"Eye of the battle" Northwest

In August, white clouds hang across the mountainside, drifting slowly over the green terraced fields. The Northwest in its independent autumn is both gentle and poetic, yet filled with layers of historical sediment.

Amidst this peaceful landscape, few realize that this region possesses a unique characteristic: not only because of its scenery, but also because its rugged terrain and long border have prevented several provinces, including Son La , from being merged into administrative units like many other localities. This is both a strategic advantage and a major challenge in management and ensuring national defense and security.

When mentioning Son La, people often immediately think of Son La Prison – a “hell on earth” during the colonial era, where many steadfast revolutionary fighters were imprisoned, and the To Hieu peach tree that still blooms resiliently despite the passage of time. But there is another less-told aspect: during the resistance war against the US, Son La was a crucial “battlefield,” where the CIA and other US-backed intelligence agencies deployed spy and commando units to sabotage the North Vietnamese rear.

They exploited the long border and sparsely populated mountainous terrain to infiltrate through trails and streams, establishing bases, gathering intelligence, sabotaging roads and bridges, and sowing discord in the rear. However, the very rugged terrain of Northwest Vietnam became an advantage for those defending it. The police officers, many of them very young, transformed every slope and ravine into an invisible checkpoint. They persistently monitored, cordoned off, and controlled every move of the spy and commando groups.

In those days, technological means were scarce, but the most advanced "technology" of the security forces lay in their hearts—absolute loyalty, intelligence, and courage—individuals who knew every bend in the road and every stream like the back of their hand. They held firm every inch of borderland, protected the great rear area—the North, nurtured the belief in national reunification, and provided manpower and resources to the great front line—the South.

Winding roads in Son La province, in the Northwest region of Vietnam. Photo: QUANG PHUC

August – the autumn of national independence, and for the Northwest region, it's also a season of memories. Amidst today's hustle and bustle, stories of a time of intense battles with spies and commandos are still recounted around the fireplace, like a red thread connecting the past with the present. Today, Son La and other Northwest provinces operate a two-tiered local government system, suited to their unique geographical and demographic characteristics.

Roads have been widened, and schools and health centers have reached many remote villages, bringing a new look to life. And along the border roads, the footprints of police officers remain persistent, silently fulfilling all their duties. They don't always wear uniforms, but wherever they are – in the market, by the riverbank, or on the border trail – they remain the silent "eyes of the battle" in the mountains and forests.

The glorious history of Northwest Vietnam is not only the memory of a generation that experienced war, but also the flame that fuels the will to protect sovereignty in every heart today. And amidst the azure autumn sky, filled with aspirations, to the sounds of flutes and drums echoing through the mountains and forests, Northwest Vietnam still stands proudly and silently guarding the border – just as it did during those years of relentless strategic battles… And somewhere in the rhythm of life today, the stories of a bygone era still live on silently in every breath of the land and people here.

OCEAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/mat-tran-tay-bac-post809886.html