On the evening of April 24, in Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province, a solemn ceremony was held to receive the certificate of the special national historical relic of Ben Vam Lung (part of the Ho Chi Minh sea route).
This is one of the four relics of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea, including the main wharves: K15 (Do Son - Hai Phong City; Vung Ro (Phu Yen); Loc An (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) and Vam Lung (Ca Mau) which were ranked as special National Monuments in November 2024.
Attending the ceremony were comrade Nguyen Lam, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission; Major General Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Commander of Military Region 9. On the local side, there were comrades: Nguyen Ho Hai, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Le Thi Nhung, Executive Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Ho Trung Viet, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission; Nguyen Minh Luan, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Comrades, former ministers and soldiers of Group 759, Group 962...
After the Geneva Agreement (1954), when the country was temporarily divided into two regions, the plot of the US imperialists and the puppet government of Ngo Dinh Diem was to turn the South into a new type of colony, brutally suppress the revolutionary movement with Law 10/59, massacre and kill tens of thousands of patriotic compatriots and revolutionary soldiers...
Faced with that situation, the Party Central Committee issued Resolution 15 (1959), defining "The revolutionary path to liberate the South is armed struggle".
Paving the way for legends on the sea
Accordingly, the need to support the Southern battlefield became more urgent than ever. While the Truong Son road on land was operating but had not yet reached important areas in the South, a new transportation direction was suggested, supporting the Southern battlefield by sea.
On August 1, 1961, ship No. 1 of Ca Mau province, commanded by comrade Bong Van Dia, departed from Ca Moi estuary, Vien An commune (now Tan An commune), Ngoc Hien district. The rudimentary ship, with only 7 people, sailed north for 7 days during the stormy sea season. On August 7, 1961, the ship safely docked at Nhat Le estuary (Quang Binh province). From here, the Ministry of National Defense decided to establish Group 759 (the predecessor of Group 125 Navy), marking the official birth of the Ho Chi Minh trail at sea.
After a period of urgent and secret preparation, on October 11, 1962, the ship Phuong Dong 1, captained by comrade Le Van Mot and political commissar Bong Van Dia, received 30 tons of weapons at Do Son wharf, Hai Phong, and headed straight to the South.
Overcoming countless difficulties and challenges, on the morning of October 16, 1962, the ship Phuong Dong 1 safely arrived at Vam Lung Wharf (Ngoc Hien, Ca Mau), successfully carrying 30 tons of weapons to the South, officially opening the military transport route on the East Sea.
Following the success of the Phuong Dong 1 ship, the Phuong Dong 2, 3, and 4 ships arrived safely at Vam Lung Port. Within just 2 months, the first 4 ships brought 111 tons of weapons to the South. This was timely support, adding strength to the Southern revolution, affirming the correctness of our Party and State in the strategy of opening military transport routes at sea.
With the harmonious coordination between the Northern Navy and the cargo receiving unit in the South, along with the advantage of terrain, the protection of mangrove forests and mangrove forests of Ca Mau, Vam Lung wharf became the gateway to vital weapons, playing a key role in the legendary route.
962 Heroic Group
In order to receive and preserve a relatively large amount of weapons in a timely manner under conditions of frequent enemy siege and attack, the Central Office for Southern Vietnam decided to establish a special unit, Group 962, on September 19, 1962.
Of the 124 trains from the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea (carrying more than 6,600 tons of weapons), Vam Lung Wharf alone received 68. Thus, Vam Lung Wharf was the first train station to receive the first train, and also the one that received the most weapons from the legendary road. From Vam Lung, in 1963 we had weapons to win the battle of Dam Doi - Cai Nuoc - Cha La. From Vam Lung, we opened an internal transport route along the coast to the battlefield of Military Zone 7 with more than 1,400 tons. From Vam Lung, we organized a road transport team to transport 315 tons of weapons to the two provinces of Tra Vinh and Vinh Long...
With enemy planes overhead and enemy ships in front, for more than 10 years on the mission of receiving weapons, Vam Lung Wharf remained hidden in the forest. Secrecy and safety were vital elements of the mission. To ensure safety, all activities of receiving and taking ships in and out, loading and unloading, and transporting goods took place at night.
In recognition of its noble sacrifices and heroic feats, Group 962 has been twice recognized by the Party and State as a Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces. With its outstanding achievements, 4 wharf clusters of Group 962, including Unit HN75 - Vam Vung wharf cluster (Ca Mau) have been recognized as Heroic Units.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea has become a legend - it is a road without markings, ships without numbers; it not only transports weapons and goods but also carries the feelings, beliefs, will and aspirations for independence of the North for the South, contributing to the final victory of the whole nation.
The value and historical significance of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea
Speaking about the tradition of the 962nd Regiment, Colonel Khuu Ngoc Bay, former Commander of the 962nd Regiment, said that at Ben Vam Lung, with 6,615 tons of weapons received, well preserved and maintained, there were over 100 large and small warehouses built above ground or underground (the type built with cement and stored underground); at times when many ships came in, the main warehouse of Ben Vam Lung at its highest point contained over 60 tons, while the warehouse was less than 10 km away from the Nam Can Sub-region as the crow flies. All the warehouses were well protected, the enemy did not hit any of them.
“In the activities of Group 962, there is also a factor directly related to the group's mission, which is the People. Because in order to open a port, people must be relocated to build a base, and the unit's mission must be kept secret from the People, but it needs the protection and care of the People and local authorities. On the People's side, when the revolution needs to build a base, they voluntarily relocate. These two revolutionary viewpoints met from the beginning. Later, when the People and local authorities knew the mission of Group 962, they became more closely attached, protecting the activities of the Group more closely and effectively," Colonel Khuu Ngoc Bay shared.
According to the former Commander of Regiment 962, the term: "Port in the heart of the people" was not coined by an organization or individual, but it came from the heart and gesture of the local government and people towards Regiment 962; the cadres and soldiers of Regiment 962 with gratitude and respect, that precious solidarity created a "Port in the heart of the people" that existed in the minds of each revolutionary soldier throughout the war against America and until now.
Affirming that the stature of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea is extremely great, promoting the spirit and strength of the nation with an unshakable determination and iron will, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Luan said that it is from that determination and strong will that the soldiers of the unnumbered ships have had extremely creative ways of going to sea, as well as ways of transporting weapons, openly and secretly, to be able to transport them in the safest and most effective way.
“The unnumbered train has created a profound expressive power, touching the hearts of every patriotic citizen, a great pride in the revolutionary flow of our nation. The Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea has become a legend, a miracle, a unique and creative work of the People's War under the leadership of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam and the great President Ho Chi Minh”, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Luan assessed.
Tran Nguyen
Source: https://baocamau.vn/vinh-danh-con-duong-huyen-thoai-tren-bien-a38591.html
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