Up to milestone 0 on top of Khoan La San

Stepping onto the milestone number 0 A Pa Chai on the top of Khoan La San in the Pu Den Dinh range at an altitude of more than 1,866m above sea level, all the fatigue after our long journey instantly disappeared. Everyone was so excited that they could scream, but all remained silent, took out the national flag from their luggage, and solemnly performed the ceremony of greeting the milestone and bowing to Mother Earth.

On the border land, the sacred territory of the Fatherland, before the majestic mountains and forests and the vast sky and clouds, every Vietnamese child feels proud.

1. Engineer Nguyen Van Hung, a veteran expert in mechanical engineering, who is passionate about traveling and experiencing backpacking , suggested a few of us to take a trip around the Northwest, passing through the heroic sites of the Dien Bien Phu campaign and exploring the westernmost point of the country, A Pa Chai, a place associated with the border intersection of the three countries of Vietnam, Laos and China, in Sin Thau commune (Muong Nhe district, Dien Bien). So we set off!

A Pa Chai is a place I wanted to conquer nearly 30 years ago, when I was a young man, just starting out in journalism with great enthusiasm. Back then, whenever I had the chance, I would carry my backpack with Lieutenant Colonel Pham Dem, a propaganda officer of the Border Guard Command, wandering through dozens of border posts across the northern provinces. When I expressed my desire to go to A Pa Chai, Dem dismissed me because "you are not strong enough to climb it".

At that time, Dien Bien province had not yet separated from Lai Chau, Muong Nhe district only had a car road to the center, milestone number 0 was managed by Leng Su Sin Border Post (in 2007, A Pa Chai Border Post was separated from Leng Su Sin Post).

At that time, this whole area had no electricity, no roads, all around were just wild, rolling hills of cogon grass stretching out at the foot of the windy Khoan La San mountain. To reach A Pa Chai, one had to cut through the forest, climb mountains and wade through streams for dozens of kilometers, and the round trip took about half a month. Therefore, even though I had been to Dien Bien many times during those days and had a great desire to go to A Pa Chai, I had to give up the idea.

Early in the morning from Hanoi , we went up National Highway 6, through Pha Din Pass, one of the “four great mountain passes” in the north to Dien Bien. Previously, National Highway 6 was misread by drivers as “bad national highway” because most of it wound along the mountain slopes, with steep cliffs on one side and deep abysses on the other, with many bends only wide enough for one car to pass.

Next to the Pha Din Pass monument, convoys of vehicles carrying veterans and youth volunteers to visit the Dien Bien battlefield stopped to take souvenir photos, and we were filled with indescribable emotion.

During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Pha Din Pass suffered countless bombings by the French colonialists to block our supply of weapons and food. Perhaps many of the veterans and youth volunteers standing here today, under the rain of bombs and bullets 70 years ago, bravely held on, broke rocks and opened roads to maintain the traffic flow, supporting the campaign until the day of total victory.

In 2009, after 4 years of "eating wind and sleeping in the dew" construction, the transport sector completed the renovation of National Highway 6 (Son La-Tuan Giao section) 85km long, to the level 4 mountainous standard, with the "highlight" being the Pha Din pass bypass route which is 200-400m lower and shortening the distance by about 10km compared to the old pass. Construction units dug and filled nearly 1 million cubic meters of earth and rock, built 6 overpasses located in a complex geological curve. This is the first route in the Northwest to be paved with asphalt concrete up to 12cm thick.

Now, sitting in a car going over the pass feels smooth, no longer shaking violently like before. Every day, new roads and bridges are built, helping the Northwest to become less distant, bringing vitality and miraculous changes.

For example, in A Pa Chai, if nearly 30 years ago, the car road had just been built to the district center, walking through the forest to the landmark of about 50km could be considered impossible for everyone, except the border guards.

More than ten years ago, the asphalt road was built to the foot of the border post, the journey to climb A Pa Chai was only about 5km on foot, taking more than half a day. Taking a bus from Dien Bien city, in the late afternoon, we arrived at A Pa Chai Border Post, registered to stay overnight at the post to climb early the next morning.

The sky was still thick with fog. We got up, put on all kinds of shoes, socks, hats, shirts, specialized gloves to prevent leeches, dry food and water to follow the border soldiers climbing the border post along the thin border patrol trail that crossed several mountain slopes, with tall grass.

