"Uncle Ho has returned to the homeland..."

If the path of the modern Vietnamese revolution is a journey, then the first milestone of that journey is Pac Bo.

After 30 years of wandering abroad in search of a way to save the country, in the spring of 1941, President Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam. Pac Bo was the land he chose to begin the Vietnamese revolution. This spring marks the 85th anniversary of his return to the homeland, a historical milestone for the Vietnamese revolution.

Two landmarks - one source…

We have been to Pac Bo many times, and each time we climb the hundreds of stone steps to border marker 108 on the Vietnam-China border, we hear the echoes of To Huu's poem: "Uncle Ho has returned here, O Fatherland / We remember and cherish this land warmed by His presence."

When Uncle Ho bowed down to kiss the soil of his homeland after 30 years of searching for a way to save the country, his aspirations at that time were surely filled with burning desires for a future where the nation would be free from slavery, and Vietnam would become strong and prosperous. Then, five years later, on September 2nd, 1945, in Ba Dinh Square, the "old man" who had bowed down to kiss the soil had become President Ho Chi Minh, who, on behalf of the Vietnamese people, boldly declared to the whole world : "Vietnam has the right to enjoy freedom and independence, and in fact has become a free and independent nation. The entire Vietnamese people are determined to dedicate all their spirit and strength, lives and property to uphold that right to freedom and independence."

This time, we arrived at Pac Bo village, Truong Ha commune ( Cao Bang province) a little late. But having come this far, no matter how late, we had to visit Coc Bo cave, the place that sheltered President Ho Chi Minh when he returned to the country after years of wandering abroad searching for a way to save the nation.

The electric light in Coc Po cave shone onto the ceiling, illuminating a line of Chinese characters: "Nhất cửu tứ nhất niên, nhị nguyệt, bát nhật" (February 8, 1941). This inscription marked the day President Ho Chi Minh moved from Mr. Ly Quoc Sung's house to the cave. According to the memoirs of Mr. Le Quang Ba, one of the five people who accompanied President Ho Chi Minh back to Vietnam that day, upon arriving in Pac Bo on January 28, 1941, President Ho Chi Minh was accommodated in Mr. Ly Quoc Sung's house (also known as Mr. May Ly - named after his daughter). Ten days later, he moved to this cave, and President Ho Chi Minh marked the date on the cave wall.

Pac Bo historical site. Photo: baocaobang.vn

Starting from a cold cave amidst the border mountains, the nation's journey is marked by milestones. Border marker 108 commemorates the return of President Ho Chi Minh, and today, right in Pac Bo, another marker has been erected at this historical site, marking Kilometer Zero of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a 3,200 km long route stretching from here all the way to Ca Mau Cape.

Originating from a small stream flowing from the heart of the mountain, this stream has followed the revolutionary currents to countless rivers and seas. Remarkably, even with large groups of hundreds of visitors, the serene and unspoiled beauty of the mountains and forests remains undimmed.

The lingering images of a great man remain forever in the forest known as the "cradle of revolution"; in the pristine cave where he rested his head nightly, or in the remnants of the house where Mr. Ly Quoc Sung once stayed, in the story of the centenarian Mrs. Hoang Thi Khin bringing food to "Uncle Ho," or in the rice fields where the villagers are harvesting...

"Red addresses" are becoming increasingly... green!

I remember that during a trip back to the historical site 15 years ago, we witnessed how underdeveloped Pac Bo still was. The infrastructure of the Pac Bo Historical Site was very basic, consisting only of a small exhibition building; the ground floor was where the site's staff worked, and the upper floor was the exhibition hall. Next to it was a small building serving as a "Ho Chi Minh Memorial House".

On that occasion, to organize a cultural exchange night between the group on their journey to the roots and the local people, we had to go all the way to the district to rent sound and lighting equipment, but the quality was terrible. To provide food for the group, the organizing committee had to hire an entire team of chefs from the city to cook on-site. After the cultural exchange night, the entire group of over 100 people stayed in Pac Bo and there wasn't enough room to sleep, even after mobilizing the families of nearby residents.

Memories played out like a slow-motion film in our minds during this return visit. And surprisingly, Pac Bo today is so different!

From the center of Cao Bang province, our car sped along a smooth, wide paved road, a far cry from the bumpy, potholed gravel road of the past. The bus route from the town to the historical site runs several times a day, covering over 50 km in about an hour. Houses line both sides of the road, many of them two or three stories high.

Right in the heart of the historical site are newly built, spacious structures befitting Pac Bo's status as a "particularly important national historical site." A newly constructed administrative building connects to a large exhibition hall; in front is a flower garden and a wide square. On the hillside next to the square stands the symbolic milestone number 0 of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The temple dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh is erected on the highest hilltop, grand and majestic, and every day tourists, locals, and even people from across the border come to offer incense and pay their respects…

According to the Director of the Management Board of Special National Monuments in Cao Bang province, nearly two-thirds of the residents of Pac Bo village participate in tourism service activities, from staff and security guards to electric vehicle drivers, souvenir vendors, and food and beverage businesses. Food and souvenir kiosks are prioritized for bidding and operation by households in Pac Bo village, providing them with a stable income.

Truong Ha commune, home to the Pac Bo National Special Historical Site, was one of the first four communes in the district to achieve "new rural" status even before the implementation of the two-tiered local government model. Roads have been paved to every commune; people's lives have improved significantly. The sacrifices made by the people of Pac Bo in sheltering the revolution in its early stages are now being fully repaid.

Le Duc Duc

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/chinh-polit/202602/bac-da-ve-day-to-quoc-oi-e1f1ea0/