The Secretary of the Huong Thuy Town Party Committee lights incense in remembrance at the Huong Thuy Martyrs' Cemetery. Photo: Thanh Doan.

Through Zalo, Trinh Hai Yen provided me with a document from the Vietnam People's Army (the unit name was illegible) dated August 30, 1975, addressed to Mrs. Tran Thi Hiep and her family, informing them that Martyr Trinh Khac Thinh died on October 8, 1974, at the "Southern Front." His unit buried him at the "cemetery near the front."

Exactly half a century later, on August 9, 2024, the Military Command issued a "Certificate of Information on the Place of Martyr's Sacrifice"; which clearly stated: "Initial burial place: Phu Loc, Thua Thien Hue." Upon learning more about her uncle's comrades, Trinh Hai Yen discovered that after his death, the unit had buried Martyr Trinh Khac Thinh on Ong Doi Hill!

I called the Party Secretary of Xuan Loc commune, Nguyen Vinh Phuc, and he recounted that on the morning of May 10, 2025, when he saw a car appear at the gate of the office, he suspected it might be relatives of the fallen soldiers, so he invited them in. They said that after decades of searching, thanks to information provided by the Thai Nguyen Military Command about the original burial place, the family decided to come here to try one last time. Thanks to reading your series of articles "The Death Zone at Mo Tau" in Hue Today Newspaper, I told them that I hoped this journalist could help connect the family with the relevant people.

According to records, martyr Trinh Khac Thinh was born in 1949 in Van Cu, Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen. He enlisted in August 1967. His unit at the time of his death was C18, E1, f324. His position was Deputy Squad Leader. Trinh Hai Yen stated that, according to accounts from his comrades, in that battle (October 8, 1974) of D5, her uncle and 16 officers and soldiers were killed. The unit buried them at the foot of Ong Doi hill, near a stream. That area is also where nearly 100 martyrs of the Liberation Army are buried.

Before writing the memoir "The Mine Base Death Zone," I was guided to several locations by former District Commander of Huong Thuy, Le Huu Tong, and veteran Ho Dac Luc, a "local" in the area. Thanks to this, when reading the information provided by Trinh Hai Yen, I was able to visualize the burial place of martyr Trinh Khac Thinh. This area is not within Phu Loc district but has been part of Huong Thuy since the war. Ong Doi Hill is located east of the Ta Trach River and serves as a link between the Mine Base in the north and the "Cu" makeshift airfield in the south.

The time when martyr Trinh Khac Thinh sacrificed his life was after the Mo Tau mine fell into the hands of the Liberation Army (September 28, 1974), when the enemy had to exert all their forces to retake the Mo Tau mine, a key position guarding the southwest of the Hue front.

Many fierce battles took place. The 6th Regiment, the 271st Regiment of the Tri-Thien Military Region, and the 1st Regiment of the 324th Division took turns launching counterattacks, resulting in heavy casualties, mainly from artillery fire. At that time, it was unknown when the war would end, so most of the fallen soldiers were buried hastily. Furthermore, due to new assignments, units were constantly moving; coupled with changing terrain, this made subsequent searches much more difficult. This is also the reason why the relatives of hundreds of martyrs, including Trinh Khac Thinh, have yet to find their remains.

After contacting veteran Ho Dac Luc, I learned that before the construction of Ta Trach Lake, his house was near Ong Doi Hill, so he knew that in 1980, under the command of Deputy District Commander Duong Van Tuoi, the Huong Phu District Command at that time sent officers and soldiers to the site to exhume nearly 100 sets of remains of fallen soldiers and bring them back for burial at the current Huong Thuy Town Martyrs' Cemetery. Based on this information, I informed Trinh Hai Yen.

After nearly half a century of searching in the provinces of the "Southern Front," the relatives of martyr Trinh Khac Thinh and nearly 100 of his comrades buried on Ong Doi Hill have now learned the exact location of their final resting place. I hope that upon learning this important information, everyone will share it soon to help the relatives of the martyrs of the 1st Regiment, 324th Division, who died fighting in the "Mo Tau Death Zone" in 1974, find their way back to pay their respects. The cemetery in Huong Thuy town is not only beautiful and impressive but also conveniently located: right next to National Highway 1A and just north of Phu Bai Airport.

PHAM HUU THU

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-polit-xa-hoi/sau-nhung-nam-mon-moi-kiem-tim-153981.html