After about 5 hours of trekking through the forest, climbing ropes and clinging to branches on steep cliffs, holding water bottles in our hands, we had to leave behind countless unnecessary “accessories” on the side of the road to get them later when we returned. Some people in the group couldn’t handle it and had to give up halfway. The soldier who accompanied us had to carry the belongings for the whole group, helping to pull each person up the steep slope, but when we reached the milestone, our hair and clothes were soaked with sweat, covered in mud, and we lay down gasping for breath.

2. Now, conquering the westernmost point of A Pa Chai, where "when a rooster crows, three countries can hear" is much easier than before.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duc Dung, Head of A Pa Chai Border Guard Station, said: "At the end of 2018, when the border patrol road project (section A Pa Chai - Ta Long San), the branch line from km5 + 900 to the A Pha Chai border marker, nearly 9km long, invested by the Dien Bien Provincial Border Guard Command, was completed, it created great convenience for people and tourists who love to explore and conquer the westernmost point."

In 2023, about 2,000 visitors registered to climb the A Pa Chai milestone, and in just the first 4 months of this year, nearly 1,000 visitors conquered the westernmost point.

During the dry season (October of the previous year to April of the following year) or during festivals, the number of tourists coming here tends to increase sharply. Around the end of October of the lunar calendar every year, after the rice harvest, the Ha Nhi people in Muong Nhe are quite leisurely. The village elders, village chiefs and commune officials will meet and agree on a common day to celebrate Tet. The Ha Nhi Tet is chosen on the first dragon day of December (solar calendar).

To develop tourism in conjunction with ensuring national security and defense, the Government is considering and approving the expansion of A Pa Chai landmark and the construction of a scenic spot in this area.

As planned, the circular sightseeing spot, with an area of 255 square meters, with landmarks facing each country, is expected to attract more tourists to visit and experience.

To complete the infrastructure and create a destination for tourists, the Muong Nhe district government also actively surveyed and requested investment policies for a tourist area in Ta Mieu village (Sin Thau commune) and accelerated the construction of the A Pa Chai National Flagpole (located halfway up Khoan La San peak).

According to the design, the flagpole is 45.19m high, of which the reinforced concrete pillar is 29.5m high; the stainless steel flagpole is 15.69m high; the flag size is 7.5 x 5 (m), area is 37.5m2. From the rest stop to the flagpole is about 300m long, designed with 519 steps with 19 landings, symbolizing the 19 ethnic groups of Dien Bien province.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Doan Thanh Tuan, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of the Border Guard Station, A Pa Chai is one of 16 border markers on the two border lines under the management and protection of the station, stretching along the national border of nearly 38.3km. Due to its particularly important location, closely related to local military-defense as well as national security, visitors wishing to go to the border marker must register and receive approval from the station commander, with officers and soldiers leading the way.

Leading us, Captain Nguyen Van Thang, the reconnaissance team leader, said that the border patrol road project includes more than 3.5km of dirt road, nearly 4.4km of concrete according to border patrol road standards and nearly 1km of 1.5m wide granite steps to the marker (including 541 steps and 29 landings). When completed, it will truly be a revolution, freeing up a lot of time and effort for patrolling soldiers in green uniforms.

For most backpackers, what better opportunity is there to conquer A Pa Chai? The narrow border patrol road is only wide enough for one motorbike, steep slopes and sharp turns, the rickety vehicle constantly loses momentum, causing the person sitting behind to have a heart attack many times. But I am sure, winding through the natural forest canopy with breathtaking scenery and cool air is an extremely interesting and unique experience for any backpacker.

The final point of this road is the A Pa Chai milestone 0, which was started by the three countries of Vietnam, Laos and China in late April 2005 and completed in early July 2005. The entire milestone is made of granite, built on a hexagonal base, the outermost is a square block with an area of 5x5 (m). The milestone is 2m high with 3 sides facing the 3 countries, each side engraved with the country name in the national language and attached with the national emblem of each country. The whole group waved the flag high in the open wind and sunshine, everyone was moved to tears, proud of the majestic milestone on the sacred land of the Fatherland. We held hands tightly, silently promising to return to this beloved land one day not far away!

According to nhandan.vn

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