Throughout the period 1966-1973, in order to cut off our army's supply lines to the South, the "Victory" Route 20 was one of the key targets that the enemy Air Force heavily attacked.

The blood, sweat, and tears of countless soldiers, volunteer youth, civilian laborers, transport workers, and local people soaked every inch of land along the route, enabling convoys to proudly continue their work, supporting the front lines in fighting the enemy.

Veterans and tourists pay their respects at the Eight Girls' Cave.

The Rao Rang tree - a testament to the war.
Stone stele at the Eight Girls' Cave historical site.

After respectfully offering incense to pay tribute to the heroic martyrs and volunteer youth at the Memorial Temple for Heroes and Martyrs of Road 20 - Quyet Thang and the Eight Girls' Cave, we listened to a poignant song: In Thuong Trach commune, on a late autumn afternoon of November 14, 1972, the peaceful mountain and forest landscape was torn apart by the roar of American aircraft engines. Then, a sudden bombing raid on Road 20 "Quyet Thang" shook the mountains and forests violently.

Eight young volunteers from Company 217, Construction Unit 67, Regiment 559, along with five anti-aircraft artillery soldiers, took refuge in a cave at Km16+200. A series of bombs shook the mountains and forests, causing a massive rock weighing over 100 tons to collapse, completely sealing the entrance to the cave where the eight young volunteers—Do Thi Loan, Nguyen Van Hue, Nguyen Huu Phuong, Tran Thi To, Hoang Van Vu, Nguyen Mau Ky, Le Thi Luong, and Le Thi Mai (all from Hoang Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province)—were sheltering.

At the same time, five anti-aircraft artillery soldiers: Mai Duc Hung, Dinh Cong Dinh, Nguyen Van Quan, Sam Van Mac, and Nguyen Van Thuy, bravely sacrificed their lives right in front of the cave entrance... Veteran Nguyen Van Khanh, from Dong Thanh commune, Thanh Hoa province, gently wiped away his tears and confided: "I went through the resistance war against the US to save the country and also bid farewell to many comrades who bravely sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. But the sacrifice of the young volunteers at Hang Tam Co (Eight Girls' Cave) deeply saddened me, because I knew they were still alive and close to death, yet their comrades had to endure the helplessness and despair of being unable to save them…"

Fifty-one years after the peaceful reunification of the country, the forest has revived, lush and green, covering the scars left by bombs and bullets along the "Victory" Route 20. However, in front of the Eight Girls' Cave, we still encountered a remaining relic of the war – the Rao Rang tree, where the Truong Son soldiers and Youth Volunteers used bomb fragments as alarm bells whenever American planes dropped bombs. Even now, next to the gnarled trunk, a bomb-shard-covered bell still hangs on its stand – a reminder from our fathers and brothers, and to future generations, about the value of peace and independence.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/hang-tam-co-khuc-trang-ca-duong-20-quyet-thang-1037318