The 'steel roses' of Truong Son

A time of "cutting across Truong Son" to save the country

On October 15, the Steering Committee for the merger of the Truong Son Association of Ho Chi Minh City in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union organized the seminar “Truong Son, a girl’s time”, to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Women’s Union. It was an opportunity for female veterans to recall their glorious youth in Truong Son – where they lived, fought and sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.

Photo caption — Female veterans of Truong Son proudly talked about the glorious past of the "long-haired army" in Truong Son at the meeting.

Mrs. Pham Thi Hung, a former soldier of the Truong Son oil pipeline, Regiment 592, emotionally recalled: “Even though I am over seventy, I still remember clearly the days on the "River of Fire". On January 27, 1973, when the Paris Agreement had just been signed, we had not yet had time to celebrate when the next day, American planes dropped bombs in revenge. Two series of bombs hit the command bunker, causing the forest to be devastated, the oil pipelines burst, the spilled gasoline caught fire, turning the entire Truong Son into a sea of fire.”

Amidst fierce bombardment, the “Truong Son girls” still steadfastly held on. They carried each section of oil pipeline on their shoulders, crossed streams and passes, and climbed steep slopes to install the pipeline. When the communication line was destroyed, the women themselves carried dozens of kilograms of wire, hung it on trees, and crossed streams to connect the line. Their hands were blistered and their shoulders were bleeding, but no one gave up – because they understood that if just one broken piece of wire was broken, the entire oil transportation route would be paralyzed.

Recalling the years of bombs and bullets, Ms. Le Thi Long, a former soldier in Truong Son, An Giang province, could not hide her emotions. “During the day, the enemy dropped bombs, and at night, when the sound of the planes stopped, we filled in bomb craters, set up markers, and guided vehicles. At that time, we were only nineteen or twenty years old, full of enthusiasm, and despite the danger, we still stuck to the route,” Ms. Long said, choking up.

Time has passed, the Truong Son girls are now in their twilight years. But in their memories, the images of their comrades, the sound of bombs and bullets, the smell of burning gasoline and the flickering fire in the middle of the forest are still intact. Their stories are not only tragic memories of a time of war but also symbols of the indomitable spirit, patriotism and extraordinary strength of Vietnamese women on the legendary Truong Son route.

One of the people who directly commanded and witnessed the hardships and losses of the Truong Son girls in the past, Major Do Duc Manh, former Infantry Regiment Commander, confided: “In the past, when recruiting soldiers, they always selected healthy, qualified young men and women. However, after a few bouts of jungle fever, the seventeen-year-old girls with rosy skin and healthy figures became skinny, with disheveled hair, dark circles under their eyes, disheveled clothes, and a shaky posture. But their eyes were still determined to “die for the Fatherland”.

Team spirit, the "fire" that never goes out

Sharing at the discussion, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, Head of the Women's Working Committee of the Truong Son Association in Ho Chi Minh City, said: "Truong Son has taught me what comradeship, sharing and compassion are. It is that place that has formed in me a boundless love and deep sympathy for those who have gone through fire and bullets with me."

“Therefore, when the war ended, we returned to normal life, each going our separate ways, but our hearts were always with our comrades. I felt so sorry for our wounded brothers and sisters, those infected with Agent Orange, or our partners who often faced difficulties in life. Every time we met again, we hugged each other tightly, tears welling up in our eyes, because of joy, because of longing, because of love,” Mrs. Binh confided.

Recalling her wartime memories, Ms. Le Thi Lai, a veteran of Truong Son, recounted that there were days when it was raining heavily, and the women had their periods but did not have enough clothes to change, so they had to light a fire to dry them and then continue wearing them. There were days when the road was slippery and muddy, and trucks could not pass, so we lined up in a row, used sticks to block the road, and pulled each section of mud to help the trucks pass. Every step meant falling, but everyone encouraged each other: "Keep up the good work, so we can deliver supplies to the southern battlefield in time."

“Although we didn’t have enough rice, we had to divide the salt into small handfuls, and our long hair had no shampoo, so we only washed it with laundry soap. After washing, our clothes were hung on tree branches, and before they were dry, we wore them to work. It was so hard, but in the Truong Son forest, we still laughed and sang, sang to drown out the sound of bombs and to drown out our homesickness,” Mrs. Lai recalled.

Listening to those touching stories, Ms. Truong My Hoa, former Vice President of Vietnam said: "The age when women joined the youth volunteer force, fighting on the "fire line" of Truong Son was also the age when I was arrested and imprisoned. I was only 19 years old at that time and was in prison for 11 years. Until the day the country was completely liberated, I still had not returned home."

According to Ms. Truong My Hoa, former Vice President, that period, although difficult, was a proud memory for her as well as the female Truong Son soldiers present at today's meeting. "When I heard the sisters tell stories about "Truong Son - a time of girls", I was more deeply aware of the hardships that the female Truong Son soldiers had gone through. Through each story, I clearly felt the resilience, patience, sacrifice but still full of gentleness and kindness, the noble qualities that make up the beauty of Vietnamese women", Ms. Truong My Hoa emotionally said.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-de-quan-tam/nhung-bong-hong-thep-cua-truong-son-20251015193905845.htm