A place to remember

The national relic of Dong Loc, an intersection of Tro Voi, Mui Mac and Moi mountains in Can Loc District, Ha Tinh Province, is not a popular destination for tourists.

Most of the visitors are locals and veterans who go there to burn incense and remember ten young heroines, Vo Thi Tan, Ho Thi Cuc, Nguyen Thi Nho, Ha Thi Xanh, Tran Thi Rang, Nguyen Thi Xuan, Vo Thi Ha, Tran Thi Huong, Vo Thi Hoi, and Duong Thi Xuan.

During the American war the Dong Loc intersection was a vital artery of transportation connecting the North and the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The ten girls were among thousands of people who fought to keep it open.

On 24 July 1968 a bomb fell killing all the girls. The Vietnamese honored these girls as heroes. They have been the subject of documentary films and a movie.

When the war ended, Dong Loc intersection became a historic relic. A victory statue, square, mini museum, soldiers' relics and the graves of the ten heroes, among others, are located here, covered by a beautiful pine forest.

While we were there two men and a woman came. It was noon and the sun was burning hot, but the couple stayed to pray at the memorial site. One man, who was in battledress, stood for a long time by the graves, slowly offering incense at every grave.

The woman who cleans the relics said that the 10 graves are always covered with incense. One visitor has also planted flowers and placed a palm-leaf conical hat on the girls' graves. Some of visitors cry when they hear tour guides about the history of what happened here, about the girls about the war.

Dong Loc intersection relic can reached by taxi or motorbike from Vinh airport in Vinh City.