The strength of solidarity between Binh Dinh and Gia Lai: Sustainable and increasingly close

The Hung Kings' Commemoration Day is an occasion to remember and show gratitude to the Hung Kings, and at the same time, to remind us of the strength of national unity. Remembering Uncle Ho's advice: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country, we, your descendants, must work together to protect the country", we are more imbued with the historical value of the close bond between ethnic groups. The Tay Son movement is one of the typical examples.

Gathering great solidarity Kinh - Thuong

In 2017, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee coordinated with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to organize a scientific conference "Tay Son Thuong Dao in the Tay Son Uprising". From this conference, there were more in-depth perspectives on the Tay Son brothers' choice of the mountainous region of An Khe (Gia Lai province) as the first base for the uprising. At the same time, it was emphasized that the Tay Son brothers had soon established a solidarity relationship between the Kinh people and ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, gathering the strength of the ethnic groups in the northern region of the Central Highlands in the struggle for national unification.

The Tay Son Thuong Dao area ( Gia Lai province) became a strategic base where the Tay Son insurgents gathered forces, trained soldiers and stored food. The Tay Nguyen people not only provided manpower and material resources but also directly contributed significantly to the insurgent forces. Notably, Nguyen Nhac, one of the three leaders of the Tay Son dynasty, married Ya Do - the daughter of a Bana chief.

Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee solemnly organized the 236th Anniversary of Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da Victory (1789 - 2025) at An Khe Truong relic site. Photo: THAO VY

If Tay Son Thuong Dao played the role of a solid rear base, Tay Son Ha Dao (Binh Dinh province) was the place where troops were dispatched and commanded important campaigns against the Nguyen Lord and the Qing army. The harmonious coordination between these two regions in the early period of the uprising created a solid defense system, strong forces, and a solid foundation for the Tay Son movement to gradually develop and grow, creating the premise for glorious victories later.

In the article Echoes of the heroic spirit of Tay Son Thuong Dao posted on the website of Gia Lai Provincial Museum, Master Nguyen Quang Tue, Head of the Department of Cultural Management (Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai Province) emphasized that the ancient An Khe area (including An Khe town and Dak Po, Kbang and Kong Chro districts today) is where Kinh - Thuong solidarity was nurtured; where patriots who value justice made a sacred uprising...

“We do not know how many people have gone up and down the Con River. We do not know how the forest trails supported our ancestors. But certainly, to have a solid initial base for the uprising, our ancestors shed a lot of sweat and blood. An Khe, Dak Po, Kbang, Kong Chro today are proud because they were chosen by history and hero Nguyen Nhac as a support point,” wrote Master Nguyen Quang Tue.

Tay Son Thuong Dao Museum in An Khe Town. Photo: H.THU

Historical link between Binh Dinh and Gia Lai

From history to the present, the connection between Binh Dinh and Gia Lai is still clearly shown through the common relics of the Tay Son movement that are preserved, promoted and enhanced in value.

Passing through the mountainous roads and forests, we found the “Jackfruit Garden - Co Hau Field” - a land of about 20 hectares, peacefully located in Nghia An commune, Kbang district, Gia Lai province. Asking the local Bana people, they enthusiastically showed us the way and expressed their admiration for this place.

Standing on the relic site, feel the flow of history in the place that marked the loyalty of Nguyen Nhac's wife, Mrs. Ya Do, and the Bana people in the past. They reclaimed this place, planted rice, jackfruit and some food crops, built a logistics force, mobilized all material resources to supply the Tay Son insurgents in the early years of the uprising. In 1991, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized this place as a national historical relic.

Jackfruit Garden - Co Hau Field is one of the important highlights of the Tay Son Thuong Dao relic complex - a system of 23 relic sites, divided into 8 clusters, spread across 4 districts and towns of Gia Lai province, recognized as a special national historical relic in 2021.

Monument of Jackfruit Garden - Co Hau Field. Photo: H.THU

Since 2014, the Tay Son Tam Kiet Temple Area (Quang Trung Museum, Tay Son District) has been recognized as a special national historical relic. This is also a rare thing in the country when recognizing two special national historical relics in two adjacent provinces, closely related to each other of the same movement, the Tay Son Dynasty created glorious pages of history against foreign invaders of the Vietnamese people.

As soon as they enter the gate of Quang Trung Museum, many visitors are impressed by the Bana communal house standing out on the lawn. This is a project sponsored by Gia Lai province to Binh Dinh province, completed in early 2007. Inside the communal house are displayed many artifacts related to the daily life, production, and spirituality of the ethnic groups in the Tay Son Thuong Dao region in particular and the Central Highlands in general.

In the exhibition area of ​​Quang Trung Museum, visitors are also introduced to many artifacts and documents related to Tay Son Thuong Dao. The performance program of the Quang Trung Museum's martial arts band, in addition to the Tay Son battle drums, also includes the performance of gongs and drums that resound through the forest, as a call to the people of all ethnic groups in the past to stand up and gather under the Tay Son flag.

At Quang Trung Museum and An Khe Truong relic (An Khe town, part of the Tay Son Thuong Dao special national historical relic complex), every year, a solemn ceremony and a joyful festival are held to commemorate the historic victory of Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da (1789).

The martial arts band of Quang Trung Museum has been invited to participate in the festival at An Khe Truong for many years, performing war drums and unique traditional martial arts, contributing to arousing the pride, solidarity, and heroic traditions of the ethnic people in the two provinces of Binh Dinh - Gia Lai...

HOAI THU

Source: https://baobinhdinh.vn/viewer.aspx?macm=1&macmp=1&mabb=353867