On the morning of September 30, the Department of Culture and Information of Ho Chi Minh City organized a scientific workshop on "Historical relics of the Vinh Loc Mau Than 1968 fire line civilian laborers relic site", attracting the attention of researchers, scientists, cultural management agencies, veterans, historical witnesses... The Department received comments and opinions as a basis for establishing a scientific dossier to propose the ranking of a national relic for the relic site.
The Vinh Loc Mau Than 1968 frontline laborers relic site was recognized as a city-level historical relic in 2005.
Photo: Lac Xuan
HISTORICAL VALUE
The Vinh Loc Mau Than Mau Than 1968 frontline laborers relic site (abbreviated as the relic site) is located in Vinh Loc commune, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the place that marks the event on the night of June 15, 1968 (the 20th day of the 5th lunar month), when a group of 55 laborers crossed the swamps to Duc Hoa, Long An to transport ammunition to Saigon. When the laborers reached the swamp corner of Lang Sau canal, they were discovered by the enemy and fired upon. The fierce rocket attack killed 32 frontline laborers, including 25 women and 7 men, at the age of eighteen or twenty.
Right after June 15, 1968, the people built a small temple in Lang Sau swamp to worship the 32 frontline workers who had fallen. In 1980, the government and people upgraded the temple into a memorial temple; in 1996, they continued to upgrade it to be more spacious. In 2004, Ho Chi Minh City decided to expand the relic site with an investment of more than 7 billion VND. By 2005, this project was recognized as a city-level historical relic by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.
3 meter high bronze monument, recreating the image of 3 female laborers carrying guns, stretchers, and ammunition boxes
Photo: Lac Xuan
Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Historical Science Association, said: In 2007, the relic site was planned to be 10,000 m2, building a stele house, a civilian labor monument, a ceremony yard, landscape and auxiliary works... In which, the 3 m high bronze monument, carved with the image of 3 female civilian laborers carrying guns, stretchers, and ammunition boxes, was built at the place that witnessed the sacrifice of 32 civilian laborers in the Mau Than general offensive in 1968. This is also the only monument to civilian laborers in the resistance war against the US in the south.
In 2010, the Party and State posthumously awarded the title "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" to a group of 32 frontline workers. In 2024, Ho Chi Minh City will invest in building an exhibition house combined with a Ho Chi Minh cultural space at the relic site.
Deserves to be ranked as a National Historical Relic
Mr. Lam Thieu Ky, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Monuments Conservation Center, said that the organization of this scientific conference is an opportunity for researchers, managers and historical witnesses to exchange and propose solutions to preserve and promote the value of monuments associated with traditional education and the development of local cultural and historical tourism.
Portraits and certificates of merit of 32 martyrs of the frontline militia
Photo: Lac Xuan
At the workshop, Ms. Le Tu Cam, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Heritage Association, commented: With the historical, cultural and educational values that the relic brings, the Relic Site deserves to be ranked as a National Historical Relic. "The exhibition house needs to create a lively space, connecting the heroic past with the present, through the application of digital technology to recreate the terrain, the route the workers passed through, the scene of the "white night" when bombs were dropped. The remaining rare artifacts will be introduced through explanations, and the memories of witnesses can become materials for the implementation of the theme of dramatization", the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Heritage Association proposed.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoai Huong (Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies), if properly planned and invested, the Relic Site can become a national-level historical education and experience center. "Based on the criteria for evaluating historical and cultural relics (Law on Cultural Heritage and specialized guidelines), the Relic Site meets the conditions such as being associated with important historical events; having evidence and witness value; educational and cultural - social value. The proposal to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to consider and recognize this project as a national historical relic has a scientific and practical basis," said Dr. Hoai Huong.
Mr. Dao Van Chuong, former Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Monuments Conservation Center, agreed with the above viewpoint and shared: After 4 times of restoration, from the original small temple to the present spacious construction, the relic site still needs to be further embellished and supplemented with landscape elements associated with historical memories. Besides applying modern technology, he suggested visually recreating familiar images such as rice fields, buffalo paths, pineapple ponds, etc. because it is these elements that create the value and emotions of the relic. "If that unique context is missing, whether camping or visiting, it will be difficult for viewers to fully feel the spirit of the relic," Mr. Chuong emphasized.
Mr. Huynh Cao Cuong, Party Secretary and Chairman of Vinh Loc Commune People's Council, said that the locality is ready to coordinate with the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City and other agencies and units to prepare a dossier to propose the ranking of the relic site as a national relic. The locality also proposed that the Department of Culture and Sports coordinate with Ho Chi Minh City Television to make a historical film about 32 frontline laborers, in order to recreate historical events, preserve historical values, educate, arouse and inspire patriotism and national pride.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khu-di-tich-dan-cong-hoa-tuyen-vinh-loc-mau-than-nam-1968-bao-ton-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-lich-su-185250930203602665.htm
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