Con Tau Weapons Receiving Wharf relic area is located in Con Egg hamlet, Truong Long Hoa commune, Duyen Hai district, 60 km southeast of Tra Vinh city center. This is not only a traditional educational address for the young generation but also a potential tourist attraction for Duyen Hai town, along with Ba Dong tourist area and wind power to create a continuous cultural and tourism cluster. of the Coastal Sea - Tra Vinh.
Gate of Con Tau weapons reception area relic site. Photo: Ngoc Nhung
In July 1959, to provide resources for the Southern revolution in the war against America to save the country, the Politburo decided to establish a military transport unit at sea - Group 759 (later changed to Group 125). By early 1961, the Central Government issued instructions to provinces including Ba Ria, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, and Ca Mau to prepare yards and organize ships to the North to explore routes to transport weapons to the South. In Tra Vinh province, Comrade Tran Van Long - Secretary of the Tra Vinh Provincial Party Committee directed the selection of brave, courageous officers with seafaring experience, preparing boats for the trip across the sea to the North.
Memorial stele of the Ho Chi Minh Trail relic on the sea. Photo: Ngoc Nhung
At exactly 5:00 p.m. on August 3, 1961, the boat carrying seven comrades set sail from Khau Phuc beach. Comrade Le Van Hoa (Bay Hoa) was seasick so he had to stay. The remaining six brothers on the boat agreed to draw lots to give each person a new name according to the slogan "United to fight for victory" in order to be determined to carry out the assigned tasks, including: Tran Van Mao (Ba Doan) , Nguyen Van Khuong (Tam Ket), Phan Van Le (Hai Dau), Le Van Long (Hai Tranh), Ho Duc Thang (Bay Thang), Ngo Van Toi (Bay Loi).
The boat traveled for two days, when it reached Nha Trang, it encountered a storm and eight days later it got lost in Macau, China (at that time a Portuguese colony). At 10 p.m. on August 15, 1961, the boat was taken by a Chinese border guard ship to Du Hai district - Guangzhou, then our consulate organized it to take it back to Hanoi by train to meet with Uncle Ho to report back. During the process of crossing the sea, Uncle Ho gave each person a P38 gun.
In September 1962, comrade Pham Thai Buong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Committee of the Southern Department, decided to establish Group 962 to manage the weapons receiving ports in the provinces. Tra Vinh wharf is directly in charge of comrade Le Van Sen (Nam Sen) - Deputy Political Commissar of Group 162.
A corner of the house displays the Con Tau weapons reception station. Photo: Ngoc Nhung
At this time, the Tra Vinh Provincial Party Committee decided to choose two coastal communes, Truong Long Hoa and Long Vinh, in Duyen Hai district (now communes: Truong Long Hoa and Dan Thanh in Duyen Hai town; Dong Hai and Long Vinh communes). in Duyen Hai district) to open a weapons receiving station. Ben cluster 1 is in the area of Rach Co - La Ghi, wharf cluster 2 is in the area of Phuoc Thien, Ho Tau, Khau Lau, Lang Nuoc. These areas are revolutionary bases and are always the target of enemy attacks, so hiding and transporting weapons is extremely difficult.
On March 17, 1963, Tra Vinh Wharf received the first train into Phuoc Thien Wharf. With a terrain of interlaced rivers and mangrove forests with many low trees, ships with large tonnage could be pressed into to camouflage, and the ship was safely hidden. Next was the second trip to Lang Nuoc airport carrying 70 tons of weapons. From 1963 to 1966, Tra Vinh Wharf welcomed 16 trips with 689 tons of cargo. Con Tau Port alone welcomed 10 flights, of which in 1963 welcomed 4 flights, in 1964 welcomed 6 flights.
Although operating for only a short time, Tra Vinh Wharf is an important link of the Ho Chi Minh maritime route and Con Tau Wharf is the focus of that important link. In 2004, Con Tau Weapons Receiving Wharf was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a national historical and cultural relic. By 2010, the Con Tau Weapons Receiving Wharf relic area was invested in construction and put into operation with an area of 1.2 hectares, including a memorial stele and a house displaying images and artifacts associated with the soldiers' victories. Tra Vinh's army and people towards the Ho Chi Minh Road at sea.
Visiting the relic site, visitors can light incense sticks to commemorate the heroic martyrs who died while on duty on the Ho Chi Minh maritime route, visit the Exhibition House, and look at the Memorial Stele rising high in the sky. The new sunlight reminds us of the victories of the past and the resilient fighting tradition of our ancestors in the struggle for national liberation.
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