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| Khe Trai Tunnels nestled amid a picturesque landscape of mountains and waters |
Never to be forgotten
One July day, we set out with officials from Huong Tra Ward to visit the Tri-Thien-Hue Regional Party Committee’s tunnel complex, more familiarly known as Khe Trai Tunnels.
Our vehicle wound its way along steep, twisting roads amid vast expanses of lush green mountains and forests. Ba Trai Ferry Wharf greeted us with a picturesque setting. From here, those interested can take a boat to explore the hydropower reservoir and visit several islands around the lake. Khe Trai Tunnels, located not far from the wharf, is another destination to consider.
An open-deck motorboat picked us up at the wharf and then headed across the reservoir. With its vast expanse of jade-green water embraced by undulating hills and mountains, the hydropower reservoir offers a setting that is both majestic and picturesque. Joining our group was Mr. Duong Dinh Bon, who served as a liaison officer for the Huong Tra District Party Committee at this tunnel complex in 1968 - 1969.
After about 30 minutes on the water, the boat turned into Khe Lui, a section of Khe Trai, where the tunnel complex lies on a high mountain. The moment the engine was turned off and the boat eased in, veteran Duong Dinh Bon excitedly jumped ashore. Now in his 70s, he still moved briskly, leading us up the steps to the tunnel complex, 160 meters above the water level. With tears in his eyes, he said: “I was here for only a little over a year, but I have so many memories—memories I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
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| Relic Stele |
Underground life
According to various historical sources, work on the Tri-Thien-Hue Regional Party Committee’s tunnel complex began in August 1967, when the national resistance war against the United States was entering a particularly fierce stage. Comrade Tu Minh, Deputy Secretary of the Regional Party Committee and Secretary of the Hue City Party Committee, was one of those directly overseeing the tunnel excavation. The work proceeded urgently and in the strictest secrecy.
For safety purposes, the tunnels were dug in a Y-shaped configuration deep inside the mountain, stretching about 150 meters and featuring three entrances and escape routes. The complex included sleeping quarters, a meeting room, and a food storage bunker, while outside were a kitchen, guard post, communication trenches, and other facilities. Completed in December 1967, the tunnel complex became the headquarters of the Tri-Thien-Hue Military Command. Numerous important meetings were held here, helping determine key decisions for the 1968 Mau Than Campaign on the Tri-Thien-Hue battlefield. The site also served as a bridge between the Central authorities’ strategic directives and the realities of the battlefield. Many senior Party and State leaders visited and worked here during this period.
Mr. Duong Dinh Bon guided us through the passageways of the recently restored Y-shaped tunnels, showing us where the meeting room and sleeping quarters were, where hammocks were hung, and where food was stored for times when going outside was not possible. In reality, however, these so-called “rooms” were merely niches dug into the tunnel walls. The highest point was less than 2.5 meters, and the widest section measured just 3 meters, including the passageway, enclosed by rock walls.
Pointing to one of the “rooms,” he recalled: “This was where Comrade Tong Hoang Nguyen worked and rested. At the time, he was Head of the Hue City Security Division and Deputy Head of the Tri-Thien Regional Party Committee’s Security Division. I was 16 then, serving as a liaison officer for the Huong Tra District Party Committee, so I occasionally passed through here and met him.” Comrade Tong Hoang Nguyen was among the leaders who directly commanded the security, police, and armed reconnaissance forces throughout the Mau Than Campaign in the Imperial City of Hue.
“Entering the tunnels was no easy matter. Another liaison officer and I were permitted to stay only in a bunker next to the tunnel complex. We could enter when there was work to be done, but only in designated areas. We were not free to go wherever we wanted,” Mr. Bon recalled, leading us to a model of the Hoang Cam kitchen used by the Huong Tra District Party Committee in 1968–1969. “Absolute secrecy was required in the tunnel area, guided by the motto: ‘Move without leaving a trace, cook without smoke, speak without a sound.’ Hoang Cam kitchens were set up at every entrance to the tunnels to prepare meals for each unit or group stationed inside. Everything was shielded by the surrounding forest. Under normal conditions, people remained outside, but at any sign of danger, everyone would retreat into the bunkers and tunnels. Even I did not know exactly how many people were staying here,” Mr. Bon continued.
The veteran went on to recount more memories, showing us the essential facilities that once surrounded the tunnel complex, including a hospital and communication trenches. He said that in August 1968, he was ordered to leave the area and had no further knowledge of what happened afterward.
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| Inside the tunnel (veteran Duong Dinh Ham, in the white shirt, points out an area of the tunnel) |
Red address in peacetime
After national reunification, Khe Trai Tunnels lay largely forgotten deep in the forests and mountains west of the city. It was not until the early 1990s that authorities and a number of veterans in Huong Tra District began a determined search for the tunnel complex. By that time, the site was nearly lost beneath the overgrowth.
In 1996, the Tri-Thien-Hue Regional Party Committee’s tunnel complex was recognized by the State as a national-level revolutionary historical relic. After several restoration and enhancement projects, the site was completed in 2022 and put into operation, featuring a range of attractions, including a memorial stele house, a historical-site information board, a guard bunker, a Hoang Cam kitchen, a scenic rest pavilion, and an artillery position.
The relic is managed by the Hue City Museum of History. It is also a “red address” for educating younger generations about revolutionary traditions, regularly used by localities such as Huong Tra Ward and Binh Dien Commune for young people, students, officials, public employees, and workers in the area. Binh Dien Commune has also incorporated the relic into tours exploring the hydropower reservoir and its surrounding ecosystems, drawing considerable interest.
Nguyen Thi Huy, Vice Chairwoman of the Huong Tra Ward People’s Committee, home to the Tri-Thien-Hue Regional Party Committee’s tunnel complex, said that Huong Tra Ward, Binh Dien Commune, and the Hue City Museum of History will soon step up coordination in promoting the site’s cultural and historical values, with the aim of bringing the relic to a wider public.
Standing amid the vast mountains and forests, we could only begin to imagine what those years were like on this land. But our pride and admiration are genuine, for a generation of forebears who silently sacrificed, endured hardship and deprivation, and gave their lives to secure freedom for generations to come.
As we departed from the tunnel complex, the words of veteran Duong Dinh Bon remained with us: “This tunnel complex is but a small part of the great struggle for national liberation across the country, including the struggle waged by the people and armed forces of Hue. That is why we must be grateful !”