Giant Fire Lights Up Bom Bo

The house displays models serving the resistance life of the Stieng people - Bom Bo commune during the years of resistance against the American imperialists.

In the resistance war against the American imperialists, the torchlight contributed to the victory of the Dong Xoai - Phuoc Long campaign. The country was unified; renewed; integrated into the world; the Stieng people and the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands became closer in the torchlight, to join the whole country in confidently entering the era of development.

More than 50 years ago, soldiers "cut through Truong Son" with bare feet along the road to the South. Today, we, the younger generation, take a plane "from North to South", then travel by air-conditioned car to find the land of fire. Soc Bom Bo is one of the places we chose. Knowing that this was our first time in Soc Bom Bo, Mr. Cao Minh Truc, Deputy Director, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Radio - Television and Binh Phuoc Newspaper, proudly said: Do you know, in 3 days and nights, nearly 100 Stieng people and soldiers did not sleep to pound more than 5 tons of rice with hand pestles in time to support our army in the battle of Dong Xoai - Phuoc Long.

The distance from Dong Xoai City to Bom Bo village also seemed to shorten. The streets receded behind, leaving along the roadside orchards full of flowers, cashews, pepper and rubber forests stretching far and wide. Suddenly the car slowed down, everyone exclaimed with excitement: Right in front of the car was a large welcome gate built in the architectural style of a house of the Central Highlands people... And a S'tieng Ethnic Cultural Conservation Area - Bom Bo village was built on a high land, surrounded by fragrant white jasmine flowers, making the story of the female tour guide of the Conservation Area - Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong as vivid as each film recreating the working and fighting life of the S'tieng people during the years when enemy bombs and bullets devastated their homeland.

The 20-ton lithophone set was recognized by the Vietnam Record Organization as the largest lithophone set in Vietnam.

Yes! The war has passed, half a century of "the country and rivers being reunited", but coming here to hear the sound of gongs, drums, khom pi flutes, bau mbuot pipes, ding jut zithers, and lithophones echoing the heartfelt feelings of the Stieng people during the years when the people of the red soil of the Central Highlands united with the Party to fight the enemy, realizing the aspiration to unify the country... The old people and the old scenes have been engraved in history by the light of bamboo torches. Ms. Thu Huong said: Bom Bo still has the elders Dieu Len and Dieu M'Rieng as living witnesses.

At 80 years old, old Dieu Len is still as strong as a big tree in the bamboo forest. He is considered a living history of the Stieng people. His "memories" are filled with stories about the heroic memories of the village. During the years when the Bom Bo people used bamboo torches to pound rice to feed the army, his height was not as tall as a pestle, but he soon joined the guerrilla team, working as a courier to deliver letters to cadres in the base. With a sincere and simple saying: We, like many of our compatriots in the village, do not know "literacy", but when we know that the revolutionary army is good, we follow them together.

At nearly 20 years old, he joined the Army, directly fought with his unit in more than 40 battles, continuously made achievements, and was awarded the title of brave warrior who destroyed evil and broke pincers and brave warrior who destroyed the US - puppet. Proud of his achievements, he lived humbly, setting a good example for his children and grandchildren to learn and strive for.

Back in the early sixties of the last century, the US and puppet regimes continuously swept through and forced people into strategic hamlets to carry out their plot to destroy the revolution and cut off people's connection with the revolution. Looking at the artifacts displayed in the Conservation Area, including long wooden mortars, labor tools, temporary houses made of bamboo and thatched roofs... Ms. Huong was moved: In that context, the people of Bom Bo left their homes and properties and followed each other into the forest to follow the revolution.

The set of gongs made of bronze and tin for performance was recognized by the Vietnam Record Organization as the largest in Vietnam.

