Meet the person who "guards" memories
Just a few dozen kilometers from Hanoi capital, Hang Nha relic is located in the grounds of Phuong Hoang Golf Course, in Rong Vong hamlet, Lam Son commune, Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province. From the main gate of the golf course, the bon bon truck runs on a plastic road, in the middle of the vast grass field. Going about 1 km deep, Hang Nha Nhat is located in the center of the golf course, at the foot of the towering limestone mountain. According to local people, previously at the location of Hang Nha Gia, there was rugged terrain with deep streams, making travel quite difficult. But that is an important factor to ensure safety against enemy sweeping.
Today, the relic is still quite intact. No longer the image of dense trees as told by the people of Rong Vong hamlet, in front of Hang Nha is now a green golf course with lush grass. Above the cliff in front of the cave is a sign "A2 Facility, Nhan Dan Newspaper", with general information about this relic. The content is that this place, when the resistance war against the US to save the country entered a fierce period (1965 - 1972), was approved by the Party Central Committee and the Editorial Board of Nhan Dan Newspaper to direct the construction of an imprint and a reserve printing workshop (A2 facility). This facility consists of 2 places, which is the Compository Area located next to Hang Ho. Hang Nha bao (the name given by local people) is the place where the printing house is located.
Mr. Pham Anh Quy, Vice Chairman of Lam Son Commune People's Committee shared: According to historical records, Hang Nha center has two printers, inside are generators and printing materials. Outside the cave entrance, there is a book foundation, a paper warehouse, a photo pressing and editing room, a book arranging house and a logistics area. There are still traces of concrete foundations for printing machines and the inscription on the stone pot "Chong My save the country 65 - 72", carved by a worker at the Hanoi Nhan Dan Newspaper Printing Factory.
The courtyard is next to Hang Ho, about 1 km from Hang Nha. There are many rows of bamboo houses with thatched roofs as accommodation and work for reporters and information groups. The information team is responsible for ensuring information to the central government in case the main facility in Hanoi is bombed by US aircraft and cannot operate. Notably, among the four people selected for protection duties, there are Mr. Nguyen Van Dau and Nguyen Quang Chinh, both local people.
"Currently, there is still Mr. Dau, but his health has been very weak for the past few years, I don't know if the journalists can continue the story," informed the Vice Chairman of Lam Son Commune People's Committee. Fortunately, we still had the opportunity to talk to the only remaining one of the four Guardians of Hang Nha Thong Nhat at that time. Mr. Nguyen Van Dau, turns 80 years old this year. In the past five years, his health has declined significantly due to a disease related to bones and joints. He has only been up for a few days now, and has been lying in one place for almost a month, his wife shared.
Despite his poor health, Mr. Dau was still willing to share about his days of participating in the task of protecting the Hang Nha Nha relic. He said that at that time, the policy was to select two officers in the press agency and two local people to protect the place where the press press and printing equipment were located. Among them were comrades Vo Van Cat and Tran Chuoc from Hanoi, while he and Mr. Nguyen Quang Chinh were local people. "At that time, we were young people aged only 20 - 21, so we were quite agile, familiar with the terrain, knew all the strangers and acquaintances, so we were assigned tasks. That is my pride, Mr. Dau shared.
According to Mr. Dau, in 1965, Chinese printers were moved to three consecutive caves. The printing system at that time was very massive. Running a newspaper requires more than 300 people, divided into many groups: Writing, editing photos, editing articles, Morating, molds, printing, electrical teams... Each time, about 50-60 people from Hanoi come to A2 facility to test the machine for 2-3 days to ensure readiness. "Although Nhan Dan newspaper has not been officially printed, facility 2 has prepared conditions to be ready to print newspapers if facility 1 is shelled by enemy aircraft and cannot operate. In 1972, during the 12-day and night of B-52 aircraft destroying Hanoi, the court forces prepared to evacuate quite a lot, Mr. Dau added.
Red address of a journalist
Over the past 60 years, the land of Muong has changed hands more and more. The Hang Gio relic still retains its historical value. In 2019, Hang Nha Nhat was ranked by the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic. Not only is it a red address for journalists, this relic is also the pride of the people of Muong - Hoa Binh. Ms. Phuong, a waitress at Phuong Hoang Golf Course, has been serving at Phuong Hoang Golf Course for over 10 years. She is a daughter of Hoa Binh, who took us to visit the Hang Nha Nha relic. On the way, Ms. Phuong shared: Many golfers who first came here were very surprised. They did not think that there would be such a historical relic in the middle of a resort. As a child of Hoa Binh, I feel very proud that my hometown has made such a silent contribution to the resistance war.
Under the moss and time, the cave entrance is still dark and deep. Some stone holes are still printed with traces that were drilled to install machinery support racks. It is not difficult to imagine that this place was once ready to become the silent heart of revolutionary information. Where there are journalists, even if they do not wear military ranks, they stand side by side with the country with flexible lines like bullets, said Ms. Thu Hang, reporter of Hoa Binh Newspaper, in response to the generation of young journalists when visiting this red address.
Mr. Pham Anh Quy, Vice Chairman of Lam Son Commune People's Committee, affirmed: "Although located in the project area, Hang Nha Gian is still a relic ranked at the provincial level. The commune and the district always identify this as a relic that needs to be protected, preserved and its value promoted".
In the midst of peacetime, journalists today can operate on modern computers, reporting online in a rush. But to have that modern journalism journey, it is a whole past that has been sacrificed, overcoming harsh circumstances. And Hang Giao, in the mountains and forests of Lam Son in Muong Hoa Binh, is a witness to that steadfastness.
