The C-130 transport aircraft, a "highlight" exhibit at the Ta Con Airfield National Monument, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province - Photo: L.D.D
That news item may be small, but if you're interested in nostalgic tourism in Quang Tri, you'll be deeply moved. Because even though it was a fierce battlefield during the war against the US, the exhibits on display from this region now have almost no significant "highlights."
The C-119 aircraft, serial number 53-7850, from the A41/QCPK-KQ factory, was approved by the Ministry of National Defense for Quang Tri province to display as an exhibit. The province had planned to repair, restore, dismantle, and transport the C-119 aircraft to the Ta Con airfield historical site, but due to funding difficulties, it has not been brought there for nearly 10 years. The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City promptly provided assistance to Quang Tri.
From the aircraft – a war artifact that required assistance – to the transportation costs, it's clear that developing Quang Tri into a nostalgic tourism destination is no easy task. When discussing the tragic wartime past of the nation, Quang Tri is a prime example – a place with countless relics of the 20-year protracted resistance war, including landmarks like Hien Luong Bridge – Ben Hai River, Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, Khe Sanh, Highway 9, Doc Mieu – the McNamara electronic fence, and the headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam.
Quang Tri province also boasts 72 martyrs' cemeteries, including the Truong Son and Highway 9 cemeteries, which are national cemeteries. Furthermore, the Thach Han River section flowing through Quang Tri Ancient Citadel is considered a cemetery without tombstones, as thousands of soldiers fell in the river in the summer of 1972, a heroic scene described in the poem: "My friends still lie at the bottom of the river." Quang Tri has many such sacred places, and people from all over the country frequently visit and pay their respects.
When blood and bones create... historical monuments!
Nestled among the neighboring provinces of Central Vietnam, each region boasts its own unique cultural and natural heritage sites. Hue, with its magnificent ancient capital complex; Quang Nam, with the ancient town of Hoi An and the My Son sanctuary; and Quang Binh, with the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
While other World Heritage sites are created by nature (Phong Nha-Ke Bang), by unique cultural values preserved over centuries (Hoi An, My Son), or by the wonderful blend of nature and culture (Hue), Quang Tri is the largest war museum, the most complete diorama of the most brutal war of the 20th century, created from the blood and bones of those who fell.
However, even now, 50 years after peace was restored, the traces of war in this land have gradually faded away in the arduous struggle for survival of the people.
Major military bases such as Khe Sanh, Carol base, Lang Vay, Doc Mieu, the McNamara electronic fence system, Ai Tu airport, Ta Con... all were leveled by the scrap metal scavenging. Iron plates from fortifications, aluminum alloy runways, and the remains of tanks and other vehicles were exchanged by the people for food during the difficult years following peace.
Over the past two decades, the number of veteran tourists visiting Quang Tri has been steadily increasing. With less hardship in their daily lives, they seek out the places where they once lived and fought, returning to light incense for their fallen comrades, to relive memories, to reflect and contemplate... These tourists are not only revolutionary soldiers but also soldiers from the other side of the conflict, and notably, a significant number are American veterans who fought in the Vietnam War.
Tourism that revisits former battlefields has a very familiar brand to international visitors: the DMZ tour (The Demilitarized Zone tour). However, for many years, this tour has remained largely unchanged since its inception, and its organization is still very rudimentary. Given the large number of historical sites in Quang Tri (according to statistics from the Quang Tri Management Board of Historical Sites and Scenic Spots, there are approximately 500 sites in the province, with revolutionary historical sites accounting for 80% of the total), a one-day DMZ tour is merely a superficial experience.
But what's even more noteworthy is that most visitors to this tour need a very vivid imagination because the "top" historical sites have been almost completely erased, leaving visitors with no choice but to listen to the tour guide's introduction, look at some archival photos, and try to imagine them! Over the years, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Management Board of Historical Sites and Scenic Spots of Quang Tri have made many efforts to minimize the need for... imagination for tourists, but they have still been unable to meet their needs.
For example, Ta Con airfield—a strong American base in the former North Khe Sanh region—which previously only had a few documentary images, now has a relatively complete exhibition hall. Within the grounds of this historical site, visitors are also interested to see a few reconstructed airplanes, cannons, tanks, and fortifications. However, compared to the preserved documentary images, these artifacts are only "symbolic" and not convincing enough for visitors to imagine what a Khe Sanh base, once considered the "Dien Bien Phu" of the war against the US, was likened to.
Historical relics and artifacts on display - A challenging problem
These efforts, given the conditions of tourism development in a poor province like Quang Tri, are commendable, but it's also undeniable that focusing solely on such simple images will make it difficult to attract a large number of tourists. A more long-term and practical investment in the revolutionary historical sites of this region is needed. This is because these sites represent the preservation and conservation of history, a way to educate about history and tradition, not just tourism.
Since 1995, agencies involved in the DMZ military system have repeatedly discussed restoring a section of the McNamara Electronic Barrier, but after exactly 30 years, this project remains on paper! The Rockpile base is very famous, but tour participants can only stand by Highway 9, look up at the mountain peak following the guide's directions, and listen to... the stories.
If we target tourists as veterans (from both sides), can this number of visitors be sustainable and remain large in the long term? Because at some point, the generations deeply connected to the war and burdened with memories will gradually dwindle and disappear. So how can the revolutionary historical sites in Quang Tri maintain their value and continue to attract new generations and new groups of visitors?
Recently, when Tien Phong newspaper organized the 66th traditional marathon in Quang Tri, titled "Triumphal March," more than 7,000 athletes came not only to participate in this traditional race but also to learn more about this sacred land. It's regrettable that many of Quang Tri's historical sites, so famous for their significance, now lack sufficient artifacts to illustrate their glorious history!
On one occasion when I took my friends to visit Quang Tri, I used an analogy: It's like a family with talented and capable children who can soar to great heights. But in that same family, there's always a poor but kind and hardworking, filial child who will live under the humble thatched roof, tending to the incense burner and offering prayers for the departed souls.
Quang Tri, to some extent, is also that poor but kind-hearted child, preserving and tending to the ancestral rites for tens of thousands of soldiers' souls—the sons of Mother Vietnam who perished along the journey of defending the nation. But could this child forever remain merely a poor but kind-hearted child?
An Du
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tran-tro-cung-di-tich-194468.htm
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