Sacred land of heroes

In the historic days of April, joining the flow of people from all over the country, we and the delegation of the Veterans Association of Thai Nguyen province made a journey to the heroic land of Dien Bien . Here, exactly 70 years ago, the war between the Vietnam People's Army and the French expeditionary force took place extremely fiercely. The blood and bones of our uncles and aunts merged into the sacred motherland, so that the country could "blossom" with independence and "bear fruit" with freedom...

Dien Bien on the days we arrived was a bit cooler than usual because it occasionally rained. The road from Son La to Dien Bien is nearly 150km long, winding like a long silk thread winding between high mountains and deep ravines. The poetic scenery of the Northwest mountains and forests appeared before our eyes with overlapping mountains, covered in clouds, deep green forests, especially when reaching the Pha Din Pass area. Located at an altitude of more than 1,600m above sea level, 32km long, during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, this was one of the most important traffic "coordinates" that the French air force continuously bombed, aiming to prevent our human and material reinforcements for the Dien Bien Phu front.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuat, Chairman of the Veterans Association of Dong Quang Ward ( Thai Nguyen City), was moved when looking around the pass: On this poetic and peaceful pass, 70 years ago, there were many young men and women carrying on their shoulders, on their backs and using rudimentary means to transport food, weapons and ammunition together; many people fell, their blood soaked into every mountain and deep valley.

From Pha Din Pass, through Tuan Giao intersection, our group turned to Muong Phang to visit the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Relic located in the middle of a cool green forest. According to the introduction, this was the third and final stop of the Campaign Command from January 31, 1954 to May 15, 1954. Here, General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Campaign Command issued instructions and attack orders that were decisive to the victory of each battle, the climax of which was the General Attack Order on the entire front at 3:00 p.m. on May 7, 1954, contributing to the victory "Resounding throughout the five continents, shaking the earth".

A sense of peace as I looked up at the lush primeval forest above, and the babbling stream below. The wind blew from the mountain top, the sunlight was warm, filtering through the branches of the ancient trees. The birds chirped as if they were working hard, accompanying the stream of people from everywhere to visit the Monument even though it was past noon.

It is known that since the end of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, every branch and blade of grass in this area has been absolutely preserved and inviolable. Tree after tree has stretched out to spread shade, broken branches and leaves have endured wind and rain and returned to the ground, creating a sacred space...

In that sacred space, among hundreds of delegations and thousands of people from all over the country, it was as if by a special fate that the delegation of the Veterans Association of Thai Nguyen province had the opportunity to meet the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of General Vo Nguyen Giap. They were Dr. Vo Hanh Phuc, the third daughter, and Mr. Vo Dien Bien - the fourth child and eldest son of General Vo Nguyen Giap (the General had 3 daughters and 2 sons, of which the eldest daughter, Professor, Doctor of Science Vo Hong Anh, passed away in 2009).

With her younger brother, daughter and grandchildren in the family, going to Dien Bien to visit the places that marked her father's footsteps, Mrs. Vo Hanh Phuc emotionally told her grandchildren every detail about the Dien Bien Phu battle that her father had told her long ago, as well as through his memoirs and research books and memoirs.

She said: In the past, despite being busy, my father still tried to spend time with us, telling stories and exchanging as a way to teach his children. His stories about history, the country, and revolutionary history were associated with his actual business trips. Every time he went to the old battlefield, he visited the martyrs' cemeteries.

This time coming to Dien Bien, we were delighted to set foot on the Huoi He Cave relic site in Na Tau village, Na Nhan commune, Dien Bien city (a relic site that is still wild and has not been built yet), where General Vo Nguyen Giap stayed up all night to make the most difficult but greatest decision in his military career, which was: Changing the battle plan of "Fight fast, win fast" to the tactic of "Fight steady, advance steady". To get to this location, the whole delegation had to overcome a difficult road, walking and riding motorbikes for more than 3 hours.

Mr. Vo Dien Bien expressed his emotion and pride: I was born in Bao Bien hamlet (Dinh Bien commune, Dinh Hoa district, Thai Nguyen) in June 1954 after the Dien Bien Phu campaign was completely victorious, so my father named me Dien Bien. I consider Dien Bien, Thai Nguyen as my hometown.

Yes! Everyone knows that with General Vo Nguyen Giap, Viet Bac in general and Thai Nguyen in particular have special relationships. Many important events in the General's military career took place on Thai Nguyen land. Notably, President Ho Chi Minh chaired the Government Council to organize the ceremony to confer the rank of General on Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap at ATK Dinh Hoa in 1948. As time passes, the name and image of the General are still associated with many historical revolutionary relics and forever linger in the minds of Thai Nguyen people.

In Dien Bien City, the delegation respectfully offered flowers and incense to pay tribute to the heroic martyrs at the A1 Martyrs Cemetery; visited the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Museum, General De Castries' command bunker, Muong Thanh Bridge, and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument.

Before the trip, I had read a lot of information and documents and heard many veterans who were Dien Bien soldiers talk about the days they directly participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. But only when I went there did I feel and appreciate the spiritual values, the indomitable will of the soldiers, and the spirit of solidarity of the Vietnamese people.

The day the Delegation visited the A1 Hill Relic at noon on April 20, on the top of the hill, the bright red phoenix flowers filled the sky, blending with the red of the words "A1, mud, blood and flowers". Female tour guide Ngo Thi Lai (Dien Bien Historical Relic Management Board) choked up and said: The sweat and blood of the martyrs have soaked into every inch of land and blade of grass here. Currently, on this land, there are still countless martyrs' remains that have not been found to be collected in cemeteries. Therefore, Dien Bien province has built the Dien Bien Phu Martyrs Temple on F Hill, close to A1 Hill, as a common roof for the martyrs to return to their comrades and relatives.

Looking down from A1 Hill to A1 Martyrs Cemetery, the white graves stand out among the green of the trees and leaves, the space is strangely quiet. Each grave is placed in a straight line like a parade formation to celebrate victory day. The whole group respectfully offers incense at the ceremony area and then divides into groups to burn incense at the graves. Here are the graves of heroic martyrs To Vinh Dien, Phan Dinh Giot, Be Van Dan, Tran Can and many other graves whose information has not been identified.

Silently watching the white incense smoke blending into the bright sunlight, I had an indescribable feeling of sadness. Young people like me realized to some extent the brutality of war, and asked ourselves how to live a worthy life, when we were able to live in peace and independence.

Mr. Phan Boi Khanh, Vice President of the Veterans Association of Thai Nguyen province, shared: This is one of the journeys back to the source that left many memories and emotions for us.

Mr. Pham Tien Dat (Hao Dat Tea Cooperative, Tan Cuong Commune, Thai Nguyen City) said with certainty: After this trip, I will definitely come back to tell my children and grandchildren stories and organize a family trip to Dien Bien.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/multimedia/emagazine/202404/thieng-lieng-manh-dat-anh-hung-2e8013f/