The officers, engineers, and workers of Division C, of the former Ministry of Irrigation of Thanh Hoa province, who once worked in Laos, now have gray hair, some are still alive, some are gone, but they - an army without ranks or insignia - represent thousands of Vietnamese volunteers and experts who devoted their youth to the cause of liberating and building Laos.
A time to remember
In the late afternoon, the Ma River was covered in mist, and the streets on the other side of the river were lit. In a small cafe on Vo Nguyen Giap Street, Dong Ve Ward, Thanh Hoa City, we were able to “return” to the old forest - a place that marked the close ties between Vietnam and Laos, through the story of Mr. Dinh Phi Son, born in 1946, a former technical officer who came to build a basic irrigation system to help Laos from 1968 to 1974. Before that, I met him for the first time at the ceremony to award the Labor Medal by the President of the Lao PDR to individuals of Division C, under the Ministry of Irrigation (former) of Thanh Hoa province for their contributions of effort and intelligence in the construction and development of Hua Phan province during the resistance war as well as the period of national construction and development.
Imbued with the teachings of beloved Uncle Ho: "Helping friends is helping yourself" and with the selfless and pure international sentiment, throughout the years of resistance against the common invaders, despite countless difficulties and shortages, Thanh Hoa has devoted the best it can, fulfilling its mission as a direct rear base to provide human and material resources to the battlefields in Laos in general, and Hua Phan province in particular. Tens of thousands of Thanh Hoa's outstanding sons left their homeland, volunteered to fight and heroically sacrificed in Laos. On a trench, the sweat and blood of Vietnamese soldiers and experts mingled with the blood and sweat of Lao soldiers and people, contributing to bringing the revolutionary cause of national liberation of the two countries to complete victory in 1975.
During those difficult and arduous years, Thanh Hoa provided Hua Phan province with thousands of tons of food and supplies and many tools and materials to serve production and combat. Many projects, bridges, roads, factories and enterprises were built on Hua Phan land by the hands and minds of cadres, experts, volunteer soldiers and more than 10,000 youth volunteers of Thanh Hoa province. Many support and cooperation programs on agriculture and irrigation of Thanh Hoa helped Hua Phan province not only stabilize food security but also gradually improve the people's lives. In particular, the team of cadres, engineers and workers of Ban C volunteered to go and enthusiastically participate in building many irrigation, hydroelectric, agricultural and traffic works to serve the resistance and support the lives of the ethnic people of Hua Phan province. This was an army without ranks or names but fought and contributed no less than the regular armed forces...
Mr. Dinh Phi Son started the story with a proud tone: For him, the 7 years working in Hua Phan province were a "time to remember". Hua Phan during those years was divided into two zones: the free zone and the occupied zone. Ban Phuc, Xop Xang commune, Xop Kho district - where Mr. Son lived and worked - was in the free zone. Although he did not have to "open his back" to withstand bombs and bullets, the severe malaria, the dangers of stray bullets, falling trees, tiger attacks... were terrifying obsessions for volunteer cadres like Mr. Son.
Half a century has passed, but Mr. Son can still name the rivers and streams - places associated with the trips through the forest "shaking the fog, stepping on snakes, biting mines" that he and his colleagues went to to measure and build projects to serve the cause of stabilizing production and building Laos. Living and working in the middle of the wild forest and poisonous water, they can "touch" death at any time. Then there are months without rain, people have no water to bathe; then there are rains that last for a whole week, everyone has to wear wet clothes. Therefore, almost everyone suffers from skin and digestive diseases, and many people have died when they unfortunately contract these diseases. Mr. Son confided: "Life and death are always next to each other, no one is exempt. It is fragile, you can't keep it. Just go, live and work, don't care about anything...".
In Mr. Son's memory, the meals with only cassava, dried fish, fish sauce, wild vegetable soup, pickled figs... still bring back the taste when he remembers the past days. But what Mr. Son always remembers in his heart is the affection of the Lao people. In the forest, there were no vegetables to eat, seeing that the cadres liked to eat vegetables, the Lao people encouraged each other to plant a lot of vegetables in the forest with the message "Feel free to take those vegetables and eat them". When the villagers heard that a cadre had malaria, they immediately invited each other to go into the forest to pick medicinal leaves, grind them into juice and give them to the sick person to drink. Especially on the days before the Lunar New Year, Lao people secretly went into the forest to provide supplies by putting candy and medicine in bags and throwing them on the roads they often traveled, with the label of a gift for the Vietnamese New Year. "Lao people are honest, simple, gentle, and lovable, that character is clearly shown in every look, smile, and behavior of each person. They really value friendship and trust," Mr. Son shared.
The story of you helping me and me helping you is very long, Mr. Son said, once near the irrigation project under construction, there was a woman who had just given birth and suffered from hemorrhage. Her family invited a shaman but the shaman made her sit and hold sticky rice and chicken to worship. After half a day of worship, due to heavy blood loss, the woman was exhausted and fainted. Hearing the news, a few people from the working group brought medicine. From evening to the next morning, they injected more than ten tubes of Vitamin K, B1, B12 and supplements for the woman. At the same time, they instructed the family to roast hot salted rice and apply it to her abdomen. The woman gradually regained consciousness, all the medicine the working group brought was left for the family...
Wedding in the middle of the forest and the sweet fruit season...
Overcoming hardships and dangers, cadres and soldiers are always optimistic and love life. Amidst thousands of deprivations, love and camaraderie are always abundant. Spring 1974 was probably the most special spring for Mr. Son. Because, this spring, he got married. The wedding was held in the middle of the forest, in Laos. A small forest was hung with lights, decorated with flowers, filled with happiness.
Working at the same construction site with her husband, worker Nguyen Thi Huong always received love and protection from her fellow countrymen. It has been 50 years, but Mrs. Huong's memories are still intact as if it were yesterday. She enthusiastically expressed her joy and happiness with her eyes, mouth, and even her hands and feet. In contrast to his wife, Mr. Son has the calm, polite, and gentle demeanor of a civil servant. These two seemingly opposite personalities turned out to complement each other perfectly. Seeing the way he took care of her, we understood how strong the love that blossomed in the flames of war was. "We met and fell in love in the most difficult circumstances, but because of that, we had the motivation to continue our mission to be able to return to reunite... I can only say that it was fate...", Mrs. Huong emotionally said.
After half a century of being husband and wife, Mrs. Huong can be proud that the couple has shared the hardships together, together overcoming the most difficult moments of the country in the post-war period. Their children have grown up, and their lives are stable. At the age of over 76, her joints are starting to torment her, perhaps the result of the years of climbing mountains and forests in the past. Her legs are sad and tired every time she wakes up, but whenever she has the chance, she goes with her husband, looking for and connecting with old colleagues and comrades.
In 2000, after retiring under the regime, Mr. Son established the Branch C, the Vietnam - Laos Friendship Association of Thanh Hoa - Hua Phan province. The 100 members of the branch, retired civil servants, farmers... and although the time spent on international missions in Laos was different, in the hearts of the officers, engineers, and workers of the Branch C living in Thanh Hoa, the memories of a time of smoke, fire, hardship, fierceness, and deep affection are always intact.
Article and photos: Tang Thuy
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ky-uc-hua-phan-nbsp-mau-va-hoa-227995.htm
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