A time of 'fire and earth' created eternal pride

60 years have passed since the morning of August 18, 1965, when the army and people of Quang Ngai made the Van Tuong victory that resounded throughout the country. Enough time for a generation to mature, for a countryside to change its appearance.

Amidst the bustling life of Dung Quat Economic Zone today, Van Tuong is bursting with new vitality. In the echoes of the new day, with the laughter of children, the people here still hear somewhere the echoes of the past, remembering a time when "land of fire" created eternal pride.

A TIME OF FIRE AND EARTH

Van Tuong (formerly part of Binh Son District, Quang Ngai ) was once a "fire pocket" in the early years of the US invasion of the South. In the summer of 1965, US Marines with tanks, warships, and modern aircrafts rushed in, hoping to turn this place into a springboard to control the eastern part of Binh Son. But the will of the soldiers and people here turned the fields, mountainsides, and beaches into battlefields.

On the morning of August 18, 1965, the US launched Operation "Starlight" with more than 9,000 troops, 4 Marine battalions, along with tanks, artillery, warships and hundreds of aircraft, believing that they could suppress the resistance movement from the beginning and chose Van Tuong as the place to test their strength. However, Regiment 1 (Military Region 5) together with local troops and militias of Binh Hai, Binh Phu, Binh Tri, Binh Hoa... turned this place into a land of steel.

Veterans of Regiment 1 (Ba Gia Regiment) next to the map of the old Van Tuong battle

Wounded US Marines are carried onto a helicopter during the Battle of Van Tuong.

For a whole day and night, the blood reddened the village fields, many soldiers in their twenties fell. Places like Go Hong, Trung Son, An Loc, Loc Tu… became evidence. These places once bore the footprints of mothers carrying rice, children acting as messengers, soldiers carrying three-pronged bombs and rushing into tanks, writing an immortal heroic epic.

MEMORIES OF INSIDERS

During the 60th anniversary of the Van Tuong victory, veteran Trinh Phu Thien, former Deputy Squad Leader of Mortar Battalion 81, Regiment 1, quietly returned to the old battlefield, remembering his old comrades. At that time, he and his comrades were only in their 20s, many of them had not yet had lovers.

We lived, fought, and fell so that today's generations can have peace. We only hope that our descendants will keep that flame alive - the flame of Van Tuong.

Veteran Trinh Phu Thien

"My comrades fell right on Ngoc Huong field, where now are the straight roads leading to Dung Quat. I have never forgotten their eyes, sparkling, steadfast, as if leaving behind an undying belief for the next generation," Mr. Thien said, his trembling hand touching the faded medal. Then he continued: "Blood was shed, but it was in that blood and hardship that we forged the will of our youth to die for the Fatherland. We are proud that our generation has completed its mission."

Not only was it a military victory, Van Tuong also sowed confidence in the entire South. After Van Tuong, the resistance movement spread widely: breaking the "Double Hawk" operation in Duc Pho, destroying the Americans in western Son Tinh, defeating the South Korean army in Binh Son, Son Tinh...

Quang Ngai Youth Union members and youths listen to veterans of Regiment 1 tell stories about the war next to the burned-out tank.

Visiting Loc Tu trench (Van Tuong commune, Quang Ngai)

In August 2025, we followed many veterans back to visit the old Van Tuong battlefield. Ba Dam tunnel, which used to hide weapons, now only has a small, narrow tunnel mouth. Veteran Le Van Tho choked up: "This is the exact place where 60 years ago we guarded each ammunition box and each gun. Our comrades and comrades contributed, but many are no longer here."

On Ngoc Huong red soil hill, the monument records the fierce hand-to-hand combat of Platoon 2, Company 2, Battalion 60, Regiment 1. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong recalled: "We let the enemy get very close before opening fire, then rushed in to fight hand-to-hand. Life and death were only a hair's breadth apart." Mr. Nguyen Hong Van, former deputy mortar squad leader, was moved when standing in front of Tan Hy wharf, where the guerrillas ambushed and destroyed the enemy right from the first battle. He said: "Many comrades have fallen on this land. Everything has changed now, but the memories remain forever."

At Loc Tu trench, the burned-out remains of an M48 tank are still preserved as a historical witness, reminding the young generation of the value of peace. Ms. Vo Thi Chi, 79 years old, said: "Here, our soldiers steadfastly broke the enemy's attack, destroyed many tanks, and annihilated the enemy. I witnessed it with my own eyes and still shudder every time I remember it."

Recently, Secretary of the Van Tuong Commune Youth Union Vo Thanh Dat and the youth union members regularly organize trips to visit relics and listen to traditional stories. "We are grateful to our ancestors who sacrificed their blood and bones. The young generation must keep that flame alive and make efforts to contribute to building the homeland and developing the country," he shared.

VAN TUONG, THE UNEXTINGUISHABLE FIRE

Mr. U Huan, Standing Deputy Secretary of Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee, was moved: "The victory of Van Tuong is a shining symbol of indomitable spirit. That glorious mark is the traditional flame for us to build a strong and prosperous homeland today."

Therefore, walking through Van Tuong today, it is hard to imagine that this place was once a "land of fire". Right on the land that once buried tanks, now stands the Dung Quat Oil Refinery, the first oil refinery in the country. Next to it are industrial parks, seaports, and factories that are lit up day and night.

Veteran Trinh Phu Thien was moved on the anniversary of the Van Tuong victory.

Youth Union members visit Van Tuong Victory Museum

Van Tuong now has a population of over 60,000, formed from 6 merged communes. The coastal road is straight, the residential area is spacious, schools and modern hospitals have sprung up. The people who once held guns in the past, now their children operate machines, continuing the "new battlefield" of industrialization.

Mr. Tran Van Phuc, a worker at Dung Quat Economic Zone, confided that his father fought in Go Hong. Now he stands in the factory, continuing the tradition: Fathers fight foreign invaders, sons fight poverty and backwardness.

Today, in Van Tuong, there is no longer the sound of gunfire, but the sound of engines, the sound of ships entering and leaving the port, and the sound of children singing in the classroom. But deep inside, among the hills, fields, and beaches, the memories of a time of blood and fire are still intact. It is that memory that is the spiritual support for Quang Ngai to firmly step on the path of development, for the young generation to cherish the past, continue the tradition, and continue to write feats of arms in peace.

Veteran Trinh Phu Thien concluded his story with simple yet haunting words: "We lived, fought, and fell so that today's generations can have peace. I only hope that our descendants will keep that flame alive - the flame of Van Tuong."

According to Thanh Nien Newspaper

Source: https://bsr.com.vn/web/bsr/-/mot-thoi-dat-lua-lam-nen-niem-tu-hao-bat-diet