The Hien Luong-Ben Hai historical relic site is located in Vinh Thanh, Vinh Giang, Vinh Son Communes and Cua Tung Town of Vinh Linh District and Trung Hai Commune of Gio Linh District, Quang Tri Province. Whenever Hien Luong Bridge is mentioned, people on both banks of Vinh Linh-Gio Linh Districts in Quang Tri province all feel moved.
Hien Luong Bridge is now a historical relic and a symbol of the desire for peace, the will to unify the country and the national pride that always exists in the hearts of every Vietnamese person.
It took 21 years of long resistance war with countless losses and sacrifices of soldiers and people, Vietnam regained independence and unified the country in the spring of 1975. Currently, the Hien Luong-Ben Hai historical site has become an attractive tourist destination, imbued with profound cultural and historical values.
With its indelible marks in the journey of fighting for independence and national unification, the relic site plays an important role in educating patriotic traditions, fostering national pride, and raising awareness of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity for present and future generations.
Recognising this important value, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 2383/QD-TTg on December 9, 2013, to rank the Hien Luong-Ben Hai historical site as a special national relic.
Throughout the Vietnamese nation's history, some rivers bear all the pain, longing, and sorrow. Ben Hai River and Hien Luong Bridge on the narrow central region carry within themselves the division of that time. The two regions were only a hair's breadth apart but had to wait wearily for the day of reunion.
Hien Luong Bridge is 183.65m long, and 5.50m wide, the traffic section is 3.20m. It was restored in 2001 and inaugurated in 2008 (the bridge was destroyed by American bombs in 1967). To preserve a historical relic, the bridge was restored according to the design of the iron bridge built by the French in 1952.
The relic site also has a Complex House restored according to the original model, which is a four-roofed stilt house, facing National Highway 1A. Hien Luong Flagpole consists of a pedestal and a flagpole. The pedestal is an architectural complex built higher than the ground level of the monument. The flagpole has a total height of 28m, made of 6 connected steel pipes.
In addition, the monument also has a loudspeaker system, and the exhibition house "Parallel 17 and the desire for unification" was built on the south bank. The exhibition house preserves 53 documents and artefacts directly related to the fight of our army and people on the banks of Hien Luong-Ben Hai during the resistance war against the US to save the country.
The "Aspiration for Unification" monument cluster is located on the south bank of Ben Hai River with an area of 2,700 square metres, consisting of two parts: the pedestal with the side of the relief, assembled from many stone blocks of different sizes; and the monument is the image of a southern mother and her son, crafted from green stone, expressing the steadfast belief of the southern people in tomorrow's victory and national unification.
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The red flag with yellow star proudly flies on Hien Luong Bridge |
Along the Hien Luong-Ben Hai relic site, there are many boat docks. Cua Tung Boat Dock (boat dock A) is located in an area of 187.6 square metres, surrounded by a fence system. The monument's memorial stele depicts the image of boats overcoming storms to transport cadres and soldiers across the river.
Tung Luat Boat Dock (boat dock B) used to stretch along a section of the river, about 150m on the north bank of Hien Luong River, in Tung Luat Village, Vinh Giang Commune. The monument has the image of boats rushing forward, regardless of all dangers, and enemy bombs, every night carrying goods and soldiers to the battlefield to fight the Americans. In addition, there are only traces of the Luy Boat Dock, which is no longer in use, as well as the Thuong Dong and Duc Duc Boat Docks.
According to the Monument Management Board, in addition to preservation and restoration, the National Reunification Festival is held here on April 30 every year. This is a unique revolutionary festival, only held in the Hien Luong-Ben Hai relic site, meeting the task of educating revolutionary traditions, attracting tourists, and contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.
