In March 2023, we visited the Km0 National Special Monument – Ho Chi Minh Road, in Tan Ky town, Tan Ky district, twice. Each time we visited, the scenery here was different, but the general feeling was that the Special Monument area had not received special attention.
The first time on March 1, observing the overall details of each item, we saw that the relic had deteriorated to the point of ruin. The first thing that caught our eye right from the entrance, bordering the Ho Chi Minh road and the relic site was the collapsed, broken, and punctured drainage ditch and the dilapidated, crumpled stainless steel folding gate. Connecting to the entrance, there was a rusty iron fence surrounding the protection, with many broken sections, forming an entrance for dumping waste (the section bordering the district bus station). Inside the relic, there was a house displaying artifacts and relics, but the roof was made of rusty corrugated iron, causing the entire wall and ceiling to leak, peel, and become ulcerated; the tiled floor was broken and punctured... The relic site had a system of gardens, trees, walking paths, and a lake with a fairly large area. However, the lake was a patch of overgrown grass and littered with garbage; only the walking paths, the tree system... were still visible.
The Km0 milestone is located in a solemn position in the center of the relic site, placed on a pedestal about 2m high, with 3 entrances. The pedestal is covered with granite, but the entrances on both sides have sunk heavily. Because of the subsidence, the joint between the entrance and the pedestal surface has a large crack, enough to fit a hand through. Also because of the subsidence, the granite stone has been compressed, cracked, broken, and peeled off in many places. The path leading to the pedestal in the center is no exception, the stone has broken a lot. As for the Km0 milestone, it is designed with 4 sides, with a monument stele. Each side of the milestone has an area of about 6m2, made of dozens of black stones. Over time, the black stones have faded, cracked, and the joints have become visible, making the milestone less aesthetically pleasing and greatly affecting the lines of writing engraved on it.
The second time we passed by the special national relic Km0 – Ho Chi Minh road, on March 24, there were repair and restoration activities. When asked, we learned that the 60th anniversary of the district’s founding was approaching, so the district People’s Committee was focusing on the repair and restoration work.
Stop by to see, at the regulating lake there are some machinery and trucks unloading garbage and bushes. At the exhibition house, there are groups of leather workers re-plastering the ceiling and walls, removing and replacing the brick floors inside and out. In the area of the Km0 milestone, there are new ornamental plants planted. The protective fence system is also painted to cover up the rust... But in general, these are small restoration and refurbishment activities, just enough to reduce the desolation and degradation, but cannot change the aesthetics of the construction, cannot raise the status of a special National Monument.
On the morning of March 24, the special national relic Km0 – Ho Chi Minh road had a number of people come to see the renovation. It is known that among them was Mr. Nguyen Tat Binh (residing at house number 253, 19-5 street, Tan Ky town), who had reported the deterioration of the relic to the Provincial People's Council.
In July 2022, Mr. Binh and some elderly people watched the live broadcast of the Provincial People's Council meeting. When hearing the Provincial People's Council inform about the conferment of some relics, the elderly people thought of reporting via the hotline about the deterioration of the Special National Monument Km0 - Ho Chi Minh Road. Because of the current state of the relic, and because the wishes of the elderly people were also his own, Mr. Binh called, and the Provincial People's Council received the information. After a few days, Mr. Binh received a notice from the Provincial People's Council; in September 2022, he received a written response from the People's Committee of Tan Ky district.
Returning home, searching for relevant documents to prove what he said, Mr. Binh confided that the Km0 milestone had been formed for a long time, recognized as a National historical and cultural relic, then a special National one, but during the process of use, it had not received the appropriate investment, care, and protection. Therefore, the milestone had seriously degraded and damaged. The fence, the pedestal, and the milestone were all damaged, and the campus was very unsightly. To the point that many visitors said that this was no longer a relic site but a garbage dump. Mr. Binh, like all the people living around the relic, seeing this current situation and hearing such comments from visitors, felt sad and ashamed. That is why he hoped and requested that the competent authorities pay attention to inspect and try to invest so that the landscape of the relic could be changed to be worthy of being a place marking the glorious mark of a period of revolutionary history, a place visited by many Party and State leaders...
Mr. Nguyen Tat Binh earnestly said: “We are very proud to live on the land where the Km0 milestone relic of the Truong Son road, of the legendary Ho Chi Minh road is located. But the more proud we are, the more we hope that the relic will receive investment and restoration. We have been told that the province and district are facing financial difficulties. We understand this, but we think that the district and province must do something to make the relic worthy of the special national title, worthy of its inherent historical values…”.
At the same time as talking with Mr. Nguyen Tat Binh, the special national relic Km0 - Ho Chi Minh road had a group of visitors. When asked, it was known that this was a group of officials from the Department of Social Protection (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) visiting the actual facility in Tan Ky. After completing the work, the district introduced them so they took the opportunity to visit. The head of the delegation, Ms. Pham Thi Hai Ha - Deputy Director of the Department of Social Protection, said when asked: "Coming to the relic Km0 - Ho Chi Minh road, I was very moved and proud of what our ancestors had done, feeling truly grateful to all the soldiers who had fallen for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. I think that today we need to do something to repay the heroic martyrs who have fallen".
