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| Truong Son transport vehicles carried troops, weapons, food, and supplies from the North toward Saigon. Photo: Archive - Vietnam News Agency (VNA) |
Ho A Nun - The Champion Porter
With the mission of being a “bridge” between North and South and directly supporting the Tri Thien Hue battlefield with manpower and resources, the section of the Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Trail passing through Western Thua Thien Hue stretched nearly 400km with over 100 bridges and culverts, passing through A Luoi, Phong Dien, Nam Dong, and Phu Loc districts.
To construct and protect the Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Trail, the vital route through Thua Thien Hue province, thousands of people participated in transporting weapons, food, together military vehicles on routes 71, 72, 73, 74 from the mountains to the plains, contributing to the great victory in Spring 1975. A Luoi district alone contributed 33,837 tons of food and supplies during the resistance against America, with the participation of tens of thousands of civilian workers on the frontline, 577 martyrs, 1,018 wounded soldiers, thousands of meritorious families, 8,296 revolutionary participants, and 2,011 soldiers.
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| Working together to quickly move vehicles through muddy terrain. Photo: Archive – VNA |
On these challenging transport routes, there were outstanding achievements and great contributions from the military and people of Western Thua Thien Hue, among which the porter champion Ho A Nun must be mentioned.
Ho A Nun (1944-2023) was born in Hong Bac commune, A Luoi district, a son of the Pa Co ethnic group. From young age, Ho A Nun witnessed his homeland being continuously bombed by American planes, houses and forests being destroyed, and villagers being killed and wounded; these had fostered his patriotism and hatred for the enemy. This led him to join the revolution, becoming a liaison for local leaders and troops. Later, with his capabilities, A Nun was assigned as a scout in Phong Dien district. When Group 559 was established to transport ammunition and goods to support the South, A Nun volunteered to carry goods on the Truong Son route through A Luoi district.
With the spirit of “One kg of goods means one Southern compatriot spills less blood; each bullet is one enemy,” from 1961 to 1969, Ho A Nun carried 179 tons of weapons and food (equivalent to a strategic convoy). At times, he carried 192kg on his shoulders over 30km of hills, enduring bomb raids, wild animals, and particularly malaria, but he always completed his assigned tasks well, worthy of the title Hero of the People's Armed Forces awarded by the Party and State.
A Place Marking Historic Victories
The legendary road also recorded the military and people’s victory at A So airfield in 1966. A So airfield was located in Sam village, Dong Son commune, A Luoi district, 2km east of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The American imperialists built the airfield in the 1960s to strengthen their military capabilities against armed activities, particularly to disrupt the growth of the Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Trail through this area. Along with A So airfield, they also built A Co airfield in Hong Thuong commune and A Luoi airfield in A Luoi town to control the strategic corridor west of the Truong Son range and prevent the growth of the strategic Ho Chi Minh Trail between North and South.
In November 1965, at Military Region 4 Command, comrade Le Trong Tan - Deputy Chief of General Staff, directly assigned the Division 325 Command to “destroy the A So stronghold, liberate Western Thua Thien Hue, and expand the Western Tri-Thien corridor.” In December 1965, the Division marched to the battlefield. On March 10, 1966, the main force regiment coordinated with local troops and guerrillas using 120mm mortars and DKZ guns to conduct fire attacks and bombard enemy fortifications throughout the night and the next day, leaving the enemy unable to respond.
On the evening of March 10, 1966, the Front Command ordered Regiment 95 to attack and occupy the battlefield. Having lost this important strategic military position, the Americans and their allies tried everything to sabotage it. They concentrated their military forces, including chemical weapons, Agent Orange, and defoliants to destroy revolutionary forces. From August 1965 to December 1970, A Luoi experienced 256 chemical warfare missions, whose toxic residues still have consequences today. A So became a place marking our military and people’s victories in A Luoi, while also being evidence of American imperial crimes, reminding today’s generations to cherish the achievements of generations of fallen ancestors.
Throughout 21 years of resistance against American aggression, the ethnic people of Thua Thien Hue, under the Party’s leadership, wholeheartedly followed the Party and Uncle Ho, contributing manpower and resources to the battlefield. These silent achievements greatly contributed to building, fighting, and protecting the Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Trail system through Thua Thien Hue province, an area that served as both a direct rear base and gateway to the route, a place that honorably carried a heavy historical mission, maintaining transportation lifelines, securing a crucial strategic corridor, and channeling the strength of the great socialist North to the heroic Southern front. Thua Thien Hue was also where, along with the entire country, much sweat and blood was shed to create and develop this route until the complete victory of the resistance against America and national salvation.