About the sacred land of Quang Tri

(Baonghean) -Throughout the S-shaped strip of land, everywhere is marked with the achievements and silent sacrifices of veterans, wounded soldiers, and martyrs, but perhaps the most fierce and painful is still the sacred land of Quang Tri - where every inch of land and river is soaked with the blood and bones of thousands of people who sacrificed for the peace of the Fatherland. In order to pay tribute to the heroes and martyrs, yesterday, the Provincial Working Group led by Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee came to lay wreaths and offer incense at the National Martyrs' Cemetery of Road 9 and the National Martyrs' Cemetery of Truong Son, Quang Tri province.

Traveling more than 200 km on the North-South highway, the delegation of Nghe An province arrived in Quang Tri on the evening of July 20. After a night's stay in Dong Ha city, the whole group started their journey very early. The trip was more meaningful with the presence of veterans - living witnesses of a heroic time. Veteran Nguyen Dinh Lan (born in 1953), from Nam Cat, Nam Dan, emotionally confided: Now on both sides of the road are vast acacia and rubber forests, it is hard to imagine that in the past, this land was plowed day and night by bombs and bullets, as if there was not a single brick or stone intact.

He said he enlisted in the army and fought in the Quang Tri battlefield in 1971, as part of the artillery reconnaissance force. Every afternoon at around 4-5 pm, he and his comrades quietly crossed the Ben Hai River, infiltrated enemy territory to determine coordinates for our artillery to fire across the border. In this land, he had many unforgettable memories, so even though when peace was restored, he returned to Quang Tri many times when the traces of war had almost disappeared, but each time he was filled with unforgettable emotions.

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Route 9 was a strategic road connecting from the Vietnam-Laos border to Dong Ha. Along Route 9, the US and puppets built military bases, strongholds and bunkers to cut off the North's support for the Southern battlefield. Route 9 became a legend for our army and people during the resistance war against the US because of its heroic and glorious feats of arms and it was also a terrifying obsession for US and puppet soldiers in the years 1965 - 1972.

Now, the famous Route 9 battlefield has become Highway 9 bustling with vehicles. Lying against a small hill, facing Highway 9, the National Road 9 Martyrs' Cemetery is the resting place of more than 10,000 heroic martyrs with all three types of troops: main force troops, local troops, militia and guerrillas, and youth volunteers who fought and served on the Route 9 front and in Laos during the resistance war against the US. This is also the resting place of more than 200 martyrs from Nghe An. In the solemn atmosphere of incense smoke, everyone in our working group, without telling each other, meticulously followed the inscriptions on the tombstones. This is a martyr from Nam Dan, this is a martyr from Hung Nguyen, and that is a martyr from Do Luong, Thanh Chuong...



Young volunteers light candles in gratitude at the Vietnam - Laos Martyrs Cemetery. Photo: TC

After lighting the last incense stick, I gently stood up and suddenly looked around and saw everyone was filled with tears. I feel so sorry for you, brothers and sisters! Although I know that on the land of Vietnam, everywhere is home, but perhaps, at the last moment of the battle, there are still eyes filled with longing for the dike of my motherland, for the cool and sweet Lam River that bathed me in my youth.

Fortunately, you are not alone. Every week, there are still skillful hands of youth union members from the Youth Union bases coming to take care of you. Confiding in us while quickly tying a bunch of bright red poinsettias to place in the cemetery's ceremony area, union member Nguyen Thi Lan Phuong (Ward 4 Youth Union, Dong Ha Town) shared: "This is our regular activity, not just during this July. We always believe that these small things can somehow show our admiration for the great achievements of previous generations!"

Leaving the National Cemetery of Road 9 in a choked emotion, the provincial delegation continued their journey to the Truong Son National Cemetery of Martyrs. The Truong Son National Cemetery is located on Ben Tat hill, in Vinh Truong commune, Gio Linh district, Quang Tri province. This is the resting place of more than 10,000 martyrs who sacrificed their lives on the Ho Chi Minh trail during the anti-American war, including more than 1,200 martyrs from Nghe An.

With respect and emotion, comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong and the delegation offered flowers and incense to pay respect to the souls of President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic martyrs at the Celebration House and the Central Memorial, rang the bell three times to pray for the souls of the heroic martyrs and for the country's peace and prosperity. The Gio Linh afternoon was so peaceful and quiet, the three light bells fell into the air and people felt a sense of freedom and serenity! Suddenly, a veteran read a poem:

“When death is as light as it should be
How precious life is every moment
Just go around the ruined citadel
Listen to 81 days and nights of singing under my feet
Never waste your sacrifice
That death is the beginning of life
That Quang Tri is still a moving place
On the planet a silent scar…”

In the crowd of people visiting the grave, we happened to meet Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hien (Nghia Son, Nghia Dan) who was with the Women's Union of Nghia Dan district going to the cemetery to burn incense. Amidst the smoke of incense, the elderly woman still tried to bend down, searching for each address on the tombstone, hoping faintly to find the grave of her husband, martyr Nguyen Thanh Cung.



Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien (Nghia Son, Nghia Dan) looking for her husband's grave at Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery. Photo: TD

She choked with tears: “For 11 years I have been looking for my husband’s grave. Regardless of the road, sun, rain, whenever I save enough money I come here. The family received the death certificate of Mr. Cung dated March 26, 1972 at the Southern front, it’s so confusing! I’m old, my only wish is to see my husband before I die…”. “Luckier” than Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hien and many other families of martyrs, the family of Mrs. Dau Thi Nham (Dai Thanh, Yen Thanh) found the grave of her brother, martyr Dau Dai Dong, with a death certificate dated 1968 at the Khe Sanh battlefield, Quang Tri. Every year, in July, Mrs. Nham’s extended family takes a bus to Truong Son Cemetery to visit the grave of martyr Dau Dai Dong. This year, it was even more special when the appearance of the grandson, not yet 5 years old, showed his understanding when he personally cleaned and placed flowers on the tombstone of the grandfather he had never met.



The delegation of Nghe An province offered incense at Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery. Photo: TD

In our working group, there was also a special character, Mr. Pham Tuan Vinh - Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union. Mr. Vinh could be said to be an "indirect" witness of the war, because his father was one of the heroic soldiers of the Citadel in the past. The tragic stories of fire and bullets told by his father permeated his childhood, so that now, this mature union member clearly recognized the preciousness of peace, of the present, and contributed his best to social work. He confided: "I think not only me but also the youth in Uncle Ho's homeland share the same will and belief in the future to build the country. We cannot let the blood and bones of our fathers fall to waste, but we must always keep in mind that every good deed we do, no matter how small, is an act of gratitude to the heroic martyrs!"

The Gio Linh afternoon dyed with honey sunlight spread across the Truong Son National Cemetery. In the stream of people visiting the graves, there were Northern, Central, and Southern accents, all of them came here as a common address, a common homeland of all the homelands. Gently holding a handful of sacred Quang Tri soil in hand, one feels an infinite love welling up, mixed in every inch of soil, in every seedling of grass and tree, there is a part of the blood and bones of the heroic deeds. The warm, dark brown soil is like the love of the Vietnamese people with red blood and yellow skin, in hardship the revolutionary qualities, the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers shine even brighter. Returning to the sacred land of Quang Tri in the days of July, we seem to be immersed in tradition, which then fosters our pride. That is also the source of strength for us to be steadfast on the journey to tomorrow.

Thanh Duy