Regarding places where people are "barefoot but have steely resolve"

(Baonghean) - "Barefoot, Iron Will" is the title of a book by former American soldier James G. Zumwalt. This book recounts the unwavering will of our forefathers who were determined to sacrifice themselves for the independence and freedom of the nation... The S-shaped land of Vietnam in general, and Nghe An in particular, has many heroic examples that exemplify the spirit of "barefoot, iron will"...

TDuring my trip to Con Dao, I was fortunate to meet Mr. Le Van Thong, a former volunteer youth soldier who fought against the Americans and later transferred to work in transportation. A few days ago, he called me and suggested we go on a trip together in April, to visit places where people lived "barefoot and with steely resolve."

Our first destination was the grave of Hero of the Armed Forces Hoang Kim Giao and soldier Luong Van Tin, in Nam Hung commune, Nam Dan district. Respectfully lighting incense and commemorating the souls of the two martyrs, Thong gently said: "The drivers we used to drive in the past survived until today thanks to the sacrifices of those who used their bodies to defuse magnetic bombs like Giao and Tin. The life we ​​have today is thanks to those who sacrificed themselves for the country, 'not hesitating to leave their homes until the vehicle passes.' Times change, ways of thinking differ, but today's youth must not be indifferent or forget the past…"

Passing through Nam Dan and arriving at My Son, Do Luong, lies the legendary Truong Bon. According to Thong: "This land is steeped in the blood and flesh of heroes, of the young volunteers, and of 41 resilient local people who fought against the enemy. In the past, Truong Bon was like blood flowing through a unified body, determined not to stop. Today, Truong Bon is covered in green trees, its red hills scarred by bomb wounds. The common grave of 13 young volunteer martyrs at Ky Lon slope has been beautifully renovated, complete with a large memorial church… Leaving Thong to reminisce with his comrades, I went outside to admire the Truong Bon Historical Site, which is nearing completion. This site, with a total investment of nearly 175 billion VND and a construction area of ​​217,327 m2, is being built based on the principle of 'drinking water, remembering the source.' To provide enough land for the construction, 47 households in Hamlet 10, My Son commune, gave up their land for the project." April arrives, the sun as gentle as a muse. On the hillsides, the rhododendron bushes begin to display their purple hues. The purple is heart-wrenching, like a poignant longing, a reminder of the young men and women who paved the way, setting aside their aspirations, dreams, and personal happiness to brave the rain of bombs and bullets.

We arrived at Milestone 0 of the legendary Truong Son Road. On September 9, 1964, tens of thousands of engineers, youth volunteers, and people from the districts of the former Nghe Tinh province gathered to begin construction of this section of the road. They performed a miracle, excavating and moving thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock, restoring dozens of bridges and culverts, directly shooting down aircraft and capturing many enemy pilots. They used a large tree trunk and carved it into Milestone 0 to establish the starting point of the road. Mr. Thong said: During the resistance war, the Truong Son Road in Nghe An was a vital supply artery. This was one of the first and last targets of attack, and also the last place where the fighting against American aircraft ceased. And here, along with the army, transport workers, and local people, 43,000 Nghe An youth volunteers and hundreds of thousands of youth volunteers nationwide dedicated their blood, sweat, and youth for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, and for socialism.

Standing thoughtfully beside the monument, the stone marker, and the "Rear Support for the Front Lines" statue, Thong is reminiscing about that heroic army, remembering the path they traveled through the Thần ravines, remembering "Our Sen Village / Building ramparts and fortifications / Building inner and outer ramparts / Leaving fire points / Every five meters / We did it well / Don't think it was easy / Building two walls / It took almost a month," remembering the Sen ferry / "The ferry crossing through five years of bombs and fire / Carts of rice, ammunition and village boys going to battle / The ferries silently traveling day and night / Oranges from the farm sun flowing downstream… no canoe, my heart is the engine / My hands coil the gunpowder, grasping the blazing fire…".

Heading north, the Truong Son Road now stands proudly, wide, and breathtakingly beautiful; on both sides are lush green forests of "golden-white" rubber trees, tea plantations, acacia forests, sugarcane fields, coffee plantations, watermelon fields, orchards, and grassy hills for livestock farming. Mr. Thong then told me the story of the 10 girls from Lang Sen village in Nghia Dan district who traveled 50 km barefoot, and the story of the "military men's tea shop" in Quynh Chau commune (Quynh Luu district)... During the years of the war against the US, to protect and keep this vital transportation artery open, our army deployed an anti-aircraft regiment, 3 Youth Volunteer Brigades, 2 railway bridge construction companies, 1 engineering company, 1 cargo handling company, and hundreds of local militia in the Hoang Mai area. Just in the two years (1965-1966) alone...Hundreds of fierce battles took place between our forces and the enemy in Hoang Mai.

Ben Thuy was the final destination on the journey Mr. Thong took me on. The old ferry has now been replaced by a bridge. From 1964 to 1972, the Ben Thuy area was a bomb-ridden zone, a small 2 square kilometer area that endured over 3,300 bombing raids, both from the air and at sea, with more than 24,600 bombs, mines, and rockets of all kinds; up to 75% of the Ben Thuy ferry unit's personnel were killed or wounded. Considering the number of battles, the amount of bombs and ammunition, and the number of casualties, perhaps few places were as fierce. Within the 2-kilometer area of ​​Ben Thuy, dozens of units and many individuals were awarded the title of Hero. With peace restored, the old ferry has gone down in history, and the Ben Thuy bridge now connects the left and right banks of the Lam River. The modern Ben Thuy II bridge was built and put into use. This is a strategically important transportation project on National Highway 1A, connecting the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Standing on the Ben Thuy II bridge and looking at the blue waters of the Lam River flowing, Mr. Thong said: "Every river eventually flows into the sea."

He gave me a book that wasn't new, "Letters from the War." Opening it, I found the 19th letter from the fallen soldier Hoang Kim Giao to his wife: "Find the greatest, truest happiness in your life in your commitment to the collective, in using the enthusiasm of youth to build the common happiness of society, letting your heart overflow with every breath of the vast, vibrant, colorful life of our homeland…" Perhaps this book, this journey, is what Thong wanted to share with himself and me?!

Thanh Chung