Peaceful Con Co Island

I have been to Con Co Island many times, but recently, a group of friends who are veterans and businessmen in Tuyen Quang invited me, so I immediately agreed to go. Actually, I have not visited the island for 10 years, while in August 2024, Con Co island district will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its establishment. Now, sitting on the Chin Nghia Quang Tri ship, sailing out to sea, I feel elated when I leave the city and breathe the salty air of the sea. Lying across the 17th parallel, Con Co is not only an outpost island protecting national sovereignty but also one of the rare beautiful islands in the Central region. Con Co is very peaceful on normal days when we arrived.

The number of tourists visiting Con Co is increasing day by day - Photo: PM

The previous times I went to the island, I took the Border Guard ship, but now I have the opportunity to go on a tourist ship. One of the owners of this ship is Tran Cong Nam, with the passion of a son of Vinh Linh, Quang Tri , he pooled money with friends to buy the Chin Nghia ship to serve tourists.

The ship belongs to Chin Nghia Quang Tri Company Limited, first established in May 2018, a joint venture with Chin Nghia Quang Ngai Company. The ship is made of steel hull, equipped with marine equipment that fully meets the standards for transporting passengers by sea with a total main engine capacity of 820 horsepower, a maximum speed of 16 nautical miles/hour, and can carry 156 passengers. With calm weather and calm seas, we took Chin Nghia to the island in just over an hour.

Knowing that I was a journalist, Nam had many thoughts, explaining about the difficult business because the ship could only operate for one season, and during the rainy and stormy season the ship had to stay ashore; or because the accommodation facilities on the island were limited, so there were not many visitors to the island, and the ship rarely had enough passengers...

But that will be a story for later, and now on the way to the island, as the ship was speeding through the waves, I turned on the phone to call a friend on the island and learned that he had gone on a business trip to Ho Chi Minh City. I received another phone call from a younger brother, which was also surprising. The other end of the line said: "This is Huu Dien, brother. I just got out of the army after more than 20 years of service in the border force. See you soon." I think the two brothers have unforgettable memories from 20 years ago.

The surprise of that trip to the island was that the driver of the patrol boat of the Quang Tri Border Guard was formerly a reporter for the Vietnam News Agency. That time, on the trip to Con Co, Huu Dien was in the provincial press group. When boarding the boat, having been "blooded" by his career as a soldier, Dien asked the crew to let him into the boat's cabin to test drive. Seeing Dien's skillful steering, the boat running smoothly along the sand table, everyone looked on in amazement. It turned out that during his time as a soldier in the North, Dien had learned to drive a boat. After that trip, because he missed his job, Dien asked to return to the army.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Dinh Dung, Commander of the Quang Tri Border Guard at that time (later Major General, Deputy Commander of the Border Guard), who had witnessed Dien driving the ship, agreed to take Dien on. That is just a brief account, there were a few more procedures, but in the end, Huu Dien temporarily put down his pen and followed the ship drifting on the waves. The motivation for Dien to return to the arduous and difficult job of driving a ship was only because of his love for the sea and islands of his homeland.

Unlike the previous times I went to the island, I had to take a small boat to reach the island when the sea was rough, this time the boat went straight into the port and docked smoothly. Now the dock was very busy with visitors taking turns taking pictures at the island district gate. I remember the previous times I went to the island, the main concern of everyone was the source of water for daily use. Thanks to the attention of the Ministry of National Defense and the province, the district conducted an exploration drill and found a source of fresh water.

Moreover, the district also has a large reservoir that collects fresh water from the rainy season, which can be stored for the entire dry season. With fresh water, life on the island changes dramatically. The stories of dry season water shortages, soldiers of Con Co having to struggle to sweat and then use towels to wipe themselves like taking a wind bath; the stories of the water tap being carefully turned off, distributing cans of water in the hot season are now just memories of a difficult time that has passed.

I remember the day I visited the island was the occasion of the inauguration of the ship lock in October 1998. After that, a fishing port was also invested by the State with 32.5 billion VND to build enough space for hundreds of fishing boats from coastal provinces to anchor on their way back.

Then in early 1999, 36 households began to settle on the island. By 2000, children were born and were recorded in the birth certificate as the first citizens born on Con Co island district. More than 20 years have passed, and the first citizens of the island have now grown up, preparing to follow their parents in contributing to the development of their homeland island district.

