Tra Vinh: Con Tau weapons receiving station

In January 1959, the Party Central Committee held its 15th conference and outlined the revolutionary method in the new period as political struggle in parallel with armed struggle. To support the revolution in the South, in July 1959, the Politburo decided to open a military transport route at sea - the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea.

In early 1961, the Central Government instructed the provinces of Ba Ria, Ben Tre , Tra Vinh, and Ca Mau to prepare ports and organize ships to go to the North, both to explore and open roads, to study the enemy situation, to study means of transportation, and if possible, to transport weapons to the South.

Following the Central Committee's directive, at 5:00 p.m. on August 3, 1961, a Tra Vinh ship with bat-wing sails and 7 comrades including Tran Van Mao, Nguyen Van Khuong, Nguyen Van Cham, Le Thanh Long, Ho Van In, Nguyen Van Toi and Le Van Hoa, with comrade Le Thanh Long as Party Cell Secretary and comrade Ho Van In as captain, set sail for the North. When the ship had just set sail, comrade Le Van Hoa got seasick, forcing the ship to return to the dock so that he could stay before departing. Eight days later, on August 12, 1961, the ship got lost in Macau - China (at that time, a colony of Portugal). On August 15, 1961, our ship was taken by the Chinese border guard to Du Hai district - Guangzhou, then our consulate organized a trip to Hanoi by train to meet Uncle Ho to report on the process of crossing the sea.

While in the North, the General Staff - Navy Command and Group 125 were actively preparing for the first ship, in the South on September 19, 1962, comrade Pham Thai Buong - Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Office for Southern Vietnam issued a decision to establish Group 962, under the direct command of the Central Office and the management of ports in the territory of the Party Committees of Zones 7, 8, 9. Group 962 was organized equivalent to a division. The construction motto was to go step by step, and when all the conditions of a receiving port were met, then it would be reported to the Ministry to receive the ship.

In preparation for receiving equipment, Tra Vinh Provincial Party Committee urgently built wharves. The wharf cluster is organized in two communes Long Vinh and Truong Long Hoa, Duyen Hai district. Wharf cluster 1 is located in the Rach Co - La Ghi area, wharf cluster 2 is located in the Phuoc Thien, Ho Tau, Khau Lau, Lang Nuoc areas. Tra Vinh wharf is directly managed by comrade Le Van Sen (Nam Sen) - Deputy Political Commissar of Group 962.

On March 17, 1963, the first iron ship led by Captain Dinh Dat entered Phuoc Thien and docked at Tra Vinh's wharf cluster 2. Also in 1963, the second ship entered Lang Nuoc estuary and docked at Ba Dinh wharf, carrying 70 tons of goods, mainly weapons. In total, from the day the road was opened until the day the South was completely liberated, Tra Vinh wharf received 16 ships with 680 tons of goods. Con Tau wharf alone received 10 ships, of which 4 were in 1963 and 6 were in 1964.