Happiness Road, a "red address" in the rocky region.

BHG - When mentioning the Dong Van Karst Plateau, many people will think of the legendary Happiness Road. A project that has become an immortal anthem of the determination of the Party Committee, government, and people of Ha Giang, and the indomitable spirit of the volunteer youth who worked for decades. Construction of the Happiness Road began on September 10, 1959, and was completed on March 20, 1965. It is a miracle of building a road on rocky terrain, and today, traveling on this road, each of us feels a sense of awe and appreciation for the efforts that created this beautiful road.

BHG - When mentioning the Dong Van Karst Plateau, many people will think of the legendary Happiness Road. A project that has become an immortal anthem of the determination of the Party Committee, government, and people of Ha Giang , and the indomitable spirit of the volunteer youth who worked there decades ago. Construction of the Happiness Road began on September 10, 1959, and was completed on March 20, 1965. It is a miracle of building a road on rocky terrain, and today, traveling on this road, each of us feels a sense of awe and appreciation for the efforts that created this beautiful road.

I've traveled along the legendary rocky road countless times, a road that, though still winding and arduous, never loses its excitement. Each time I set foot on the Happiness Road, I relive the fiery memories of a bygone era of youth and hardship. The Happiness Road – National Highway 4C – starts from Quang Trung ward, Ha Giang city, crosses Dong Van, traverses the majestic Ma Pi Leng Pass to Meo Vac, stretching over 180km. Along this road, if you look closely, you can find many sections still bearing the marks of the chisels and shovels used to build the road in the past, imprinted on the rock faces. The Cemetery of Young Volunteers who built the road in Yen Minh district, the Monument to the Young Volunteers in Meo Vac district, and the stone stele inscribed with all the data about the road construction site in the center of Meo Vac town are special memories of the stone construction site, attracting the attention of locals and tourists whenever they visit the Rocky Plateau.

The Happiness Road on the rocky plateau. Photo: PV

During my many journeys along the Happiness Road, I not only met and interacted with locals, young people, and tourists, but I also sought out guestbooks at tourist destinations to read the heartfelt messages about this legendary road. Many words of gratitude, appreciation, eternal thanks, and admiration for the sacrifices of the young volunteers who built the road, along with many special sentiments, were written in the guestbooks at stops like Ma Pi Leng and Meo Vac.

Opening the guestbook at the Ma Pi Leng Pass, we read a message from a group of veteran tank crews from the May 1971 battle in Thai Thuy, Thai Binh province: "Always grateful to those who built the Happiness Road, allowing the highlands of Ha Giang to develop as it is today, worthy of being the northernmost point of the Fatherland." After hearing about the history of the road construction and experiencing the beautiful natural scenery firsthand, many families, including Ms. Doan Thi Ngoc Lan's family from Bac Ninh city, Bac Ninh province, were moved and wrote, "Our family has traveled on the Happiness Road. Thank you to those who built this road; we love Ha Giang." Tourist Pham Thi Ha from Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa province, emotionally expressed, "Beloved Ha Giang and the Happiness Road, the sacrifice of the volunteer youth are truly moving. All of this leaves behind a sense of pride in our country and the Vietnamese people..."

The memories of the Happiness Road, with millions of man-days spent building it, the number of people who sacrificed their lives on this road, and the stories from the construction site of yesteryear, deeply move each of us today. All of this shows that today's generation will always remember the immense contributions of those who came before, building a road paved with blood, sweat, and the will to win.

Sixty years after its completion at the town of Meo Vac, the Happiness Road has been continuously renovated and upgraded, becoming wider and more beautiful. In particular, in almost all the places this legendary stone road passes through, the scenery on both sides is breathtaking, unlike any other landscape in Vietnam. Along the road, the seasonal flowers of the Stone Plateau always evoke a captivating feeling, creating a road that embodies the vitality of youth, full of aspirations and dreams. With a little more understanding of the road's history and the history of the Stone Plateau's resilience and progress, we can further appreciate the beauty and value of this monumental project, both today and in the future.

After traveling the entire Happiness Road from Ha Giang city to Meo Vac district, a young couple took a check-in photo on Ma Pi Leng Pass and wrote a loving message on their personal Facebook page: "Hopefully, after traveling on the legendary Happiness Road in Ha Giang, you and I will continue to travel together on our own path to happiness."

This March marks the 60th anniversary of the completion of the Happiness Road (March 20, 1965 – 2025). Coincidentally, March 20th is also International Happiness Day. Looking back over the past 60 years, it's clear that this road, built in the spring of that year, has made, is making, and will continue to make a significant contribution to the development of this rocky region. The aspirations and willpower, the blood and flowers of the youth of Cao Bang, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, some lowland provinces, and the people of various ethnic groups have built a "red address" for today and tomorrow, a place that the youth and people of the whole country will forever remember and learn from.

Text and photos: Huy Toán

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/xa-hoi/202503/duong-hanh-phuc-dia-chi-do-tren-mien-da-6c063ac/