Memories of the battlefield of Zone V - Part 2: Thu Bon sediments

During the fierce years of the resistance war against the US, many artists and writers remained on the battlefield of Zone V, especially in the lands along both sides of the Thu Bon River such as Thi Thai, Ky Lam, Go Noi, Xuyen Phu... They remained with the river, like alluvium that nurtured patriotism for many future generations...

Resistance artists of Zone V visit the grave of dancer Vo Thi Phuong Thao. Photo: XUAN HIEN

Stay with Thu Bon

In his research on documents about the years of the war against the US on the battlefield of Zone V, writer Nguyen Ba Tham shared valuable information about artists who died in the lands along the Thu Bon River, such as Phuong Thao, Van Can, Nguyen Trong Dinh, Tran Van Anh, Duong Thi Xuan Quy, Chu Cam Phong, Nguyen My, Nguyen Hong...

“It can be said that dancer Phuong Thao was one of the artists of Zone V who sacrificed the earliest, in 1967. In 1968, musician Van Can sacrificed in Go Noi while rehearsing with the Quang Da Art Troupe for performances to serve the people of Quang Da and possibly go to Da Nang to perform in the spring of Mau Than.

Also in this year, Nguyen Trong Dinh and Tran Van Anh sacrificed themselves at Ky Lam bridge, Dien Tho (now Dien Ban Tay ward, Da Nang city). In 1969, Duong Thi Xuan Quy sacrificed herself at Thi Thai village, Duy Thanh (now Duy Nghia commune, Da Nang city). In 1971, Chu Cam Phong sacrificed himself at Xuyen Phu commune (now Thu Bon commune, Da Nang city) and Nguyen My remained by the Dak Ta river, Tra My. In 1973, Nguyen Hong sacrificed himself at Dien Ban", writer Nguyen Ba Tham recalled.

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Strangely, most of the artists of Zone V who fell on the battlefield were scattered along the Thu Bon River... So our pilgrimage this time was like a trip upstream, step by step seeing familiar faces appear in our minds: They have now turned to dust, all that remains are graves and the next stories told by the living, mixed with many legends arising from both sides of the Thu Bon River, green with bamboo and mulberry trees...".

Writer Cao Duy Thao, excerpt from Green Thousand

The timeline and locations of the sacrifices of artists in Zone V are still imprinted in the memories of their comrades to this day.

In “ Quang Nam, the land of memories”, each face, each name of the artists and writers on the battlefield is remembered by literary friends: My pen friends on the battlefield, the previous generation, the next generation, Chu Cam Phong, Duong Thi Xuan Quy, Nguyen Hong, Nguyen Trong Dinh, Nguyen My, Van Can, Phuong Thao…

Artists of Zone V share battlefield memories with reporters of Da Nang Newspaper and Radio and Television. Photo: XH

They were the brothers and sisters who fell during the days of fighting the Americans in Quang Nam. Perhaps the important thing is not only that they fell. What is much more important is how they lived and worked among the people on the battlefield during those years.

And here are the lines about the sacrifice of dancer Phuong Thao: “A very small piece of artillery was embedded in her chest, right in the middle of her heart. Phuong Thao’s grave is now located in La Thap village, Xuyen Thanh commune (now Thu Bon commune, Da Nang city), where the Thu Bon river splits into two streams, spreading its two muscular arms to embrace a large island, the Go Noi area, one of the most fertile lands in the Central region, famous for its mulberry growing and silkworm raising…”.

The sacrifice of musician Van Can in Go Noi in 1968 is still deeply engraved in the memory of writer Nguyen Ba Tham. He repeatedly mentioned the detail that in addition to the actors who were arrested, 32 people died in the two art troupes of Quang Nam and Quang Da alone.

“Most of the brothers and sisters sacrificed their lives along the Thu Bon River. The Quang Da art troupe was hit by a bomb during a rehearsal of a performance, 12 people sacrificed their lives, including Van Can,” said writer Nguyen Ba Tham.

Reporters of Da Nang Newspaper and Radio and Television with artists of Zone V on a trip to revisit the old battlefield. Photo: XH

Witness of history

“Who named the river like your name, entering my memories/ The river of my hometown, soft as silk, I always call/ Always call Thu Bon, always call Thu Bon”.

Musician Le Anh wrote "Thu Bon oi" in peace , but I think of the affection and longing that his comrades had for Duong Thi Xuan Quy when she died in 1969.

Reading her “War Diary”, one can always see a steadfast character in front of the enemy and a love for life: “July 17, 1968. At A 7. The battlefield “welcomed” me with all its fierceness, its intensity, in short, the harsh face of the battlefield appeared completely before my eyes... Only when I went there did I realize how strange it was that the bombs came right to our shelter, and it was tilted from the mountainside down to the stream. If it had moved just a little bit, we would have all died. I was also afraid, but the fear usually disappeared very quickly. I still had the same passionate heart to go to the plains, to go forward”.

Later, when peace came, writer Nguyen Ba Tham and many artists returned to Thi Thai to find the remains of Duong Thi Xuan Quy.

“We searched for many days, even using water pumps in the surrounding area to search, but there was still no sign of our comrade.” Perhaps writer Duong Thi Xuan Quy had gone to the sky, transformed into the white clouds of her homeland.

War journalist Phan Xuan Quang recorded the moment when artists from Zone V returned to visit the Quang Da battlefield. Photo: XH

During the fierce years of the battlefield in Zone V, you guys and girls lay down on the banks of the Thu River. Perhaps the river of our homeland has overflowed, soothing the children who lay down in the good land; like the writer Chu Cam Phong who lay down on May 1, 1971.

Writer Cao Duy Thao shed tears when he heard the news of Chu Cam Phong's sacrifice in the "Battlefield": "On May 1, 1971, Tran Tien heroically sacrificed himself in a secret bunker near the Thu Bon River in Vinh Cuong village, Xuyen Phu commune, when he was just 30 years old. I heard the news at noon when I returned from the fields to the office... And that was the first time I shed tears in the battlefield."

Writer Nguyen Chi Trung later went to work for martyrs, along the Thu Bon River and Highway 100, and realized this: Oh, it turns out that my friends all died along the Thu Bon River. Ngoc Anh and Nguyen My died at the source. Chu Cam Phong and Duong Thi Xuan Quy died at the end, near where the river intersects Highway 1. Falling in the villages along the river in the middle were Van Can, Nguyen Hong, Ha Xuan Phong, Phuong Thao, Nguyen Trong Dinh...

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Last song: Singing for the dead

Source: https://baodanang.vn/ky-uc-chien-truong-khu-v-bai-2-tram-tich-thu-bon-3297816.html