In the new land, the people built huts to protect them from the sun and rain. They encouraged each other to quickly clear the land, clear the fields to grow cassava and corn. While actively producing, they also participated in fighting the enemy. Young men joined the army, guerrillas, and acted as liaisons; while women and children pounded rice every night to feed the army under the light of a bamboo fire. Life in the new land was not enough, each person only ate half a can of rice a day, so the new place was jokingly called a half can. The Half Can Base got its name from that. After liberation, the Stieng people still stayed at the Half Can Base, until 1989 when they were invited to move to Bom Bo hamlet.

When talking about the resistance war in Bom Bo, the Stieng people often mention old man Dieu M'Rieng, who is 72 years old this year. His father, Dieu Minh, was formerly the Head of the Provincial Agricultural Association. He specialized in organizing production and mobilizing people to participate in raising troops and serving the resistance war.

Like other villagers in the hamlet, Old Dieu M'Rieng went to the fields during the day and returned home at night to pound rice with torches to feed the army. When he reached adulthood, he volunteered to join the army. He participated in the resistance until the day the liberation flag was raised on the roof of the Independence Palace. He then changed his career and became a cadre at the Bu Dang District Party Committee until his retirement.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong, tour guide of the Stieng Ethnic Cultural Conservation Area - Bom Bo village, introduces to tourists the sound of pestles and mortars pounding rice by the bamboo fire of the Stieng people.

According to the elder: The material and spiritual life of the Stieng people is closely associated with the bamboo tree. Bamboo trees are used to make houses, household items, and production tools. Bamboo trees provide vegetables for making soup, making sticky rice, making musical instruments such as khom pi, mbuot, dinh jut, and making poles for spring festivals... The elder is proud to be a professional consultant for the project to restore and preserve the Stieng Ethnic Cultural Conservation Area - Bom Bo hamlet.

The S'tieng Ethnic Cultural Conservation Area - Bom Bo commune is built on an area of ​​over 113 hectares. Under the deep green forest canopy filled with the sound of cicadas is the traditional long house of the S'tieng people of the Bu Lo group. Next to it is the largest gong set in Vietnam, each weighing from 130-750kg. Next to it is a giant lithophone, each bar weighing from 400-600kg, corresponding to a musical note. Sharing with us, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of the Center for Culture, Sports and Radio and Television of Bu Dang district said: The locality has 13 gong teams, with 70 performing artists.

The long house area attracts many domestic and international tourists to visit.

Beside the giant gong and stone organ of the Central Highlands, I felt the magical sounds carrying the soul of the forest and the mountain. That sound raised the voice from the hearts of the Stieng people, who were loyal and steadfast in following the Party, actively supporting the army to defeat the American invaders; and together building a land that became more prosperous and well-off every day. Dieu Coc - a son of the Bom Bo squirrel humorously said: The mortar and pestle of the past still echoes to the future. Because that is the resistance song filled with pride resounding with the light of the bamboo torches. Let the gongs, cymbals, the khom pi flute, the bau mbuot flute and the ding jut zither forever resonate next to the jar of rice wine, the magical sounds of the mountains and forests.

The giant torch is not only a symbol of patriotism, but also an indispensable part of the spiritual life of the Stieng people. According to Thi Xia and Thi Don: The giant torch reminds us to turn our hearts to our ancestors, to preserve the cultural quintessence that has been passed down through the ages. And the giant torch provides a flickering fire for the descendants to gather around the village elders to listen to epics. That's right: The giant torch allows women and girls to weave flawless cotton; allows boys to weave durable baskets, so that love can be strong.

It has been 50 years since the country was reunified, but the torchlight of the bamboo umbrella still lights up the hearts of the Stieng people with a strong belief in the Party's guidelines and the State's laws and policies. So that today, in Bom Bo hamlet, the sound of the pestle and the hand-pounding drums resounds, encouraging the Stieng people to rise up to develop the socio-economy and actively preserve and promote the unique cultural identity of their own people. Thereby promoting the torchlight of the bamboo umbrella and the sound of the pestle in Bom Bo hamlet to friends around the world.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/que-huong-dat-nuoc/202504/lua-lo-o-thap-sang-bom-bo-9b21267/