 |
| Iron Triangle Tunnels relic, symbol of loyalty and indomitability. |
In the historic days of April, we returned to Lo O, An Tay Ward, Ben Cat City ( Binh Duong ) in the spirit of welcoming the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country. Along the road, bright pink banners and red flags with yellow stars fluttered in the early morning sun. Suddenly, my heart sank as I thought of a time when the army and people of the communes of An Dien, An Tay and Phu An (Ben Cat Town) had built a steel citadel underground to live and fight.
At that time, it was the Southwest region of Ben Cat Town. The land was surrounded by the Saigon River and the Thi Tinh River. Since 1948, the people of the three communes of An Dien, An Tay and Phu An had worked together to build tunnels to serve the resistance war. Because of the brutality of bombs and bullets, people dug trenches to take shelter. Then the tunnels became longer and wider, connected together, becoming a safe shelter, even if a tunnel entrance was discovered by the enemy, it could not harm lives.
 |
| Tunnel digging tools of the people of the Iron Triangle region. |
In contrast to the luxury and magnificence of the citadels seen above ground, it was damp, dark, cramped by small, narrow tunnels, lacking light, but there were brave, resourceful, resilient people who went through two wars against French colonialism and American imperialism.
The previous generation, the next generation, all dug deep into the ground, forming a giant tunnel, many places deeper than 4m. Bombs exploded, bombs shook the ground without affecting life inside the tunnel. The digging was hard work, but people's hearts were filled with joy as they sang: "The husband carries a shovel, the wife carries wool/The child carries a lantern, holding a spade behind/The whole family joins hands/Digging holes, digging trenches, resisting bullets, resisting bombs" .
 |
| Command meeting room inside the tunnel. |
Going down to the tunnel (tour model), we saw with our own eyes the tools that people used to dig and move soil. Those were small hoes; hastily woven bamboo poles used to move soil, an old storm lamp... An officer of the Iron Triangle Tunnels Historical Site explained: At that time, the tunnels were still under the control of the US and the puppet government, so digging the tunnels required strict secrecy. Moreover, people had to take care of the crops, so during the day they went to work, and at night they followed each other down to dig the tunnels. One person dug the ground, another person moved soil and dumped it into the Saigon River to avoid enemy eyes and ears.
Soldiers, guerrillas and local people dug more than 100km of tunnels, with 50 fighting cells and many shelters, treatment tunnels, and storage tunnels for weapons, food and provisions. The tunnels became an “impregnable” fortress and became the base of many resistance agencies and organizations.
In addition to being a safe shelter, this underground citadel was also a stronghold to destroy the enemy on the spot. Through the exhibition rooms arranged underground, with the command bunker, the convalescent room, the kitchen area and many artifacts such as the film projector of the I4 organization (the Propaganda Department of the Gia Dinh City Youth Union), the typewriter, the homemade lamp made from the shell, the American cluster bomb, the T40 bullet... I felt the horror that happened on the ground and the safety inside the tunnel.
 |
| During the battle, wounded soldiers were transferred to underground tunnels for safe shelter. |
Because it was located in an important position, our army and people could stockpile food and weapons, and quickly attack to liberate Saigon. Therefore, during the 20 years of resistance against the American imperialists, this land was stained with painful blood. Many times, the land of the three communes of An Dien, An Tay and Phu An was destroyed by bombs and bullets, becoming a blank land, but life still thrived in the tunnels.
The words of the tour guide of the tunnels evoked emotions: The Americans and the puppets were angry because of the existence of this land, so many times they organized large-scale attacks. They even used B52 bombers and heavy artillery to bombard the land, plowing up fields and gardens, burning houses, making the anger in the hearts of the people rise even higher. Also here, the local army and guerrillas had "divine and supernatural" battles. Some American veterans had the opportunity to return, looking at the bamboo stakes and sharp arrows of rattan, they were still terrified.
In 1967, the US and the puppet regime used the most modern means of war at that time to "comprehensively" wipe out this land. The large-scale sweep called Cedar Falls began from January 8 to 26, 1967, with 30,000 troops, 400 tanks, 80 warships, 100 cannons and many types of bombers, including B.52s. But they were helpless because after each series of bombs, they sent troops to sweep and had to retreat because of the series of bullets they could not determine where they were coming from. Panicking, they retreated with a miserable defeat: 3,200 US and puppet troops were killed on the spot, 149 tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed, 28 planes were shot down or damaged, 2 warships were sunk or burned...
 |
| Many meaningful activities were organized by agencies, units and schools at the Iron Triangle Tunnels Historical Site. |
The war is over, hatred has ended, in 1996, the Iron Triangle Tunnels were recognized as a National Historical Relic. For many years now, the Iron Triangle Tunnels Historical Relic has become a red addressfor educating traditions for generations.
Because of the fierce war, without the tunnels, the leaders at that time could not have survived, and the Southwest Ben Cat tunnels were the center (cradle) of the tunnel warfare in the Southeast region (Nguyen Van Linh, General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Party). |
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202504/thanh-luy-thep-trong-long-dat-d1b0729/
Comment (0)