New day in Le neighborhood
The brilliant April sunshine illuminated the entire Le area. From Phan Thiet City, it took us less than an hour to reach the Le area (Bac Binh district) via a well-maintained paved road. The April wind blew strongly in gusts, swirling the sand dunes along the roads, but in the distance, giant wind turbines stood tall, and solar panel fields stretched endlessly across the rolling hills. It's clear that in recent years, the Le area has attracted many solar and wind power projects, seen as a stroke of luck for this once impoverished region, heavily reliant on traditional agriculture and rainwater. These renewable energy projects have directly and indirectly transformed the lives of many residents in the Le area. Many households received substantial sums of money from land compensation and high-value land transfers. In a short time, spacious Thai-style houses have sprung up, and owning a car is no longer a distant dream in Hong Phong and Hoa Thang. Many households that once depended on farming, toiling under the sun and rain, have now shifted to service industries, capitalizing on the burgeoning industrial sector in the area. All of this has created a dynamic, modern Le neighborhood, and the lives of its residents have improved unexpectedly.
Two communes in the central area of Le district are on the path to building advanced new rural areas. The efforts of the entire political system and the people have shown a completely new appearance. Especially, the infrastructure has been invested in and built to a high standard, the average per capita income has reached over 50 million VND/year, and a new vitality is emerging every day in this heroic land. The unique potentials and advantages are also being well exploited. Sunshine and wind have become ideal conditions for industrial development, especially renewable energy, and tourism with its own distinctive characteristics, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.
On this return visit, we had the opportunity to meet several veterans who had witnessed the transformation of that former resistance base. Mr. Tran Thanh Binh (50 years of Party membership), residing in Thanh Thinh village, Hong Phong commune, former Chairman of the Hong Phong Commune People's Committee in 1987, was also one of those who participated in the resistance at the Le Hong Phong base. Now, in his twilight years, he lives with his children and grandchildren in a spacious and clean house.
Sipping his strong tea and gazing out at the lush green surroundings, Mr. Binh pondered, searching for memories. In early April 1975, the Le Hong Phong revolutionary base was significantly quieter, the sounds of bombs and bullets fading. The people in the base area, with their keen ears, eagerly followed the news of victory that poured in. On April 19, 1975, Binh Thuan was liberated; on April 30, 1975, Saigon was liberated, liberating the South. Here and there, shouts of "Liberation is real! True independence and freedom, people!" rang out. They clasped hands, embraced, and wept with joy at the victory. Along with the joy of liberation came the task of rebuilding their lives after the war. Mr. Binh recounted: “How could we not be worried and anxious when we were facing nothing? There was no food, no essential supplies; no clean water, no housing; no roads, no schools, no clinics, and no electricity… The great victory of Spring 1975 created a historical turning point, opening a new era of independence and freedom. After so many years of hardship, suffering, fierce fighting, and incredibly brutal sacrifices of war, in the post-liberation period, the heartland of the Le area, now Hong Phong and Hoa Thang communes, has made significant progress.”
Land of Heroes
The changes throughout history were further shared by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khoi (Thanh Thinh village, Hong Phong commune), who is over 80 years old: “I have witnessed the changes in my homeland from the time it was ravaged by bombs and bullets to the present day, when it has undergone strong development. From a land where only agriculture was practiced, growing beans, corn, melons, etc., but with the arrival of industrial projects in the area, the people here have more stable jobs, and their lives are becoming increasingly prosperous.”
In December 2001, the Bac Binh district invested in the construction of a water pipeline from Hong Chinh village, Hoa Thang commune to Hong Phong commune, approximately 10 km long. By December 2004, the installation was completed, bringing clean water to Hong Phong commune, much to the delight and excitement of the people. In April 2004, the commune approved the installation of water pipes into households… From then on, the urgent daily needs that had plagued the arid Hong Phong commune for generations were resolved. Even more encouraging, in April 2012, the Le area water supply project commenced, with a total budget of nearly 400 billion VND, essentially solving the basic water shortage problem. The project, once operational, not only serves agricultural production but also significantly contributes to tourism development.
Looking back at the Le area in general and Hong Phong in particular, from a land of scorching sun, barren sand dunes, and water scarcity, in the last 10 years, many agricultural farms have successfully grown various crops that bring high economic value such as dragon fruit, imported grapes, and especially cantaloupe.
Mr. Bui Tan Vinh, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Bac Binh District Party Committee, shared that the locality hopes the higher authorities will continue to pay attention to improving the planning system. This includes planning for tourism development, planning for the reserve and exploitation of titanium minerals more flexibly, as well as further investment in infrastructure to develop high-tech agriculture. “The people of Hoa Thang and Hong Phong are also continuing to look forward to the attention of the Party and the State. And the people of Hoa Thang and Hong Phong themselves will continue to uphold the tradition of heroic struggle in the resistance war for national independence and reunification, and have the aspiration to rise up and become wealthy. We believe that the people of Hoa Thang and Hong Phong will continue to make even more progress in the coming time,” he affirmed.
The Le area is undergoing a transformation day by day. This vitality stems not only from the resilient traditions of its people, but more importantly, from the support of all levels and sectors, leveraging resources from the central and provincial governments to improve infrastructure. Simultaneously, it continues to attract large-scale, long-term strategic projects, prioritizing service and tourism projects combined with high-tech agricultural production, and renewable energy projects… to write another chapter in its history during peacetime.
As history shows, the Le Hong Phong Base Area fulfilled its role as a solid rear base, ensuring both local logistics and serving as a springboard for our troops to attack and destroy the enemy, contributing to the liberation of the homeland and the reunification of the country. Now, 50 years after liberation, the Le Hong Phong area has shone brightly, in a metaphorical sense, as felt by many who have visited.
The Le Hong Phong (Le) area was one of the revolutionary bases in Binh Thuan province during the resistance against French colonialism and American imperialism. The base covered approximately 600 square kilometers, running along the coast and National Highway 1A, from the Gieng Nuoc area (Hoa Phu, Tuy Phong) to the Da Ong Dia area (Phu Hai, Phan Thiet). From the base's establishment until the victory of the resistance (1950-1975), despite constant encirclement and fierce attacks by the enemy, the army and people of the Le area remained loyal to the Party, steadfastly holding their ground, bravely fighting, and repelling enemy sweeps.
Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ve-lai-chien-khu-le-129106.html
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