Ham Liem - The epic of the "People's Guerrilla" movement

Through the resistance wars against foreign invaders, Ham Liem has contributed so much blood and bones, so many people have fallen in exchange for today's peace and independence.

For nearly 10 years now, every year I have returned to Ham Liem to attend the anniversary of the Liberation of the South, “Meeting the guerrillas of Ham Liem commune”. Every time I return, my heart is filled with indescribable emotions. This land is like a living history warehouse, where every blade of grass, every inch of land bears the footprints of soldiers; every secret bunker still echoes the iron oaths of the army and people of the past. This time, during a field trip with members of the Ninh Thuan Literature and Arts Association, I am more deeply aware of the silent yet great sacrifices of the people here.

As soon as we arrived in Ham Liem, we saw the monument to the Fatherland - a place to honor nearly 750 martyrs who died in the resistance wars. A commune with a population of just over 6,000, yet there are 154 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, 467 wounded and sick soldiers, many of whom still have the after-effects of war; hundreds of people were captured by the enemy, imprisoned, tortured to death or suffered lifelong disabilities; thousands of individuals and families participated in contributing to the revolutionary cause. ⁽¹⁾

Introduced by the leaders of Ham Liem commune, comrade Van Minh Truong, former deputy head of Thuan Hai provincial team, we understood more about the dangerous terrain of Ham Liem. Ham Liem, the resting place of the 812th regiment, was the gateway for our army to attack Phan Thiet ⁽²⁾ . The terrain was open, the posts were dense, ours and the enemy were close together, creating interlaced areas like "leopard skin". ⁽³⁾ In that situation, the "People's Guerrilla" movement of Ham Liem developed strongly, with flexible fighting methods: "two legs" (military, political ), "three prongs of attack" (military, political, soldiers - enemy propaganda). The battles here were not only a contest of strength but also a fierce battle of wits.

Our army and people fought the enemy with “ardent patriotism, intelligence and courage”. The enemy was cruel and barbaric with many insidious tricks, including the trick of forcing people into strategic hamlets in order to “separate fish from water”, “catch fish by draining water”…

Outside, the enemy swept, searched, raided, ambushed, used bombs and artillery to plow every inch of land with infantry, tanks, armored vehicles, jet planes, helicopters, and even B52 planes! ⁽⁴⁾ Inside, they tried to terrorize, arrest, torture, beat, and kill according to the motto "it's better to kill by mistake than to let go" with a dense team of puppet soldiers, commandos, and spies present everywhere. The image of Ms. Tam Tiem (Pham Thi Mai) being captured and interrogated by the enemy, having both legs amputated to the groin many times, is proof of this savagery and cruelty.

The Ham Liem guerrilla force, mostly female, some of whom were very young, full of dreams but steady with guns and bullets. Some were only 12 or 13 years old but had already embarked on the path of resistance. Hai Buon’s family had four sisters working together in a secret guerrilla group, silently contributing to the revolution. In the work “Ham Liem then and now”, author Van Cong An introduced many typical faces of Ham Liem guerrillas, including “secret guerrillas” such as Mr. Muoi Trong, Ms. Lam Thi Tuyet, Ms. Huynh Thi Hai, Ms. Quy, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ben, Ms. Tam An, Ms. Nam Tien… Their exploits were like “magic transformations”, appearing suddenly, attacking quickly and disappearing like magic before the enemy. They lived in the heart of their homeland, in the hearts of the people, hiding underground, in the hearts of the enemy; killing the enemy in strategic hamlets, surrounded by barbed wire and Claymore mines, on village roads, crowded markets, at home, in theaters, close to enemy posts, at night, in broad daylight… when the opportunity came. They not only fought but also did military propaganda work such as hanging flags, hanging pictures warning the villains, distributing leaflets, stretching slogans, calling on soldiers to lay down their guns and return to the revolution, sometimes camouflaged in strategic hamlets to spread the message. mobilize the masses, disguise as main force troops to attack enemy posts...

Coming here, we can truly feel the courage, intelligence, and cleverness of these resilient sons of Ham Liem. Life and death for them are just a matter of seconds; every minute and every second. As cruel and savage as they are, their patriotism and love for their homeland do not falter, they overcome all dangers; their revolutionary will is stronger than death! In the life-or-death struggle, many heroic sons of Ham Liem sacrificed their lives and remained forever in their homeland.

Talking about the "Guerrilla People's Movement" in Ham Liem, we cannot help but mention the secret tunnels. They are miraculous constructions, hidden underground, right next to the enemy, but still stubbornly exist. The secret tunnels have not been fully counted yet. Tunnels penetrate underground everywhere in Ham Liem such as under the Buddha statue, inside the house, under the kitchen, in the garden, on the edge of the pond, in the water hole, under the haystack, the firewood pile, the buffalo pen, the cow pen... Almost every family has a secret tunnel, including families with many secret tunnels like the house of Ms. Hai Huong in Cay Chai hamlet. The secret tunnels here are separate, not connected like the Cu Chi tunnels, with the task of hiding cadres, hiding weapons, hiding troops waiting for the time to attack, nurturing and hiding wounded soldiers, being a meeting place, grasping the enemy situation and monitoring enemy activities, secretly destroying evil, eliminating traitors... The secret tunnels are where the intelligence and courage of the people, of the revolutionary cadres and soldiers converge. The secret tunnels of Ham Liem have become heroic stories, legends in the resistance war against foreign invaders. The secret tunnels were also the enemy's target when they swept this place, they dug and searched everywhere, but could not erase those steadfast tunnels. It was the secret tunnels that created an indomitable Ham Liem, where "life is boiling underground".

During the resistance war against the US, Ham Liem had five individuals awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces: Mr. Nguyen Hoi, Mr. Truong Sanh Thach, Mr. Tran Van Chin, Mr. Nguyen Hinh (Old Man of the Straw Pile), and Ms. Pham Thi Mai. These names are not only the pride of the homeland but also shining symbols of patriotism and the noble sacrifice of the heroic Vietnamese people. In Ham Liem's ​​homeland, there are countless images and examples of sacrifice for the revolution.

Heroic Ham Liem, the immortal epic of the "People's Guerrilla Movement"! Forever shining in the history of the heroic Vietnamese people's resistance war against the US to save the country!

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ham-liem-ban-hung-ca-cua-phong-trao-nhan-dan-du-kich-129140.html