The parade and parade to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2 brought people across the country unforgettable national pride. At that important event, there were people who silently told their lives. Every story, every journey is a vivid testament to the love of homeland and country.
"I have traveled through each province and city, stopping to burn incense at the martyrs' cemetery"
Ms. Ho Ngoc Thuy (40 years old) and Mr. Truong Quang Thai (43 years old) told us the story of their cycling journey of more than 2,000 km from Can Tho to Hanoi to watch the parade and parade. The journey of the couple was simple when their assets included only two rudimentary bicycles, a few sets of rustic Mrs. Ba's shirts, and some essential household items.
However, they persevere together, following each wheel, embracing both faith and aspiration. "It was just a dream, but my husband and I have really realized it," Ms. Thuy shared.
Ms. Thuy said that her family has a revolutionary tradition. Her grandmother used to raise soldiers during the resistance war, but she has been dead for 5 years. While alive, she had never been to Hanoi and had never visited Uncle Ho's Mausoleum at Ba Dinh Square.
"My family wanted to visit Uncle Ho once. Once, the locality organized to take foster mothers to visit soldiers, but their grandmother was weak and could not go. A few years later, my grandmother passed away, carrying that expectation. Now at home, there are still 4th grade war invalids and aunt who used to work as a bridge user, but both are old and weak," said Ms. Thuy.
This time, she and her husband decided to go to Hanoi on behalf of their family, bringing her grandmother's portrait to fulfill her great wish of her life - to visit Uncle Ho.
This trip, the couple chose a bicycle instead of a train or plane, a journey of more than 2,000 km. Ms. Thuy said that in their young age, her grandparents and grandfather often told stories about the resistance war, the soldiers mainly ran, swam boats to gathering points and battle zones.
"At that time, I didn't fully understand what I heard, but now I understand it very well. I chose to ride a bicycle to partly experience the hardships of my ancestors in the past. When I carried my own feet through the slope and crossed the pass, I felt all that hardship and appreciated more what the previous generation had sacrificed," said Ms. Thuy.
The bicycle accompanying Ms. Thuy on her journey across Vietnam, although old and with peeling paint, is still sturdy and durable. On the basket, she posted a red flag with a yellow star, along with a small backpack. In the feast, she raised the getter to bring her grandmother's portrait to offer incense at Uncle Ho's Mausoleum.
The most special thing for the couple is to visit and burn incense at many martyrs' cemeteries. "Cicling across the country, we had the opportunity to stop in front of the mausoleum of heroic martyrs. Every time I offer incense, I feel like I am empowered," she said.
She was moved to know that in Quang Tri, the old Quang Binh (now under Quang Tri), almost every commune has a martyrs cemetery, with many graves that have not been identified.
"Every place we pass through, we remember more historical milestones, the number of soldiers who have fallen to bring peace to the country and the nation.
We also better understand the comradeship and teamwork that the living have for the deceased. There, the goalkeepers, most of whom are veterans, are quietly volunteering to take care of thousands of graves, sweeping and burning incense every day," Ms. Thuy said emotionally.
According to Ms. Thuy, the couple saved the money to celebrate their wedding anniversary, instead of traveling, they decided to send it to the respondence Temple Fund. She said that her uncle and aunt were rewarded by the Temple Fund for building a house of gratitude on the land left by their grandmother.
To get to Hanoi on the day of National Day on September 2, she and her husband cycled all day and night, despite the challenges along the road. There were days in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa when it rained heavily due to the impact of storm No. 5, with white water in many areas. When arriving in Thanh Hoa, her husband advised her to rest for a day and wait for the rain to stop and then continue.
"I told my husband to just step around and take temporary shelter when there is a strong wind, and only then can I get to Hanoi on September 2," she recalled. Both of them kept rushing steadfastly, traveling nearly 70 km every day, overcoming hardships to get back to Hanoi - during the Fatherland's happy days.
When arriving in Hanoi on September 2, the couple burst into emotions. All the streets and corners of the street are covered with flags and flowers. The moment she sat in the midst of the Hanoi people, watching the army walk through Ba Dinh Square, through roads such as Hung Vuong, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ms. Thuy emotionally burst into tears.
"I couldn't hold back my tears. In each wheel I have absorbed the hardship and loss of our ancestors. Witnessing the parade, I feel happy and proud to be Vietnamese. Young people like us want to contribute a small part to make life more meaningful, expressing the spirit of North - South gathering together as a family", Ms. Thuy choked up.
Veterans wear the rain to tell the story of ancient battlefields
Hanoi weather during the days of preliminary and final inspections of parades and parades with rain. But not afraid of the rain and wind, Mr. Doan Xuan Dien (Hai Phong city) and his wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam, are still determined to go to Hanoi from the evening of August 29, to wait for the rehearsal ceremony to take place on the morning of August 30.
Both of them were soldiers, going through a fierce bomb and bullet war together, and now, when the country is at peace and independent, together they come to the capital, witnessing a historic moment of the country.
"I feel excited, maybe this is the last time in my life to attend the important festival of the country. Therefore, despite the rain and wind, we still try to encourage each other to return to the capital Hanoi," said Ms. Lam.
For the soldier of the Xuan Dien Group, on the days of the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2, memories of the old battlefield flooded back, making him feel old and proud.
He said that on the Southern battlefield in 1975, he did not go directly to the battlefield or face the enemy, but he was assigned a special mission as a "report reporter". The work is specific, but extremely important.
"My task is to communicate, convert numbers into signals, and transmit them to radio transmitters. The unit received, decoded and transferred the commander," said Mr. Dien.
According to him, this work is difficult and requires accuracy, because if only the correct encoding of a character is not translated by teammates. In addition, this task also requires timely information transmission, absolute accuracy, ensuring confidentiality and safety for the recipient, unit, and recipient.
At nearly 70 years old, Mr. Dien said that although his health was not very good, with his wife's encouragement, he still tried to go and witness the joyful atmosphere of the whole country celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2.
"We became friends on the battlefield, even though each person fought in one place, then came together, determined to be partners, together witnessed the historic moment of the country," Mr. Dien expressed.
He said that after the parade and parade ends, he will stay in Hanoi to visit some historical sites and famous places in Hanoi such as the Military History Museum, Hoa Lo Prison, and Thang Long Imperial Citadel. He will also visit his former teammates who are currently living in Hanoi.
