Lang Le - Bau Co, a golden page of memories of the South

Lang Le - Bau Co (Tan Nhut commune, Ho Chi Minh City) - a natural site that evokes a peaceful river area, where birds: teal, cuckoo, gong coc, diec... and white storks come to, few people expect that "the land where birds nest" right at the southwestern gateway of Saigon, was once a "red address" during the war, contributing to the brilliant golden history of the Southern citadel.

STORIES ABOUT LANG LE - BAU CO

On the morning of October 24, in Tan Nhut commune (HCMC), the Department of Culture and Sports of HCMC organized a scientific seminar on the historical relic of Lang Le - Bau Co to affirm the stature and heritage value of the relic site, with the participation of historical researchers and cultural management agencies.

Lang Le - Bau Co historical site

Photo: Quynh Tran

In Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi , Trinh Hoai Duc wrote: The place name Tan Nhut existed since the reign of King Gia Long (1802 - 1820). Tan Nhut village belonged to Tan Long district, Tan Binh prefecture, Phien An town. By 1836, under King Minh Mang, the population grew more and more, new hamlets and villages were established, so Tan Long district had 6 communes, Tan Nhut was one of the 4 villages - belonging to Long Hung Thuong commune.

Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Historical Science Association, said: "At that time, the canals were crisscrossed, the acidic soil was only suitable for growing pineapples, so people called that area Vuon Thom. There was a woman who came to make a living by selling wine at the beginning of the canal, so people called her Ba Ruou and the canal thus became Kinh Ba Ruou. Over time, Southern people misread it as Kinh Ba Vu. Because the marshland had lakes and ponds converging, many species of birds flew there, so people called their beloved land by the simple name Lang Le - Bau Co until today."

During the period 1930 - 1954, Lang Le - Bau Co affirmed its importance when the Southern Regional Party Committee chose it as the base of the Cho Lon Provincial Party Committee and the Saigon - Gia Dinh - Cho Lon City Administrative Resistance Committee.

With its strategic "outpost base" position, Lang Le - Bau Co, part of Vuon Thom base, became an almost impregnable resistance zone, protecting the suburbs of Saigon - Cho Lon in two resistance wars. In particular, the battle against the sweep of Lang Le - Bau Co on April 15, 1948, was a classic confrontation of asymmetric tactics with the French. With courage and ingenuity, our army defeated 300 enemies, captured 30 mercenaries, and destroyed 5 military vehicles. The victory of Lang Le - Bau Co defeated the French strategy of "quick battle, quick victory", and foiled the plot to destroy the main force and Vuon Thom base. During the war against the US, Lang Le - Bau Co continued to be a place to shelter troops, hide weapons, and a springboard to attack the inner city of Saigon. In the Spring of Mau Than 1968, this place played an important role in supporting the special forces and main combat units, creating a great echo on the Southern battlefield.

To commemorate the feats of the forces, the Lang Le - Bau Co historical relic site was built by Binh Chanh District Party Committee in 1998 in Hamlet 1, Tan Nhut Commune with an area of ​​about 10,000 m², including a traditional house, a victory monument, a stele house and a memorial stele. On August 5, 2003, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee ranked this project as a city-level historical relic.

PROPOSAL FOR RATING OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS

Affirming that Lang Le - Bau Co relic is a priceless heritage, marking the heroic history of the Vietnamese people and the entire Southern region, the opinions participating in the workshop all agreed that there must be measures to preserve and promote the values ​​of the relic, first of all, it is necessary to soon complete the dossier to apply for ranking as a national relic because "time waits for no one".

Lang Le - Bau Co historical relic monument

Photo: Quynh Tran

Writer Tram Huong, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, shared: "Director Nguyen Hoang and I just came here to find a setting to make a film about poet Hoai Vu, but we walked all day and still couldn't find any cajuput forests to film. Therefore, the restoration of "ancient ecosystems" - typical of the swampy and riverine areas, or the re-enactment of historical spaces in relic sites to educate about traditions is extremely urgent." "We have to act quickly, because in just a few years, the "old and weak" witnesses will no longer have time to wait for us," the author of Trong Cong Gio urgently said.

Researcher Nguyen Do Gia Bao (Center for Monument Conservation, Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City) proposed to build a tourist route Following the footsteps of the Southern resistance , connecting Lang Le - Bau Co with the traditional revolutionary area of ​​Vuon Thom - Ba Vu, Cu Chi tunnels, Ben Duoc... and other relics in the region. "In the digital age, it is necessary to proactively build the image of the relics on the internet through websites, fanpages; produce short videos, podcasts, documentaries, and witness story clips on digital platforms for young audiences to access; Design virtual reality tours, online interactive maps to help visitors visit from afar", Mr. Bao emphasized.

With the scientific foundations of the Lang Le - Bau Co relic site and its invaluable historical values, Mr. Le Quang Thuan (Social and Cultural Department of Tan Nhat Commune) hopes that the specialized agency of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City will conduct a survey, appraisal and soon submit a dossier to propose recognizing Lang Le - Bau Co as a national historical relic because it is completely worthy.

Through the workshop, scientists and delegates focused on clarifying historical and cultural values, directions for protecting and promoting the value of the relic, scientific bases and came to a consensus that the Lang Le - Bau Co relic site deserves to be a national historical relic. We will soon complete the dossier to submit to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for consideration and decision.

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Minh Nhut

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lang-le-bau-co-trang-su-vang-ky-uc-cua-nam-bo-185251024215929168.htm