Back to the source of the mountains and rivers

Deciding to choose the place to return to the source this time, the Chairman of the Veterans Association Nguyen Chi Hoa also aimed for another goal: choosing a route through three provinces Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, three famous places, the "Capital of the Thousand Winds" of the early days of the resistance war against the French. This return will stir up many emotions in the souls of the veterans after their days of teaching. It is indeed a short but meaningful trip.

The first significance is probably the duration of the entire itinerary. Although the short trip only lasted three days, from the morning of April 30 to the evening of May 2, this trip back to the source was really exciting for us. On the way, everyone recalled the unforgettable moment 39 years ago. Among us, there were brothers who were present on the battlefield at that historic moment, so we know how emotional they were when they heard the news that the country had been completely unified. Going back in time: 60 years ago, the day of the Dien Bien Phu victory, a small country like Vietnam at that time, defeated an enemy a hundred times stronger. The joy evoked unforgettable memories with the nation's outstanding sons: Ho Chi Minh, Vo Nguyen Giap, and many others. "When drinking water, remember its source", all of us in the group agreed to give this trip the affectionate name: Back to the source. In Vietnamese, the two words “return to the source” in themselves say a lot: return to the source means to return to what is loved, to the place of nurturing, to the beginning, to the people, the nation, and to oneself. I still remember clearly two years ago, in the scorching hot days of July 2012, right on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 81st day and night of Quang Tri Citadel, the Association also had such an emotional and meaningful trip. Although they have been far from the battlefield and the sound of gunfire for many years, every time they start such a trip, the hearts of the teachers - veterans still surge with emotions. The trip does not “cross the river” but still “has waves” as the poet Tham Tam wrote in the poem Tong biet hanh. This year's delegation unexpectedly lacked a few familiar names: veteran Pham Dinh Lan, who had written touching poems about Quang Tri Citadel before leaving, due to personal reasons, could not march with the delegation; The veteran couple Lam Ba Nam - Vu Thi Phung also missed the group due to some family matters; the veterans Tran Thuc Viet, Nguyen Ba Thanh, Ngo Van Hoan, Tran Van Nhue, Bui Duy Dan, Tran Nhat Chinh... also could not attend this year. But this year, the delegation had new faces: Tran Xuan Hong, Duong Xuan Son, Pham Gia Lam. The most special was probably the former principal Pham Quang Long, who although not a veteran, had participated in school management for many years, so he could not help but have a "fate" with the "military career". Pham Quang Long was the son of a martyr during the anti-French resistance. Returning to the source was also a way for the son of a Vietnamese Heroic Mother to recall a bit of the heroic memories of his father's past. Our "returning to the source" suddenly became more meaningful.

Unlike the pilgrimage to Quang Tri Citadel two years ago, although there was a section that had to go through Ho Chi Minh Trail, it was still mainly a flat route. This trip passed through three provinces: Thai Nguyen, Bac Can, Cao Bang, especially starting from Bac Can, with only hairpin bends and steep mountain passes, some of which reached as high as the sky (Giang Pass), some of which felt like you could hear the wind "whooshing" (Gio Pass), so with only less than 300 kilometers, our car had to crawl for nearly 9 hours. I suddenly remembered To Huu's verses in the poem Viet Bac: "Who is returning, who does not remember/ When we return, we miss Phu Thong, Deo Giang/ Remember the Lo River, remember Pho Rang/ Remember from Cao Lang, remember to Nhi Ha". A beautiful picture along the way from Thai Nguyen, through Bac Can, to Cao Bang, and finally to the historical site of Pac Bo. Arriving in Thai Nguyen, the closest place to Hanoi, we saw a signpost to ATK Dinh Hoa, where the central government was in the most difficult early days. Passing through Bac Kan, we met a group of students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mr. Nguyen Cao Son and Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh, who are now key officials of the local Radio and Television station. Listening to their stories as veterans and former students, we fully understood how much effort and struggle we had to make to achieve the achievements we have today, even though they are still very modest. The country still has many difficulties. After driving out foreign invaders, we still have many "other enemies" that need to be fought and eliminated. Remembering the time in 1950, President Ho Chi Minh and Tran Dang Ninh, his close comrade, set foot in Bac Kan, the poem he sent to Youth Unit 312 to build a road in Cam Giang commune, Bach Duong district on March 28, 1951, is still widely circulated among the youth until now: "Nothing is difficult/ Only fear of not being steadfast/ Digging mountains and filling the sea/ With determination, it can be done". It is true that the road to the resistance capital is still "narrow" until now, but in return, the brothers in the group all affirmed that it is "beautiful". Coming here, coming to the steep, rocky roads, finding a restaurant is a bit difficult, but the air and wind are extremely "rich". Luckily, in the group there were three female members, Ms. Mai, Ms. Phuong, Ms. Huong, even when the cart was on the top of the hairpin bends, no one felt "nauseated". Excited on the pilgrimage to the source, that was the common mood of all members of the group.