But Ms. Pham Thi Hai Ha also expressed her sadness at the current state of the Relic, saying: “The first time I came here, I was really sad. This is a special National Historical Relic, a place that records an important milestone of the Fatherland, but it has degraded and is too sketchy compared to the merits of the heroic martyrs, we feel that we have not received a worthy reward. We also hope that the State will have an investment to restore this historical relic…”.
See Document No. 1510/UBND-BTD dated September 6, 2022 of the People's Committee of Tan Ky district to resolve voters' opinions and recommendations reflected via the online telephone line at the 7th Session, the Provincial People's Council sent to Mr. Nguyen Tat Binh, showing that Tan Ky district closely recognized the current status of the Special National Monument Km0 - Ho Chi Minh Road, and at the same time showed that it is also making efforts to restore and upgrade the monument.
Document No. 1510/UBND-BTD states: “On April 27, 1990, the Km 0 Relic was ranked as a National Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in Decision No. 84/QD-BVHTT; on December 9, 2013, it was recognized as a Special National Historical Relic in Decision No. 2383/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister. The Special National Relic Km0 - Ho Chi Minh Road has an area of 10,763.1m2; technical facilities, including: Km0 milestone; Exhibition house of artifacts and relics; Outdoor exhibition area; Air-conditioning lake; Green tree and ornamental plant system; Fence and toilet system. However, due to being put into operation since 2006, along with the harsh climate and no major repairs, many items of the relic have now seriously degraded, not commensurate with the role and historical significance.
The restoration, upgrading and renovation of the special national relic Km0 - Ho Chi Minh road is the earnest wish of the people and the government of Tan Ky district. The People's Committee of Tan Ky district has worked with the Department of Culture and Sports and the Department of Tourism to propose a plan to find funding sources for implementation. In the coming time, the district will continue to work with departments and branches to integrate programs and projects and mobilize other legal sources of capital to gradually restore and upgrade the special national relic Km0 - Ho Chi Minh road, contributing to preserving the great values of a heroic historical period of the nation.
Contacting the People's Committee of Tan Ky district, we were introduced to meet the Head of the Department of Culture and Sports, Mr. Hoang Xuan Hanh. As the person who drafted the response to the petition for Mr. Nguyen Tat Binh, Mr. Hoang Xuan Hanh emphasized that he did not feel bothered about this, because it was the voice of the people of Tan Ky mountain district, including himself. He was also very honest when he said that due to difficult economic conditions, every year the People's Committee of the district can only allocate a part of the budget to renovate and repair small items, besides urging functional units to preserve and operate the relic, clean the environment, take care of the relic grounds... As for renovating and upgrading the relic to be worthy of the special national level, it is beyond their capacity.
According to Mr. Hoang Xuan Hanh, every year the Km0 National Special Relic - Ho Chi Minh Road welcomes about 15,000 domestic and foreign visitors, and is one of the most visited historical relics in the province. Therefore, Tan Ky district has a high political determination to find ways to mobilize legal capital sources to upgrade and renovate the relic. The district has a plan to re-plan the entire relic site. It has recognized the need to build a new exhibition house; renovate the landmark items; renovate and upgrade the regulating lake and drainage system; in addition, build a Monument to the Rear facing the front line to connect with the Km0 National Special Relic... However, to do this, a large investment capital is needed. Therefore, at the time of preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding, the District People's Committee can only renovate a number of small, urgent items. In the coming time, the Department of Culture and Sports will propose to guide the selection of consulting units with expertise in making detailed plans and projects to implement items according to the above orientation. From there, it will coordinate with the Department of Culture and Sports to mobilize legal funding sources for implementation.
Mr. Hanh said: “This is the only special national relic representing 11 mountainous districts and towns out of a total of 6 special national relics of the province. It is a testament to the heroic historical events of the nation. Therefore, the People's Committee of Tan Ky district hopes that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Provincial People's Committee, and the Department of Culture and Sports will pay attention to considering and supporting the renovation and upgrading of the relic to match its inherent role and value, meeting the legitimate aspirations of all classes of people and tourists from all over the world.”
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Coming to the special national relic site Km0 - Ho Chi Minh trail, we were able to see relics and artifacts that testify to a heroic period of the nation's history. And also read the guestbooks of countless visitors. Whether they were local people, students, veterans who had contributed blood and bones in the resistance war against the US, or generals, leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly... They all expressed their emotions, gratitude, and recorded historical values. As in the guestbook of the late President Tran Dai Quang on April 28, 2017: "I was very moved to visit the special national relic site of Truong Son road - Ho Chi Minh trail (Km0). Truong Son road is a brilliant feat in the history of the resistance war against the US of our nation. I hope that the cadres, soldiers, and people of Nghe An province will continue to promote the heroic tradition of our nation, building and developing our province as beloved Uncle Ho always wished". To better understand the feelings of the people and officials of Tan Ky district!
