Meeting point under the banyan tree in An Hai

Recently, I passed by an ancient banyan tree on Nguyen Cong Tru Street, An Hai Ward. Looking at the tree, I suddenly remembered a story told by security officers in District 3 about a beautiful girl who had extraordinary resilience against the brutal beatings of the enemy.

Ms. Tran Thi Tiet in her youth. Photo: Archival material.

Under this banyan tree, Ms. Tran Thi Tiet repeatedly provided top-secret information from within the South Vietnamese government, especially information related to the enemy's repressive apparatus in Da Nang .

Girl from District 3

In her youth, Tran Thi Tiet, residing in An Hai Tay ward, District 3, Da Nang (formerly), was a beautiful girl with a gentle manner of speaking and eyes that subtly hinted at a refined elegance, attracting the attention of many South Vietnamese officers. Seeing her as a girl with many advantages for the revolution, in early 1965, Mr. Nam Thong, Head of the Security Committee of District 3, approached, connected with, and recruited Tran Thi Tiet to work as an operative within the city to gather intelligence on the enemy.

After becoming a key target of the District 3 Security Committee, which had planted an informant deep within the enemy's stronghold, and using her acting skills, she provided crucial information to the security forces, such as upcoming raids and sweep operations in areas surrounding Da Nang, allowing them to prepare timely countermeasures and minimize losses.

To obtain confidential enemy information and documents, young Tran Thi Tiet had to endure immense pressure and gossip about her being a flirtatious girl trying to win the favor of many officers on the other side of the battle lines. They didn't know that she had gritted her teeth and endured all the bitter and cruel words of the world to successfully complete the revolutionary mission assigned to her.

Because she knew many officers, lieutenants, and colonels, her movements were much easier because the enemy's control barriers would relax and become more lenient whenever she appeared anywhere. At that time, her two-story house was about 100 meters from the banyan tree at An Hai ferry terminal, so Mr. Nam Thong (who later became the District Party Secretary), Mr. Van Cong Thanh (the Head of Security in District 3), and the scouts were all arranged by Ms. Tiet to meet and exchange information right at the banyan tree at An Hai ferry terminal.

Tran Thi Tiet chose the An Hai banyan tree as her living mailbox because the ancient banyan tree stood right by the roadside, just a few meters from the ferry deck. When the ferry left the dock, the shady spot under the banyan tree became a place for those who arrived late or missed their ferry to gather, chat for a while, and wait for the next ferry.

Taking advantage of this, security forces from District 3, operating from the hidden bases of Xóm Đồng, K20, and Bắc Mỹ An, often disguised themselves as civilians and infiltrated the inner city to meet with and receive information from Ms. Tiết, assigning specific tasks without being detected by enemy secret agents and informants.

To prepare for the Tet Offensive of 1968, starting on the 25th day of the 12th lunar month, political forces under the District 3 Party Committee secretly infiltrated enemy territory and fell into an ambush commanded by Major Ho Xuan Nang, District 3 Chief, and Major Nguyen Van Dinh, Deputy Head of the Da Nang National Police. They rounded up hundreds of suspected individuals, including dozens of cadres and scouts, at the intersection at the beginning of Trinh Minh The Bridge (now Nguyen Van Troi Bridge) to search for the enemy. Seeing the risk of exposure, Ms. Tiet immediately employed her honeytrap strategy.

Tran Thi Tiet quickly put on makeup, donned a flowing white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), and, carrying a flamboyant red handbag, approached the crowd. Upon seeing Tiet, Major Ho Xuan Nang was visibly delighted and cheerful. To give the officers and security personnel a chance to escape, Tran Thi Tiet invited Nang, Dinh, and the entire group of soldiers to a nearby pub to drink a dozen crates of "Tiger" beer until they were completely drunk, allowing our men to quietly withdraw safely to the K20 base.

On the night of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Tran Thi Tiet's house became the forward command post of the District 3 Party Committee to prepare for an uprising with the people and army of Da Nang to attack and seize the enemy's combined military bases. Suspected by the enemy, the concentrated forces had to go to the rooftop and cover themselves with tarpaulins. Major Ho Xuan Nang and his subordinates launched a thorough search of every alley and street, but the enemy avoided Ms. Tiet's house. So, waiting until nightfall, the officers and soldiers made their way from the rooftop along the Han River to take shelter in secret bunkers at the K20 base.

General narrowly escapes death.

Knowing that Tran Thi Tiet was a quick-witted and intelligent revolutionary who had overcome many dangerous obstacles in the face of enemy gunfire, in early 1969, Mr. Hoang Van Lai, Head of the Security Committee of the Quang Da Special Zone, ordered the Security Committee of District 3 to find every way to bring Tran Thi Tiet to the outskirts of Da Nang so that he could meet her directly and assign her an important task.

After receiving instructions and advice from Mr. Lai, Tiet returned home and immediately began the necessary tasks. Knowing that Nguyen Thi Le Hong, the wife of Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Lam, Commander of the 1st Corps (Commander of the 1st Tactical Zone), loved going to the Bridge Pagoda to pray for blessings and peace for her husband, Tiet befriended her, and soon Hong brought her home to visit. Tiet was always clever in using her charm to lure Lam and maintain a close relationship with his wife. Many times, Tiet rode in the jeep with Lam and his wife to parties and lavish events at the most exclusive clubs frequented by Saigon's generals and officers in Da Nang. Seeing that she was being pampered and pursued by the highest-ranking general in the 1st Tactical Zone, Lam's henchmen became submissive and polite whenever Tiet appeared on the streets…

The banyan tree at An Hai ferry was the meeting point where Tran Thi Tiet arranged to meet with officials and scouts from the District 3 Party Committee to provide information about the enemy situation. Photo: THAI MY

One day in early November 1969, Mr. Hoang Van Lai gave her a K59 pistol and assigned her the task of assassinating Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Lam. In the twilight of the last day of 1969, Tran Thi Tiet loaded the pistol, put it in her bag, and rode her motorbike to the meeting place Lam had arranged. When she reached the middle of Trinh Minh The bridge, four special police officers forced her motorbike to the side of the road, pushed her into a special vehicle, and took her to the Thanh Binh Interrogation Center for questioning.

Facing Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Lam, Tran Thi Tiet still regretted not having eliminated the general who had committed so many crimes against the people. The following days were filled with extremely brutal torture and humiliation in an attempt to find any remaining bases within the city, but they all failed against her iron will. Their military court in Da Nang sentenced Tran Thi Tiet to 15 years in prison, to be held at the Ammunition Depot Prison in Cho Con. At noon on March 29, 1975, security forces of the Quang Da Special Zone seized the target and escorted her out of prison.

Now, the banyan tree in An Hai, where Tran Thi Tiet chose to meet with officials and detectives from District 3, still spreads its lush branches, providing shade for many passersby, but this patriotic young woman passed away in October 2009!

Source: https://baodanang.vn/diem-hen-duoi-bong-da-an-hai-3331019.html