Although we had to crawl on hairpin bends all the way from Bac Kan, we finally arrived in Cao Bang city at 1:30. Cao Bang now, compared to nearly 40 years ago, when I had the opportunity to come here, is completely different from before. The city is not big but spacious and beautiful. Luckily, we were arranged to stay at Bang Giang Hotel, a 6-storey building, located right next to Bang Giang River that divides the city in half. After only 30 minutes of lying down, we were able to regain our strength to continue our journey back to the source. The road back to the source is now completely different from before. The road is still narrow but flat, in just over an hour, we arrived at the Pac Bo relic complex, where 83 years ago, Uncle Ho and a number of Vietnamese revolutionary comrades crossed the Chinese border to come here. Many documents at that time recorded: “In early 1941, Uncle Ho and a number of comrades crossed the border between Vietnam and China at milestone 108 to return to the country to directly lead the Vietnamese revolution after 30 years of wandering to find a way to save the country. Initially, Uncle Ho stayed at Mr. Ly Quoc Sung's house, then to ensure safety and secrecy, he decided to move to Coc Bo cave, Lung Lan cave and Khuoi Nam hut. Many important events of the Party and State took place here, such as the 8th Central Conference, the decision to establish the Viet Minh Front, the construction of revolutionary bases and guerrilla warfare…”. The panorama of the Pac Bo relic site is now much more spacious than the first day Uncle Ho and the Central comrades were here. The road from the outside to Coc Bo cave, along Lenin stream is now paved with concrete. The stream in Uncle Ho's poem ("In the morning, go to the stream bank, in the evening, go to the cave/ Porridge, vegetables, and bamboo shoots are always ready/ The shaky stone table translates the Party's history/ The revolutionary life is truly noble") is still crystal clear, you can clearly see schools of fish swimming around. The mountains, forests, grass, trees, and rivers are still there as they were when Uncle Ho lived there. It is not wrong to say that Pac Bo is "returning to the source". This place is far from urban civilization, so everything has a pure, "crystal clear" beauty, just like its name: Pac Bo - the mountain root, the river source.

After working sessions, Uncle Ho often sat fishing here (1941)

Coming to Pac Bo, returning to the source, we not only got to revisit the place where the beloved leader Ho Chi Minh lived and worked in the early days, but also visited many other historical sites of the country: Ban Gioc Waterfall, the pristine beauty bestowed by nature, sacred and majestic in the middle of the sky, affirming national sovereignty. Kim Dong's tomb, which I set foot on nearly 40 years ago, was just a simple mound of land, but now it has been built up nicely... Perhaps there are many other sites that we have not yet visited, due to the short time. But even though it was short, a return to the source at this historical moment has engraved in our hearts, the veterans of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, unforgettable memories. These are also valuable provisions to help us work better in the coming days.