Mass grave of 120 martyrs next to the national flagpole

Veterans visit mass grave of martyrs

That is the resting place of 120 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers of C30 and Battalion 28 - Division 9 who died on December 11, 1970 in Po Th'Rich commune, Svay Ch'Rum district, Svay Rieng province, Kingdom of Cambodia.

The story begins in the early 2000s, when Team K73 – the province’s unit in charge of collecting martyrs’ remains – received information from a Cambodian citizen about a large grave in Po Th’Rich commune, Svay Ch’Rum district, Svay Rieng province. Initial details were very limited, but when pieced together with old documents and veterans’ stories, a historical event gradually emerged.

On December 11, 1970, during the attack on Lon Nol's defense line to open the way to liberate Svay Rieng town, units of the 9th Division including the 28th Special Forces Battalion and Company C30 were fiercely ambushed. Many soldiers were killed, their bodies were gathered and buried in a common pit.

Colonel Tran Van Hoang – former Captain of Team K73 was the one who directly commanded this special mission to collect the remains of martyrs. After receiving the information, Team K73 went to Cambodia but the terrain had completely changed. The area that was previously a forest was now houses and roads, so determining the exact location was very difficult.

Luckily, Team K73 met Mr. Trai - a veteran who fought in this area, after liberation, got married and lived in Svay Rieng province. He was the one who connected the red thread from the present to the past, showing the area where his comrades died. But even Mr. Trai could not recognize the old location because the landscape had changed.

Not giving up, Team K73 decided to zone the land around 100m² and started exploring using the traditional method of digging small holes about 1m deep, 1m apart. A week passed in the scorching sun and tension.

Then the miracle happened. A strange layer of brown soil appeared, completely different from the surrounding ground. The soldiers were silent. They had found the right place. Each piece of bone, button, torn shirt, worn-toothed aluminum comb, etc. were gently lifted from the ground.

Many soldiers who had gathered at that time could not hold back their tears. Some young comrades trembled when holding a small piece of bone, some burst into tears when picking up an old comb. Those were not just remains, they were the souls of soldiers who had fallen for their noble international duty.

The remains were buried in layers at that time, not wrapped in nylon, and over time had decomposed so much that it was impossible to distinguish each set separately. The officers and soldiers of Team K73 had to be gentle to collect each part of the bones, the remaining pieces of personal belongings and mementos of the uncles, and carefully pack them before bringing them back to the country.

During the collection process, Team K73 approached another special witness, Mr. Xay Keo, the father of a Royal Cambodian soldier who had supported the unit. He was the one who buried the soldiers in the past. His description completely matched the location Team K73 found.

From the witness accounts, another detail was also verified. The commander of that year's battle was nicknamed "Ut Muoi Hai". Following the lead, Team K73 contacted the Liaison Committee of Division 9 and found Mr. Ut Muoi Hai living in Soc Trang province.

All information about the battle and the participating units is verified. The soldiers who fell at Po Th'Rich commune in 1970 all belonged to Battalion 28 and Company C30 of Division 9.

Two mass graves of martyrs lie next to each other in the Vinh Hung - Tan Hung martyr cemetery.

After more than three decades in a foreign land, in 2002, the remains of 120 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who died in Cambodia were searched for and brought back to the country by Team K73 and laid to rest in a common grave next to the national flagpole in the Vinh Hung - Tan Hung Martyrs Cemetery. There were no individual names on the tombstones, but every day the uncles and aunts rested together, where the national flag fluttered in the wind.

Now, amidst the green of the cemetery's trees and grass, amidst the ringing of the afternoon bells, the souls of the martyrs blend into the motherland, into the border wind, into the memories of the soldiers of Team K73 and many future generations.

Over the years, the mass grave of the martyrs of the Vietnamese volunteer army has been carefully cared for and incense burned. Organizations, groups and people visiting the cemetery often stop by to burn incense at this special grave./.

Le Duc

Source: https://baolongan.vn/ngoi-mo-tap-the-120-liet-si-o-ben-cot-co-to-quoc-a199635.html