Return day
In the morning at Tam Co Cave (Thuong Trach commune, Quang Tri province), the mist is still hazy in the mountain pass. Stone steps leading to the cave entrance quietly welcome the footsteps of pilgrims. In front of the cave entrance that was once bombed by American bombs, now there is a common grave - simple, quiet, but sacred to the point of choking. Among them, the remains, artifacts and DNA test samples of the martyrs who have just been gathered have been buried, closing a journey of more than half a century of searching and waiting.
More than 53 years ago, on November 14, 1972, in the midst of the fierce bombing of the US Air Force on Route 20 Quyet Thang, 8 youth volunteers and 5 artillery soldiers bravely sacrificed while on duty to ensure traffic. Bombs rained down, buried the cave entrance, buried their youth deep in the cold stone. But what bombs and bullets could not bury was the indomitable spirit and the ideal of "swinging the Truong Son range to save the country".
Time passes, the war recedes, but memories of Hang Tam Co have never faded. The place that was once a tragic battlefield has now become a "red address" of gratitude. Each group of people who come, each incense stick lit up, is a silent reminder: the blood and bones of our fathers and brothers have made peace today.
In 2025, Quang Tri province completed the renovation items of the special national relic Hang Tam Co. The project is not only a landscape embellishment, but also a deep dialogue between the present and the past. During the construction of the cave entrance area, which was once bombed and collapsed in the past, the construction unit discovered more martyrs' remains and many remaining artifacts. Fragments of bones, small memorabilia lying silently in the heart of the earth and rocks, as if still waiting for a day to be named.
Immediately after that, functional agencies coordinated with the martyr's family to conduct verification and DNA testing from socialized sources. The results matched the relatives. That is not only the accuracy of science, but also the integrity of morality. According to the family's wishes, the remains are buried in a common grave right at the cave entrance, where the brothers and sisters fell, so that Truong Son will remember them for generations to come.
The communal tomb is designed in a traditional style, using materials brought back from the homeland of the martyrs, like a closed circle of gratitude. The relic space is renovated in an ecological direction, harmonizing with nature, keeping the necessary tranquility of a sacred place. There, there is no ostentation, only the depth of history and the sincerity of the living.
Red address
On the inauguration day of the restoration project, many relatives of martyrs quietly stood in front of the cave entrance, tears mixed with mountain dew. Ms. Mai Thi Lien, younger sister of artillery martyr Mai Duc Hung, choked up and said that she felt her brother lying here. "The DNA results have proven that. For my family, this is very satisfying," she said, her voice trembling amidst the sound of the forest wind.
Mr. Sam Van Anh, grandson of martyr Sam Van Mac, recounted that for many years, the family has regularly returned to this place. This restoration, the discovery of more remains of the deceased uncle is unexpected. "That is good news in great emotion. We feel the thoughtfulness, responsibility and kindness of all levels and forces working to express gratitude," he said.
Tam Co Cave today no longer echoes with the sound of bombs, but still echoes with stories of the past. That narrow and deep cave has become a witness to immortality, where youth turns into a flame shining throughout history. The common grave is not only a place of rest for martyrs, but also a symbol for tens of thousands of soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline civilian laborers who have remained on the majestic Truong Son range.
Route 20 Quyet Thang, the vital road that was fiercely attacked in the period 1966-1973, has been imbued with the blood, sweat and tears of many people. It is on that road that courage and comradeship have created a heroic and tragic epic of the nation. "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", that truth was written by the lives of young people at Tam Co Cave.
Today, when the country is peaceful, those who are alive continue to shoulder the mission of preserving historical memories, promoting revolutionary heroic traditions. The restoration of relics, gathering and burial of martyrs is not only a responsibility to the past, but also a reminder to the present and future: this peace is exchanged for invaluable sacrifice.
Each incense stick offered to Tam Co Cave is not just a memorial, but a promise to history that that sacrifice will never be forgotten. In the silence of the mountains and forests, the common grave at the cave entrance quietly tells the story of people who have transformed into immortals, so that the country today can live in peace, so that the country will last forever.
