Long Dai Ferry Terminal – “Where a ferry plank has hundreds of bullet holes”

Truong Son martyrs monument at Long Dai ferry.

Currently, the Truong Son martyrs memorial temple is built next to the ferry terminal, attracting tourists to visit and pay their respects.

During the resistance war against the American invaders, transport vehicles from the Northern rear to the Southern front mainly passed through this important river crossing point. Long Dai ferry is an important river crossing point in the East of Truong Son, the “throat” in the fiery area of ​​Military Region IV. Here, tens of thousands of tons of enemy bombs and bullets were dropped to prevent our support on this important transport route.

Long Dai ferry is where the US dropped the first bomb to escalate the bombing of the North and became their "bomb bag" from 1965 to 1972, becoming the bloody coordinates on the front line of the legendary Truong Son road.

To ensure continuous transportation of food, provisions, and ammunition to the South, in early 1971, the Long Dai area was developed into two ferry terminals: ferry terminal I (near present-day Long Dai bridge) and ferry terminal II (downstream of Long Dai river, about 500m from terminal I).

The enemy bombed the entire forest on both sides of the river. Thousands of tons of bombs of all kinds, and gunboats fired from the sea in an attempt to cut off our transportation routes. They also used laser bombs, magnetic bombs, and mines to attack vehicles crossing the river, blocking the waterway, and committing many crimes here.

Railway bridge, road bridge, Kien Giang river Long Dai ferry is a "red address" during the war.

When the war against America entered its fiercest stage, the ferry terminal was managed by Group 500 of the General Department of Forward Logistics.

At this time, the C16 engineering unit (under the 16th Military Station - 500th Group) was the main force stationed at the ferry terminal. To ensure the ferry terminal's traffic, the soldiers and civilians who stayed here had to go through many fierce battles. A suicide squad to detonate magnetic bombs was established, called Battalion 27. Every time they got on the canoe to carry out their mission, the unit organized a live funeral for the soldiers.

On June 18, 1969, C16 Long Dai ferry engineers were awarded the title of Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces by President Ho Chi Minh .

The two banks of the Long Dai River are an air defense system with high, medium, and low-altitude fire nets of main force troops and guerrillas on duty day and night to fight back enemy aircraft and protect the ferry terminal.

With the fighting spirit of "determined to die for the Fatherland", the army, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers, together with the local army and people, steadfastly held their ground, "not moving an inch, not moving an inch", bravely fighting back enemy aircraft, clearing bombs and mines, and filling bomb craters.

Thousands of outstanding men have fallen to keep the traffic arteries open.

Every inch of land at Long Dai ferry terminal was soaked in the sweat and blood of soldiers, youth volunteers and local people. Protecting the ferry terminal at this time was considered a sacred and important task, towards the front line, towards the beloved South.

In 2013, on the high hill next to the ferry terminal, the Truong Son martyrs monument was built to commemorate the sacrifice of cadres, soldiers, army and people at Long Dai ferry terminal; The stele marks the sacrifice of 32 young volunteers from Thai Binh, Nghe An while on duty.

The poem "Night Marching Across Long Dai Ferry" by poet - martyr Vu Dinh Van is preserved here, making us feel overwhelmed with emotion: "... We marched across Long Dai ferry/ Where enemy bomb fragments were thicker than gravel/ Where we handed our hands to the front and rear/ That place was the intersection of the battlefield/ Where a ferry plank had hundreds of bullet holes/ Where the lighthouse still shone in the howling wind/ Where the path was opened to bring blood back to the heart/ Where the ferry crossed at night..."

Long Dai ferry is a historical witness to the glorious feats of arms of our army and people in the resistance war against America to save the country, which today's and future generations will forever remember.

Long Dai Ferry Historical Site is located in the two districts of Quang Ninh - Quang Binh , at the confluence of Kien Giang and Long Dai rivers, flowing into Nhat Le river, the fiercest and most important river crossing point on Truong Son road. This is also the place that bears the mark of many national feats and the pain left by war.

Nguyen The

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/ben-pha-long-dai-noi-mot-tam-van-pha-may-tram-vet-dan--a180887.html