Witness Hien Luong - Ben Hai: From a symbol of unity to a desire for peace

Today, when the country is entering an era of growth, that bridge, that river is a symbol of the aspiration for peace , of human scale. Hien Luong - Ben Hai is a witness to each historical period...

ABOUT A TRAGIC BUT HEROIC PAST

After 1954, Hien Luong Bridge - Ben Hai River in Quang Tri had to accept an extremely painful mission as the dividing point between the North and South banks. It was not until the country was unified, the country was reunited, that the river and the small bridge located in the middle of the North - South highway were "untied"...

The sovereignty rock of Truong Sa was received at the foot of the flagpole on the occasion of the national reunification festival in 2011.

PHOTO: NGUYEN PHUC

For more than 20 long years, with its historical mission, Hien Luong Bridge - Ben Hai River has witnessed many tragic and heroic stories of the whole nation. People will still talk about the story of mothers mending flags and the giant national flag on the northern bank of the border in the "steel land" of Vinh Linh. In the house displaying relics of the 17th parallel of peace and the desire for unification (Quang Tri), there is a photo of two women sewing the national flag. They are mother Ngo Thi Diem and mother Tran Thi Vien. They have been busy sewing the national flag, with the size gradually increasing, so that the flag always flies on the flagpole.

The 2024 Cycling Festival for Peace organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper opened on both banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai.

PHOTO: THANH LOC

Also on the banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai that day, our side and the enemy had symbolic "battles". That was the "paint war of Hien Luong bridge" to see whether to paint it in one color or two colors, the "sound war" to see whose propaganda loudspeaker could be heard farther, the "flagpole and flag war" to see who was taller and bigger... Or simply wrestling matches, table tennis, volleyball, chess matches, and "battles" that were hard to name, such as challenging each other with questions about the content of a novel or anything else.

Receiving water from the source of Lenin stream (Cao Bang) and Hau river (Hau Giang) to mix with Ben Hai river for the national reunification festival in 2010

PHOTO: NGUYEN PHUC

Many people who lived through that time said that those were years of war without gunfire, that was intelligence, strength and courage.

But now it's all over, the country has been at peace for 50 years, that hostility is gone and national harmony reigns. Hien Luong - Ben Hai has begun other missions.

WHEN THE COUNTRY IS UNINFLOWED IS A FESTIVAL

It is not without reason that in Quang Tri there is a festival called the annual national reunification festival on the occasion of April 30 - May 1 and the only place chosen to hold it is the special national historical relic on both banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai. This locality has been extremely subtle in integrating the festival into a location, a historical story that people will never forget.

Hien Luong Bridge (north bank) after peace was restored in 1954

PHOTO: TL

If you stand under the flagpole and witness the flag-raising ceremony to unify the country, I believe you will feel emotional. Any Vietnamese person will. When the flag is slowly raised to the flagpole, something both proud and emotional will run from every vein to the heart and mind. Because this flag is the pride of an entire nation, a symbol of the belief and will of all Vietnamese people.

Since 2010, the ceremony of the national reunification festival has always included symbolic activities. One year, the organizers brought two jars of water from the source of Lenin stream (Cao Bang) and Hau river (Hau Giang) here to mix with Ben Hai river. One year, the Hoang Sa - Truong Sa sovereignty rocks were also brought here from a remote island by the Navy Command for a "meeting". One year, 63 young men and women representing 63 provinces and cities ran from the north of the bridge to the south of Hien Luong bridge, expressing the desire for reunification that day.

A corner of Hien Luong - Ben Hai banks seen from above

PHOTO: NGUYEN PHUC

And this is also where the traditional boat race for the national reunification festival is regularly held with the participation of 15 racing teams from Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue provinces and large-scale camps for young people. At night, while Hien Luong Bridge is brightly lit, Ben Hai River is filled with floating lanterns, and fireworks are lit up in the sky.

Immersing in the national reunification festival, people will be reminded of the nation's glorious past and understand more about the value of peace enjoyed today.

B SYMBOL OF PEACE OF HUMANITY

In 2024, a very special festival called "For Peace" will be held for the first time in the sacred land of Quang Tri. The focus of the festival is still the special national historical relic on both banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai, where the opening ceremony (the festival does not have a closing ceremony), the political art program "Parallel 17 - Aspiration for Peace", the national reunification festival, the traditional boat race... will take place.

The first Peace Festival was held on both banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai in 2024.

PHOTO: THANH LOC

The opening ceremony of the festival is the Cycling Festival for Peace organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper, choosing the Hien Luong - Ben Hai river banks to hold the opening ceremony, which is also the starting point of the cycling races on the morning of June 29, 2024. Speaking at the foot of the flagpole, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, shared: "Everyone knows that Quang Tri is a sacred land of the Fatherland, so the Cycling Festival for Peace is a sports event, but in our opinion, the festival has a higher value than a race. Because here, we also want to honor the values ​​of peace that people can only feel when coming to Quang Tri land".

Mr. Hoang Nam, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri Province, the "chief architect" of the For Peace Festival, said that the festival's slogan is "Bringing the world of peace to Quang Tri". But more than that, the local government and people also hope that through the festival, they will contribute to spreading the message of peace of the Vietnamese people from Quang Tri to the world.

"Whoever wants war, whoever still wants to fight, should come to Quang Tri once, to see the "legacy" of war left behind, to feel the loss and pain so that no one wants to point a gun at their fellow human beings anymore. Who knows, one day, people will choose Quang Tri to be the place to sign a peace agreement for countries that are still in conflict and at war," said Mr. Nam.

The festival lasted for 1 month and although it was held for the first time, it was a "delicious feast" of art, sports, cuisine, etc., inviting the public to enjoy. In particular, the festival's opening program was elaborately constructed, blending tradition with modernity, integration, creating a highlight, creating a good effect for the entire festival, with a very different, outstanding, attractive mark with many emotional touches. When the peace bell made from light drones placed at the special national relic site on both banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai was rung, when the drone formation transformed from the peace bell into the image of a dove spreading its wings, it was also the moment when the first For Peace Festival in 2024 officially opened.

On the night of July 6, 2024, on both banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai, speaking at the opening night of the first-ever Peace Festival organized on a national scale, with an international vision, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan also emphasized that: "The successful organization of the Peace Festival will contribute to deepening the national value system and also the noble goal of our nation: Peace, unity, independence, rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization, happiness, which General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has identified as the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people".

Meanwhile, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, sent a message to the festival through a short clip. " Vietnam 's unification has marked the beginning of a long road towards reconciliation. You have achieved the impossible: healing the wounds of the past, building a country that looks to the future. Because peace is not just a matter of political agreements, it is based on memories developed and shared through dialogue; it is based on a genuine desire for peace and prosperity," Ms. Audrey Azoulay emphasized. She also hopes that human peace will continue to develop, as is happening in Quang Tri.

Hien Luong - Ben Hai will be the place to continue writing stories about the desire for peace.

PHOTO: THANH LOC

In Quang Tri, along with the two Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemeteries, Road 9; Quang Tri Citadel; Vinh Moc Tunnels..., the two banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai have a solid position as if carved into the historical rocks of the nation and of humanity.

After 50 years of national reunification, the country is united and entering an era of growth, the two banks of Hien Luong - Ben Hai will certainly also be a symbol of the desire for peace, the desire for change, and development for the future. That is inevitable.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chung-nhan-hien-luong-ben-hai-tu-bieu-tuong-thong-nhat-den-khat-vong-hoa-binh-185250429165317446.htm