary masses. The memorial site has become a symbol of the indomitable and resilient fighting spirit of our people."
According to Mr. Hai, every July he and his children organize pilgrimages to historical sites and cemeteries to offer incense to martyrs. This year, after offering incense at Vinh City Cemetery, he and his children went to Hung Nguyen to pay tribute to the Soviet martyrs of Nghe Tinh, thereby helping his children understand the historical roots of their homeland.
We turned onto Highway 15A, this road was quite busy with traffic heading towards Truong Bon National Monument in My Son Commune (Do Luong). This land was filled with the green of hills and gardens, which eased the harsh summer sun. In July, Truong Bon became the "meeting point" of the gratitude journey, as people from all regions and areas returned here to offer flowers and incense to commemorate the heroes and martyrs who died to make victory.
“I know Truong Bon through books and newspapers, but today I have the opportunity to visit and burn incense for the brothers and sisters who are lying here. Stepping here, my heart suddenly overflows with emotion for the sacrifices of the young volunteers who fought and sacrificed at the “fire coordinates”, contributing to the immortal heroic epic.”
Having served on Route 15A during the fierce war years, former Youth Volunteer Nguyen Thi Thuy, from Dien Chau, every year arranges time to offer incense to her comrades and teammates. For her, returning to Truong Bon is returning to the old battlefield, where her youth was associated with fierce roads of bullets and bombs. “Coming to Truong Bon, memories of my youth come flooding back, making me miss my comrades so much that I can’t forget them. Therefore, when I still have enough strength, on the occasion of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day, I come back here to always have peace of mind,” Ms. Thuy confided.
“During the days of July, despite the harsh weather, the number of visitors to Truong Bon increased dramatically, with some days reaching thousands of people. There were groups of visitors from far away provinces who came to Truong Bon for the first time, witnessed the space, the scenery and listened to the explanation about the sacrifice of the heroic martyrs and could not hold back their tears of emotion…”.
The "sacred addresses"
Leaving Truong Bon, following National Highway 7A, we went to Anh Son town, where there is the Vietnam - Laos Martyrs Cemetery. This is the resting place of nearly 11,000 martyrs, most of whom were Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who died on the Laos battlefield. These days, the Vietnam - Laos Martyrs Cemetery welcomes many delegations from the province and all over the country to offer flowers and incense. Among them, there are delegations from agencies, departments, branches, and organizations coming to pay tribute to the martyrs; there are delegations of veterans coming to offer incense to their comrades; and there are many relatives coming to visit their loved ones who are resting here.
There was a group of young people walking along each row of graves, their eyes fixed on the tombstones engraved with the names of martyrs. Nguyen Hoang Khanh, a member of the group, said: “We are from Vinh city and neighboring districts, university students, returning home for summer vacation. Today, we visited the Vietnam - Laos Martyrs Cemetery together to better understand a sacred place of our homeland. Coming here, everyone was truly moved by the scene of thousands of tombstones, many of which had unknown names, from which we understood more about the pain and price of an independent and peaceful life.”
Here, we met Ms. Ha Thi Thu, from Thanh Hoa. Through the story, we learned that her father fought and died in the Laos battlefield. After learning about the repatriation information, it is highly likely that her father's grave has been repatriated to the Vietnam - Laos Martyrs' Cemetery. Her family has searched but has not found it yet. Her father's grave may be one of thousands of unknown graves...
Along with martyrs’ cemeteries, historical sites, memorial sites of revolutionary predecessors such as Le Hong Phong (Hung Nguyen), Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (Vinh City), Phan Dang Luu (Yen Thanh)… have also become destinations for many organizations and individuals during the July days. Thereby, demonstrating the nation’s morality of “When drinking water, remember its source”, commemorating and remembering the merits of those who sacrificed for a peaceful and independent life today./.
