Spring on the border and a promise of a hundred years

Pò Hèn, once a fierce and dangerous battlefield during the 1979 border defense war in the North. Here, people who weren't born on the same day share the same death anniversary in the spring. This land witnessed the tragic love story of two martyrs: Hoàng Thị Hồng Chiêm, a female trade worker, and Bùi Anh Lượng, a border guard sergeant.

According to Mr. Hoang Ngoc Khuong (the younger brother of martyr Hoang Thi Hong Chiem), his sister was born in 1954 in Hamlet 4, Binh Ngoc Commune, Mong Cai District (now Mong Cai City). Hoang Thi Hong Chiem was a fair-skinned, quick-witted, resourceful, and polite girl, so she was well-liked by many people in the village. She loved her younger brother very much, and whenever she went anywhere, she would save something to bring back for him at home.

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Two martyrs, Bui Anh Luong and Hoang Thi Hong Chiem. (Archival photo)

Mr. Khuong shared that his sister was very fond of reading, but because they couldn't afford to buy books in the past, they always had to borrow them. Often, when she came across a good book, his sister would copy it down as a keepsake.

"Back then, my sister would immediately pick up any paper with writing on it to read, especially poems in books and newspapers. Writing a diary was also one of her hobbies, and her handwriting was beautiful," he recounted.

Chiêm had falsified her age to enlist in the army and served as a soldier in the 8th Regiment, 3rd Military Region. In 1975, the young woman transferred to work at the Mong Cai district's purchasing and selling cooperative, then was assigned to work as a trade officer at the Po Hen commercial cluster, near the 209th Armed Police Post (now the Po Hen Border Guard Post). Back then, Chiêm frequently traveled 30km through the jungle to transport goods to the high border areas.

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Mr. Hoang Ngoc Khuong worships his sister and her husband in Mong Cai City. Photo: Pham Cong

In Pò Hèn, she met and fell in love with Sergeant Bùi Anh Lượng (from Yên Hải commune, Yên Hưng district, now Quảng Yên town), a community mobilization officer at the armed police station.

They met during cultural performances and volleyball practice sessions. Their love blossomed in the most ordinary way on the battlefield, where any day could be their last.

And, on the morning of February 17, 1979, the border war broke out. Both of them joined forces to defend every inch of their homeland and bravely sacrificed their lives when Chiêm was only 25 years old and Lượng was 26.

A wish fulfilled

According to Mr. Hoang Nhu Ly (a comrade of the two martyrs Chiem and Luong), both sacrificed their lives, but their love lives on. He recalled that on February 5, 1979, Chiem and Luong asked him to accompany them to meet with the border guard commander Vu Ngoc Mai to request permission to return home to prepare for their wedding. However, due to the complicated situation on the border, they had to postpone their wedding and stay with their comrades.

"On the morning of February 17, 1979, the Po Hen outpost was shelled by Chinese troops, fighting broke out, and both Chiem and Luong sacrificed their lives before their aspirations could be fulfilled," Mr. Ly said, his voice choked with emotion.

Haunted by the unfulfilled dreams of his comrades, Mr. Ly initiated a plan to meet the families of the two fallen soldiers and organize an unprecedented wedding ceremony. True to his word, in August 2017, after making connections, the families of fallen soldiers Chiêm and Lượng were reunited.

On August 6, 2017, a special wedding took place in Quang Ninh , with a bridal procession from Ha Long to Mong Cai. It was the wedding of two fallen soldiers, Bui Van Luong and Hoang Thi Hong Chiem.

The wedding had all the traditional betel nuts and ceremonial offerings, but the two main characters were missing. The two families welcomed the bride and groom with portraits of the two fallen soldiers. The witnesses were their relatives and former comrades.

The groom's family brought a portrait of martyr Luong to the bride's family and placed it next to the portrait of martyr Chiem on the altar. They also brought a portrait of martyr Chiem back to Ha Long.

Since then, the two families have welcomed new members, fulfilling the wishes of the two martyrs. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Khuong is in charge of the ancestral worship for his sister and her husband in Mong Cai, while Mr. Bui Van Huy (the older brother of martyr Luong) worships his younger brother and his wife in Ha Long City.

During holidays and festivals, the two families still meet, and they even hold joint memorial services to strengthen their bonds…

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The house, built out of gratitude, was given to Mr. Khuong and his family to live in and to honor the two fallen soldiers. Photo: Pham Cong

In Mong Cai City, there is a school named after the martyr Chiem. A statue of her stands in the schoolyard to commemorate and honor the proud contributions of this young woman from the border region who bravely sacrificed herself in the fight to protect the country.