Meet the man who holds the national flag with steadfast faith

More than 60 years ago, in the middle of the border dividing the country, there was a tailor sitting quietly on the banks of the Ben Hai River, day and night meticulously sewing each needle and thread to sew the red flag with a yellow star. That flag not only flew on the Hien Luong flagpole, but also flew in the hearts of millions of people from the North and South.

The worker's name is Nguyen Duc Lang, a lifelong defender of the national flag with steadfast faith and love for the country that has not faded over the years.

The red flag between the silent border

Born in 1937, Mr. Lang grew up in Cam Lo (Quang Tri), then followed his father to live next to Hien Luong bridge, which later became the border dividing the country according to the Geneva Agreement in 1954. In 1956, when the revolutionary government decided to erect a flagpole on the northern bank of Ben Hai river, the red flag with yellow star hanging on top of that flagpole became a sacred symbol of sovereignty and the aspiration for national unification.

Mr. Lang devoted his whole life to preserving the national flag.

But few people know that those flags were sewn by the hands of a rustic craftsman, Mr. Nguyen Duc Lang. When he was assigned to do this job, he was just over 19 years old, the main craftsman in a small sewing group serving the needs of the people. "Back then, I thought that holding a needle was also a contribution, as long as it was doing something useful for the country. I told myself, if I couldn't go to war like my friends, I would sew the biggest, most beautiful flag, hang it in the most sacred place, so that people from the South and the North could see it," Mr. Lang said.

Hien Luong - Ben Hai became a silent but fierce confrontation point between us and the enemy. In particular, the "flag war" took place persistently and was no less tense. Each side tried to raise the flagpole higher, sew the flag bigger, more brilliant. And every time the other side changed the height of the flagpole, the North immediately responded. The flag was taller, bigger, more beautiful, as an affirmation of sovereignty. "Once, I had to stay up all night to sew the flag in time to hang it early in the morning. There was a day when I had just hung it, the storm tore it and had to replace it immediately. The national flag must not be torn, even a small corner. Because it is the face of the country, the pride of the nation", Mr. Lang recalled with emotion.

His needlework not only connects pieces of fabric, but also connects the faith and hope of millions of people from both sides, especially the people of the South, every time they look to the North bank, they see the red flag with yellow star still flying proudly in the sky.

The young guest hugged Mr. Lang to express his gratitude.

A lifetime of keeping the national flag with steadfast faith

Time passed. Mr. Lang sewed countless flags. Each one was hand-sewn with every edge, carefully checking every thread and every color. For him, it was not just a responsibility, but a belief, an honor.

The most vivid memory in his mind was the times of changing the flag in the rainy and windy night. Putting the flagpole on his bicycle, he wrapped the flag in his shirt, then followed the muddy road with the border armed police officers and soldiers, then climbed up to the flagpole, and hung a new flag to replace the torn one. There was no sound of trumpets, no signal music, only the sound of the wind, the sound of his heart pounding with emotion. "In the middle of that dark night, I only thought that the people of the South would see our flag again tomorrow. They would know that our homeland has never given up," he recounted, his eyes still filled with tears.

After the country was reunified, he continued to sew flags for major events. The war had ended, but Hien Luong Bridge was still a sacred symbol of the desire for independence, freedom and unity. The flag hanging on the flagpole still needed to be the most beautiful and brilliant. Even though he was old and weak, Mr. Lang still kept the flag-making profession as a part of his flesh and blood.

In the afternoon, sitting and chatting with guests under the porch of a small house in Quarter 9, Ward 5 (Dong Ha), Mr. Lang occasionally glanced to the North where there is the Ben Hai River and the Hien Luong Bridge. He thoughtfully shared: "Now I sew more slowly, but I still keep the habit of choosing fabric carefully, measuring every inch, and sewing every seam neatly. The flag is not just for hanging, it is the sacred soul of the mountains and rivers," he said. I noticed that when talking about the old days, his eyes always lit up. Each story, each memory appeared, like a carpet woven with needles and thread and the bright red color of the national flag.

Over the years, Mr. Lang was also very happy when young visitors occasionally came to visit, asking about flag sewing, about the years of steadfast fighting at the border dividing the country. "The other day, Tien from Ca Mau traveled from the North, passing by Dong Ha and stopped by my house," he said, then showed me some souvenir photos. There, a young man hugged an old man tightly, friendly and warm. The gesture and affection that the young man showed him, perhaps not only out of understanding, but also to express infinite gratitude. Closing the story between them, there was another beautiful image. The old man gently opened the wooden chest, took out a flag that he had sewn himself, the edges of which had worn out over the years, and then happily signed it for the young man! Two generations, one belief!

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Tieu-diem-van-hoa/gap-nguoi-giu-co-to-quoc-bang-niem-tin-son-sat-i766293/