Twenty years, that is just the adulthood of a person's life. For Con Co island district, this is a promising start for an outpost island that is waking up, becoming a tourist highlight in the tourism development triangle of Cua Viet - Cua Tung - Con Co island.

The island district leaders want to develop the island into a tourist and service island, but they are also very cautious, as recommended by Cuban planning experts who came here to survey more than 20 years ago, that if they want to develop, they must strictly comply with the impact on the natural conditions of the island, which means preserving the forest and sea space, not only on the island but also the large area of ​​the Con Co Island Nature Reserve; including the conservation of rich coral reefs, the protection of rare seafood species, the protection of primeval forests, the protection of rare stone crabs that have been mentioned in poetry...

That day, Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of the island district, Vo Van Cuong, told us that the island district has the current infrastructure thanks to the many resources invested in Con Co. The island district will continue to receive the attention of the Party, the State, the Party Committee, the provincial government and the whole country, because building Con Co island district to develop strongly and be worthy of being an outpost island is also the responsibility and sentiment of the whole country joining hands here so that one day the island will be strong and rich.

The good news is that in recent years there has been a tour to visit Con Co Island. Since the tour was launched, many domestic tourists have joined because of the attraction of an island, which during the war was known as “Unsinkable Battleship”.

Located more than 30 kilometers from Cua Viet, although the facilities, amenities, and accommodations are limited, the charm of this pristine green gem on the East Sea still attracts tourists from everywhere. When we arrived on the island, the weather was hot at noon, but the veterans and businessmen of Tuyen Quang province were still very eager to request a tour around the island.

We had to wait until the afternoon, when the sun was less harsh and the sea breeze blew strongly, making the air cooler. We took the tram around, then walked up to the Memorial on Hill 37 (also known as Hanoi Hill), a place to honor and commemorate the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their blood and bones to protect the islands during the war. This was also the place where hero Thai Van A and his comrades fought bravely to protect the island in a fierce battle with the enemy.

The Memorial Monument being renovated has an area of ​​1,000 m2, 28.5 m high, with a stele listing 104 martyrs and two artistic reliefs depicting the war to protect and supply the island. Historically, 104 soldiers and militiamen sacrificed their lives for the island's existence. Most of their remains were buried under the sea, only a few graves were moved to the mainland after the country's reunification. In the past, due to the difficult conditions of travel between the island and the mainland, the martyrs' relatives moved their loved ones to the mainland for convenience in offering incense and worshiping.

Not far from the memorial is a very beautiful beach, called Ben Nghe, where the first rays of sunshine of the island are welcomed. Up to the center is Ben Tranh, where there is a community beach. From here, the electric car runs around the island so that people can stop to take pictures with two old banyan trees; visit the Military Hospital bunker; explore the Con Co primeval forest road. Because it was formed by tectonic activity from volcanic eruptions, the island has geological and ecological value, the landscape is like a natural "museum" with unique basalt terraces along the coast, small, pristine beaches made from coral fragments, oysters, scallops, sand...

In particular, on the island there is also the Con Co Island Traditional House, which preserves relics recreating the heroic history of the army and people of the island district.

Along with investment in infrastructure, linking to develop tours and tourist routes and promoting the exploitation of local strengths, Con Co Island is expected to develop, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.

Regarding the difficulties that Tran Cong Nam shared with me on the Chin Nghia ship, I think that the Chin Nghia Quang Tri Company Limited should sit down and discuss with the island district leaders to better coordinate the work of welcoming tourists, because if the business develops, the island district develops, and if the island district develops, the business will also develop; both sides benefit.

A highlight of the Con Co island circuit is the stop at the Lighthouse Station. Here, visitors have the opportunity to conquer 100 steps to the top of the lighthouse with a height of 78.2 m above sea level, built and operating since the end of 2006. This is considered a "pearl eye" in the blue sea, helping to signal and locate Con Co island, supporting ships to move more conveniently in the waters of Quang Tri.

From here, you can have a panoramic view of Con Co Island. Unlike the rocky islands, Con Co Island has very fertile basalt soil, from above you can see the whole island with immense green. In addition to the trees that are native to the island such as Morinda officinalis, Euphorbia hirta, and most of all, the rough-stemmed Phong Ba tree, reaching out to the sea, the island also has dozens of hectares of yellow cajuput and black cajuput trees planted by the army.

