Journey to the land of war

At 13:10 on April 18, 2013, the bus carrying the delegation of school officials from Hanoi began to roll towards the beloved Central region. The noisy and bustling Hanoi gradually disappeared behind the high-rise apartment buildings. On the bus at this time were 40 teachers and officials of different generations. There were teachers with gray hair - those who had experienced the years of the resistance war against the US or directly fought with guns on the Quang Tri battlefield. There were also very young officials who had never directly witnessed the losses of the war. Each person had a different mood and emotion. But all were excited to come to the land of a time of blood and fire to light incense sticks in memory of the beloved children of the Fatherland who had forever lain in the ground at the age of 20, so that today the country could be peaceful and intact.

After a night stop in Cua Lo town, the first place the group visited was Vinh Moc Tunnels - a military and civil construction in the North of Ben Hai River (in Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province) to resist attacks by the US army and the Saigon government during the war years of 1965-1972.

The tunnel system is located under a red soil hill about 30m high and 7ha wide. The tunnel has 3 floors: the first floor is 8 to 10m below ground level and is used for combat maneuvers and temporary shelters; the second floor is 12 to 15m deep, where people live and a hall with a capacity of more than 50 people, 3 water wells, Hoang Cam kitchen, rice warehouse, surgery station, guard station, telephone, maternity home, the headquarters of the Party Committee, People's Committee and Military Command; the third floor is more than 30m deep and is a logistics warehouse and a place to transfer goods and weapons to Con Co island.

With a total length of more than 2,000m, the tunnels on both sides were dug to create accommodation for each household. At its peak, there were about 1,200 people living there. During nearly 2,000 days and nights of existence, the people of Vinh Moc created a miracle of living and fighting for the independence and freedom of the nation. The war has long since ended, but Vinh Moc still exists as an immortal monument, passing on the faith and will of the Vietnamese people to present and future generations.

From Vinh Moc Tunnels, the group returned to Cua Tung - the meeting point of the legendary Hien Luong River (also known as Ben Hai River). During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Cua Tung was one of the extremely fierce enemy attacks because it was both the border area and the supply bridge for troops at Con Co outpost.

On March 20, the delegation offered incense at Vinh Linh Martyrs Cemetery before visiting Quang Tri Ancient Citadel. Vinh Linh Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in Quang Tri Province, located in Ho Xa Town, next to National Highway 1A, the resting place of 5,611 martyrs from 41 provinces and cities across the country.

At Quang Tri Citadel, the delegation held a silent ceremony to commemorate the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the fiercest days of war. The delegation was deeply moved when the Citadel tour guide read a passage from the poem “An inch of land of the ancient citadel” by Mr. Pham Dinh Lan – Director of the Center for Professional Affairs and Journalism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – before introducing the heroic Quang Tri Citadel relic complex:

“Walk lightly and speak softly
Let my comrades lie still in the grass
Quang Tri sky is clear and windy
Even though it's noisy, don't shake the trees too much.

Walk softly and speak softly
The citadel is so wide that my comrades are cramped.
Every inch of land is a real life
Today I am choked up.

Beside the Ancient Citadel is the bank of the Thach Han River which flows silently this season – the sacred river that has mixed with the blood of countless heroic martyrs. Everyone was moved to hear comrade Nguyen Quang Lieu, Vice Chairman of the School’s Trade Union, re-read the emotional lines of veteran Le Ba Duong for his comrades:

“The boat to Thach Han… please row gently
My friend is still there at the bottom of the river.
Twenty years old become waves
Peaceful shore, forever and ever…”

Saying goodbye to the Citadel, saying goodbye to the Thach Han River, the group arrived at the Road 9 Cemetery at the hottest time of the day. The Road 9 Cemetery is located on a hill facing Highway 9, the resting place of more than ten thousand martyrs.

From the Road 9 Cemetery, the group followed the Ho Chi Minh Trail towards the Truong Son National Martyrs’ Cemetery. Perhaps, nowhere in the 63 provinces and cities of our country, are there so many martyrs’ cemeteries. It seems that the greatest pain and loss of the war have converged here.

Truong Son Cemetery gathers the graves of more than 10,200 martyrs. The central area of ​​the cemetery lies silently on a high hill covered with forest trees. The main memorial is made of white stone, towering and majestic, with three missing sides, representing immense loss. Behind the memorial is a bodhi tree with lush foliage. According to the cemetery's management staff, the sacred tree has grown on its own since the cemetery was built. More than ten thousand tombstones are divided into separate areas according to each province and city, covering three overlapping hills.

We do not know exactly how many soldiers fell on the battlefields during the past war. But standing before their souls at this cemetery, we can see the pain and sorrow on every inch of land. Many people in the delegation could not hold back their tears when returning here, thinking of their loved ones who were still somewhere and had not been found. Each incense stick of the staff of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities offered to the souls of the martyrs with a sincere heart is also a stick of incense for millions of their comrades who are still lying in the ground across the country.

Saying goodbye to beloved Quang Tri, the group continued their journey back to the North. On the morning of April 21, the group visited the historical site of Dong Loc T-junction - the legendary T-junction, where 10 female youth volunteers fell in the war to liberate the South. All of them sacrificed themselves at a very young age, none of them were married. Burning incense on the 10 graves and placing white chrysanthemums, our hearts ached. Tears slowly rolled down. Leaving Dong Loc, everyone was moved and silently promised the sisters that they would live and work in a way that was worthy of their noble sacrifice.

Returning to Hanoi after a 4-day journey, although tired, everyone was very happy because everyone had shared and personal memories after a truly meaningful trip. The experiences and emotions we have experienced will forever remind us to live more responsibly and meaningfully in this life.