Sacred place to return to the source to remember the heroic martyrs

Amidst the green pine trees on Cong Su Hill, Ward 11, a memorial stele was solemnly erected to commemorate the heroic martyrs who lay down their lives on this land for Da Lat to bloom and for the country to be unified.

Find familiar names

The concrete road leads to the top of the hill, the memorial stele of the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives at the Northeast front of Da Lat is hidden in the cool pine forest. Follow each line of inscriptions with the names of 130 children from all over the country, at a very young age, who came here, fought with the people of Ward 11, Ward 12 and remained in the streams and forests during the days when Da Lat was still wild and cold. In the middle of the memorial stele altar is a picture of Uncle Ho, on both sides are a couplet that makes everyone moved: "Thousands of incense sticks remember the martyrs/Thousands of flowers commemorate the heroes".

They left from the countryside of Kinh Bac, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Ha Nam, Binh Thuan, Quang Nam , Quang Ngai... and fell at Phung Son hill, Than Tho lake, the foot of Sao Nam new hill, Co Nam hill, Doc stream, Duong Tinh intersection, Da Sa river bank, Hon Bo hill, Tu Tao football field hill and never returned. Mr. Nguyen Duy Dung - Head of the Revolutionary Tradition Liaison Committee in the Northeast of Da Lat said that his Special Forces Company arrived in Da Lat at the end of 1969, stationed at Suoi Doc base. From 63 special forces soldiers from the two provinces of Ha Bac and Hai Hung (old) in the C850 special forces team, by the day the country was reunified, the unit had only 17 people left, 46 comrades had fallen here. Every time he witnessed his comrades fall, he felt heartbroken, thinking that one day it would be his turn, which increased his fighting spirit even more. Only on the day of liberation, in the burst of happiness, at this moment remembering each face of his comrades, his heart choked up, tears flowed...

Mr. Nguyen Duy Dung - Head of the Revolutionary Tradition Liaison Committee in the Northeast of Da Lat burned incense to commemorate his comrades at the memorial stele.

During the war against the US, Ward 11 and Ward 12 were the gateways to Da Lat, the closest places to the enemy's important targets including the National Military Academy, the Basic Police School; the National Police Training Center... Therefore, the enemy not only set up many outposts and posts to control and protect, but also herded people into strategic hamlets for easy control, management, monitoring, and separation of "fish from water". Under the enemy's strict control, people in Sao Nam, Tay Ho, Tu Tao, Trai Mat hamlets... found ways to put rice and salt in plastic bags and hide them in fish manure bags; carefully wrapped medicines and hid them in pesticide sprayers... when going to garden to fool the enemy.

Contributing to the victory, in the 10 years from 1965 to 1975, Ward 11 and Ward 12 had more than 570 people participating in revolutionary activities, fighting shoulder to shoulder with special forces in the enemy's heartland. There were more than 30 revolutionary families (Ward 11, Ward 12) who dug more than 50 secret tunnels to hide cadres and soldiers; transported nearly 3,000 tons of food, provisions, and necessities for combat.

Panoramic view of the memorial stele for 130 martyrs in the Northeast direction

Mr. Le Ngoc Cam recalled the days of fighting in this land, being sheltered by the people of Ward 11 and Ward 12, sharing food and clothes: The cadres and soldiers stayed in secret bunkers during the day, and only worked at night. They went to people's gardens to ask for vegetables, potatoes, and cassava without the garden owner present. They only needed to leave a piece of paper or a sign for the people and everyone would be willing. Every time they heard gunshots, the people of the hamlets were startled, worried about the soldiers who had just come out of the bunkers, facing the enemy. In the morning, the people went together along the Suoi Doc stream, cutting through the reeds, into the pine forest to find people...

Enjoying the joy of victory, living fully in a peaceful and unified country, Mr. Nguyen Duy Dung always remembers his comrades; remembers the years when the people and revolutionary families protected him. For more than 30 years, he has continuously searched for his comrades, participating in all the gatherings of martyrs' graves in cemeteries. In 1994, he campaigned to establish the Northeast Revolutionary Tradition Liaison Committee. With the support of businesses and kind hearts, in 2001 - 2004, the Liaison Committee built a memorial stele for 130 martyrs who died in battles in the Northeast. Among them were 27 children of Wards 11 and 12 who escaped the resistance war, 6 of whom were secret guerrillas - 6 youth union members of the Thai Phien, Sao Nam, Tay Ho, and Trai Mat branches who died while participating in activities and working right on their homeland. Four martyrs of Ward 11 and Ward 12 who died in the war against Fulro in 1975 - 1978 were also listed in the memorial stele.

Every year, veterans, former guerrillas, former union members, youth, relatives of martyrs, and families of revolutionary bases hold incense offering ceremonies at the memorial stele on 3 days: March 26, July 27, and December 22. Sitting together to eat a meal on the hill, the joy of meeting relatives is mixed with the sadness of remembering the deceased, remembering the heroic years. In those years, Ms. Thuan, Ms. Thao, Ms. The, Mr. Anh, Mr. Hoang Anh, Mr. Chau... were still union members and youth, supporting the special forces and secret guerrillas to create a secret surprise attack; now everyone's hair is gray.

To make the memorial area greener, with the support of the local government, the Da Lat Northeast Liaison Committee organized tree planting around the hill where the memorial stele is located; Tu Tao residential group, together with youth and organizations, participated in planting nearly 1,000 cherry and purple phoenix trees to beautify the landscape of the memorial area.

For the past 20 years, the memorial stele of 130 martyrs on Cong Su hill has not only been a place to return to remember their comrades, but also a place to return to for many generations of students in the two wards in the Northeast. The stele is not only a testament to the heroic sacrifice of revolutionary soldiers but also shows the deep feelings and gratitude of generations to their fathers and brothers who fell for the independence, freedom and unification of the country. Standing in front of the names, reading the two verses printed on the stele: "The body falls to become the land of the Fatherland/ The soul flies up to become the spirit of the nation" (Tran The Tuyen), makes today's generations moved and grateful.

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