Standing on the top of the lighthouse and looking out in all four directions, I suddenly remembered the story of Con Co Island and Loi Ren Cave. The story goes that long ago in history there was a very strong man named Tho Lo. His job was to dig soil to build a mountain. Once he was carrying a load of soil that was too heavy, the shoulder pole broke, and two baskets of soil flew to two sides. The basket flew towards the mountain, forming Loi Ren Cave, the basket flew towards the sea, forming Con Co Island.

That is the explanation according to the ancient people's thinking about place names and terrain, but at that time, Professor Tran Quoc Vuong, through archaeological artifacts collected on the island, affirmed that in the past, Con Co was a strip of land attached to the mainland, gradually over many years due to sea erosion and erosion, separated into an island.

This explanation seems convincing because the land and crops on the island are very similar to the mainland. With an area of ​​about 2.3 km ² , of which more than 70% is primary forest, Con Co Island is one of the few places in Vietnam where the three-layer tropical forest ecosystem is preserved almost intact.

Therefore, one of the interesting experiences that cannot be missed when visiting Con Co is to visit the primeval forest, enjoy the fresh air and explore the rich flora and fauna on the island. Con Co Island was formed by volcanic eruptions, bringing historical geological and ecological values, creating a colorful natural "museum" for the land here.

But that is the story of archaeologists and botanists. The history of the military and people's achievements on this island must be told from August 8, 1959, when the first unit of the Vietnam People's Army - Regiment 270 commanded by Lieutenant Duong Duc Thien set foot on Con Co Island, planted the red flag with a yellow star to affirm the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland.

Having gone through a fierce war to protect the island, Con Co was twice awarded the title of hero by the State. Now, when visiting the island, there are still the famous names of the past such as the beaches: Hi-ron, Ha Noi, Ha Dong, Ha Nam, Da Den, Hai Phong high point, Trieu Hai post... The red soil here seems to be soaked with the blood and bones of the soldiers and people who shed their lives to protect the island, so that now there is a Con Co standing proudly at the forefront of the waves and winds in the middle of the ocean.

That day, when the sun had set, we had a very interesting night meeting and interacting with the leaders of Con Co island district with the island's typical cuisine, such as king oysters, snails, seaweed... which were all prepared very carefully, everyone who enjoyed it once would find it hard to forget. The night by the sea had a cool breeze blowing in.

Offshore, the electric lights of fishing boats lit up, like a picture of a night city on the sea. By the sea, everyone was filled with emotions, singing mixed with the sound of the waves.

Unexpectedly, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Cuong, Chief of Con Co Border Guard Station, sang to our group the song: “Will you come back to Quang Tri with me?” (music by Nguyen Chi Quyet) with great emotion. Cuong is a son of Hanoi who came here to work and is attached to this outpost island, as a fate of his military career. He said that he loves the sea and islands very much and is bringing his two children here to visit and stay during the summer to experience life on this remote island.

Before leaving Con Co to return to the mainland, we were taken by the Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of the island district, Vo Van Cuong, to visit and burn incense at the Uncle Ho Temple on the island. In the temple, the middle room worships Uncle Ho, the right room worships heroic martyrs, and the left room worships those who lost their lives at sea while trying to make a living.

We were also very honored and proud to attend the flag-raising ceremony with the leaders, soldiers and people of Con Co island district. When the national anthem sounded, everyone sang along to the solemn melody. In the blue sky, the red flag with yellow star fluttered. Everyone felt the sacred moment before the vast sea and sky of the Fatherland. Now the Fatherland is in everyone's heart.

On the way back to the mainland; my friend - veteran Tran Hong Luyen, former Standing Deputy Secretary of Yen Son District Party Committee, Tuyen Quang, after contacting and discussing with the leaders of Tuyen Quang province, informed me of good news.

Through the phone, I immediately called the Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Co Island District, Vo Van Cuong, to inform him that Tuyen Quang Province would soon send a working delegation to visit Con Co Island District and would plant a banyan tree taken from the historical banyan tree of Tan Trao, the "resistance capital", in front of the temple of Uncle Ho on the island. Secretary Vo Van Cuong expressed his joy, because it would be very meaningful, because during the resistance war, Uncle Ho had twice sent letters praising the heroic soldiers and people of Con Co Island.

Then, when the Tan Trao banyan tree is planted here, it will take root deep into the island's soil, its branches will grow tall and spread shade, a wonderful historical symbol of the spirit and heroic fighting will of our army and people during the resistance war, now determined to build a strong and prosperous country and homeland.

Surely Con Co island district will become rich from the sea!

Minh Tu

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/binh-yen-con-co-187036.htm