Imprint of Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee Base Relic

Tourists come to visit and learn at the national historical site of Saigon - Gia Dinh Party Committee.

Place of revolutionary activities

The Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee Base, also codenamed Y4, or T4, was the command center for the resistance war against the US in the Saigon - Gia Dinh area. According to the Ben Tre Historical and Cultural Relics document, in 1969, the Central Committee of the Southern Region directly led the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee and decided to move the regional party committee to the Mekong Delta to avoid damage and ensure command within the inner city.

In July 1969, the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee, led by comrade Vo Van Kiet as Secretary, and two comrades Tran Bach Dang and Mai Chi Tho as Deputy Secretaries, divided into many small units, and secretly moved to Tan Phu Tay and Thanh An communes in many ways. This was a newly liberated area, with resilient people and high political awareness, and very rugged terrain, with many canals and many coconut gardens providing cover. The enemy could not land troops by motor vehicles or armored vehicles, and even using helicopters to land troops faced many limitations.

With only rudimentary materials, mainly using things available on the spot, the local guerrillas built 16 connecting tunnels and 14 secret tunnels (distributed in two interconnected communes: Tan Phu Tay and Thanh An), all tightly arranged to be able to support each other when necessary. The above-ground tunnels were the living, working, and meeting places of the leaders of the district committee, the medical department, and the radio and cryptography department; in addition, there was a tunnel named "Happy House" which was the place where the Y4 soldiers stayed on the wedding night.

By October 1970, the enemy had discovered the leaders of the Regional Party Committee operating in Tan Phu Tay commune, and they repeatedly sent troops to attack this place and neighboring communes. Faced with that situation, comrade Vo Van Kiet held a meeting with the leaders of the Regional Party Committee and decided to withdraw from the base area. During the time stationed at the base area, the leaders of the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee received the kind support of the soldiers and people in the area.

The history of the revolutionary struggle in Tan Phu Tay commune also recorded that in November 1969, the 11th Regiment, the 7th Division of the puppet army, along with the Black Tiger Commando Regiment, attacked the communes of Thanh Ngai, Tan Thanh Binh, Tan Phu Tay and Thanh An with the intention of exploring the Y4 base and learning about this base. The guerrillas of the communes, together with the Y4 protection force, closely followed the enemy, fought back fiercely, killed 45 enemies, captured 30 guns, and shot down 4 helicopters...

After the war, the base area was almost completely destroyed. To commemorate that event, in November 1997, the Party Committee and the people of the province restored two underground bunkers: the radio station bunker and the bunker used as the residence and workplace of comrade Vo Van Kiet. The exhibition area also preserves many images and artifacts about the revolutionary activities here.

Red address of traditional education

During the revolutionary activities here, the leaders and all cadres and soldiers overcame many difficulties and sacrifices in the base area. Not only did they have to put in sweat and tears to build bunkers to protect against B52 artillery and bombs, and solid secret bunkers, but they also shed blood to resist sweeps and enemy ambushes. In particular, wherever the Party Committee went, they received help from the locality, and they also had to deploy a liaison line to ensure that the Party Committee's direction was smooth.

Today, the relic is a mark of an important historical event during the period of resistance against the US to save the country, a historical witness, a lesson for today and future generations. In 2010, the relic was restored and inaugurated in 2012. The relic has a total area of ​​about 2 hectares. Of which, 7 underground tunnels were restored: the residence and working place of comrade Vo Van Kiet, the ambulance tunnel, the secret tunnel, the residence and working place of comrade Mai Chi Tho, the meeting tunnel, the residence and working place of comrade Tran Bach Dang, the happy tunnel and 3 secret tunnels which were the hiding places of comrades Vo Van Kiet, Tran Bach Dang and Mai Chi Tho.

Mr. Ho Hoang Son - Deputy Head of the Saigon - Gia Dinh Party Committee Base Relic Group said that the Relic Group always arranges staff to be on duty 7/7 days a week to serve visitors. From the beginning of 2025 to now, the relic has welcomed more than 4,900 visitors; of which, there are 15 groups of visitors from within the province and 30 groups from outside the province.

The relic site is located in a peaceful green space, still welcoming many visitors every day to remind them of a historical period called Y4 and valuable lessons of patriotism that will last forever.

Many delegates and visitors expressed their feelings when visiting the relic. At the end of March 2025, a delegation of officers and soldiers of the Radio Information Department of the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee visited the relic. Mr. Doan Hoang Hai - former Head of the Radio Information Department of the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee shared: 55 years ago, we served the Saigon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee in this land, were loved, protected and sheltered by the people, we successfully completed the task of providing information and communication for the Party Committee.

Article and photos: Anh Nguyet

Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/dau-an-di-tich-can-cu-khu-uy-sai-gon-gia-dinh-18042025-a145354.html