That was when I was young, a platoon leader in the engineering corps working on military projects on Con Co Island. Back then, the young soldiers were very naive. After finishing a bunker, I had the men engrave the entire platoon's roster onto the concrete embankment, then cover it up with earth.
Returning that year, many of the bunkers we had built back then had been dismantled. Con Co Island was now a peaceful island! Only one bunker remained on Hill 63, where the observation post of Hero of the Armed Forces Thai Van A used to stand. From here, you could see the entire island of Con Co – a vast, breathtakingly beautiful green forest, surrounded by the gentle waves of the sea, and in the distant horizon, the mainland…
In that forest, spanning about two square kilometers, I've often been lost in my daydreams. Winding trenches, vipers crawling out and descending from the treetops. The vipers of Con Co are not as venomous as those on the mainland. If you get bitten, it just swells up a little…
Sometimes you come across wild papaya trees laden with ripe, golden-yellow fruit. A gentle shake, and a few fall. Choose the ones that aren't too soft and eat them; they're sweetly delightful, like a gentle, wistful feeling. Or bananas, also wild bananas. Small bunches, ripe and golden, and just as sweetly fragrant, like a gentle, wistful feeling.
But what I remember most is the wild ginger plant because of its seeds; we soldiers cooked them with salt, shrimp paste, and chili peppers. It was truly a delicacy for the island soldiers, because for many days and months, the sea was rough, preventing supply boats from reaching the island, and there was nothing left to eat. Then wild ginger became scarce, and we soldiers shared every last bit with each other…
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| Illustration: HH |
The foggy days on Con Co Island are truly impressive. The entire island is shrouded in a silvery white. The forest on Con Co is drenched in mist, and the water falling on my shoulders feels like a gentle, nostalgic whisper. And all I can hear is the sound of waves, sometimes near, sometimes far…
Walking along the uneven, gravelly path, water dripped sadly from the banyan trees onto my shoulders, a slight chill in the air. Nothing was visible; the scenery was tranquil, only the sound of waves near and far could be heard…
Legend has it that long ago, there was a man named Tho Lo who carried earth to dig rivers and build mountains. One day, his carrying pole broke; one end fell inland, forming the Loi Reng cave (formerly in Vinh Thuy commune, Vinh Linh district), and the other end flew out to sea, becoming Con Co Island, which the people of Vinh Linh commonly call Hon Co... During the war against the US, anti-aircraft positions were set up on both Loi Reng cave (High Point 74) and Hon Co Island (High Point 63), shooting down many American planes. In 1968, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter of praise: "Con Co Island is full of flowers of victory/Defeating the American invaders to pieces…".
Over the past half-century, the country has enjoyed peace, and on this small island, trees have risen, gradually covering up bomb craters, bullet holes, fortifications, and trenches. A rich vegetation in the forest and on the precious coral reefs surrounding the island has flourished, a rare resource found nowhere else...
Tran Hoai
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202603/dao-rung-41a1ca8/
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