A New Dawn in Heroic Lands
Returning to Tan Trao this autumn, we were deeply moved by the new rhythm of life. Smooth concrete roads now wind through the hills, connecting once-remote hamlets with ease. Traditional stilt houses, long cherished as family homes, now also welcome visitors retracing the nation’s revolutionary past on heritage tours imbued with memory. Tan Trao today reflects a profound transformation with improved infrastructure, sturdier homes, and a stronger, more vibrant economy.
Tan Trao in Tuyen Quang Province, once known as the “Capital of the Liberation” and later as the “Capital of the Resistance,” holds a special place in the nation’s history. It was here, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, that in the autumn of 1945 the Vietnamese people rose as one to carry out the glorious August Revolution. Just weeks later, on September 2 at Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, founding the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, today the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Hoang Ngoc, 88, the “chronicler” of Tan Lap Hamlet in Tan Trao Commune, still vividly recalls the day he met Uncle Ho and witnessed the electrifying atmosphere of the August 1945 General uprising. In his memory, on August 16, 1945, at the Tan Trao Communal House, Uncle Ho and the Party Central Committee convened the National Congress with 60 delegates representing political parties, patriotic organizations, ethnic groups, and religious communities from across the country and overseas. The congress made historic decisions: to unite the entire population in a general uprising to seize power; to establish the National Liberation Committee of Vietnam as the provisional government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; to elect Ho Chi Minh as President; and to adopt the red flag with a golden star as the national flag and Tien Quan Ca (Marching Song) by late composer Van Cao as the national anthem.
Giang Tuan Anh, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People’s Council of Tan Trao Commune, said, “Tan Trao is proud to be the first commune in Tuyen Quang Province to meet the standards of new rural development. Following the administrative merger that created the new commune, despite many challenges, our Party Committee, local authorities, and residents have remained steadfast in upholding our revolutionary tradition, united in determination to build a more prosperous, modern, and beautiful homeland”.
In the first six months of 2025, the Tan Trao Special National Relic Site welcomed more than 5,000 visitors from both Vietnam and abroad - an impressive figure that reflects the strong appeal of this historic destination. Along with tourism development, the commune has been restructuring its agriculture, introducing new crops and livestock, and applying science and technology to improve productivity and quality. These efforts are creating sustainable livelihoods for local residents and serve as clear evidence of the steady transformation and daily progress of a land rich in revolutionary tradition.
The war has long been over, and Quang Tri - once a land of blood and fire, now blossoms in the flowers of peace, carrying within it the aspiration to rise in freedom, prosperity, and strength.
If Tan Trao was the “Capital of the Resistance” during the August Revolution of 1945, then Quang Tri became the northern socialist frontline and the vital rear base for the southern battlefield - a “land of fire” during the resistance war against America.
The Geneva Agreement on Vietnam, signed in 1954, divided the country into North and South, with the 17th parallel - demarcated by the Ben Hai River in Quang Tri, serving as the temporary boundary. The Hien Luong Bridge across the river became a poignant symbol of the nation’s 20-year separation and its enduring aspiration for reunification.
During the war years, the small province of Quang Tri endured unimaginable pain and devastation. Its place etched not only in Vietnam’s history but also in the annals of modern warfare, among them the 17th parallel, Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai River, Thach Han River, the McNamara Line, Khe Sanh, Route 9, Con Tien, Doc Mieu, Con Co Island, Vinh Linh, and the Vinh Moc Tunnels.
Most haunting of all is the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel - an area of less than 3km2 that, over 81 days and nights in 1972, was bombed by American forces with a volume of explosives equivalent to seven Hiroshima sized atomic bombs.
After the war, 95% of Quang Tri’s villages lay in ruins, and more than 80% of its land was contaminated with unexploded ordnance. Yet, against all odds, the province rose from the ashes, gradually overcoming the scars of conflict to rebuild its economy, society, and way of life. In June 2025, Quang Tri entered a new chapter with its merger with neighboring Quang Binh, marking a strategic turning point in its long-term vision to become a major economic hub of Vietnam’s north-central region.
With the East-West Economic Corridor and a network of international border gates at Lao Bao, La Lay, and Cha Lo seamlessly connected to the North-South Expressway, the Ho Chi Minh Highway, Dong Hoi Airport, and soon Quang Tri Airport, the North-South high-speed railway, and the deep-water seaports of My Thuy and Hon La, Quang Tri is poised to become a strategic gateway linking Vietnam with ASEAN. Positioned as a vital bridge between the mainland and the sea, the province is emerging as a comprehensive economic and logistics hub, ready to embrace global trade and investment.
Quang Tri also holds immense potential in renewable energy, particularly wind and solar power, while its coastal landscapes, biodiversity, and revolutionary heritage offer strong prospects for tourism development, from beach resorts to eco-tourism, wildlife exploration, and cultural journeys that honor its historic legacy.
From its days as the command center of the southern revolution to its present role as a dynamic hub of trade, industry, and high-tech agriculture, Tay Ninh stands as a testament to resilience and renewal, advancing in step with the nation into a new era of growth and integration.
During both the resistance wars against the French and the Americans, Tay Ninh played a pivotal role as the strategic base of the southern revolution. In March 1951, deep within its forests, the First Plenary Session of the Second Party Central Committee established the Central Office for South Vietnam, with comrade Le Duan as Secretary.
For nearly a quarter of a century, the Central Office for South Vietnam became the capital of the southern revolution, a place of arduous struggle, profound sacrifice, yet immense pride for many of the Party’s senior leaders, along with countless cadres and soldiers, during the nation’s resistance against American aggression across the South, especially on the fierce battlefields of the Mekong Delta.
Today, deep within the primeval forest of Chang Riec, the Special National Historical Site of the Central Office for South Vietnam base still stands preserved in its entirety, with leaf roofed huts, hidden shelters, and an interlinked network of tunnels bearing witness to those historic years.
Not far away, Ba Den Mountain, the “roof of Southern Vietnam”, rises majestically from the plains, now crowned with one of the world’s most modern cable car systems. From its heights, visitors ascend into a sea of clouds that enfolds the radiant 72-m-tall statue of the Bodhisattva, aglow in the morning light, a soaring symbol of Tay Ninh’s spiritual heritage and its rising aspirations.
Modern Tay Ninh has emerged as a vital gateway for trade between Vietnam and Cambodia, extending its reach deep into the wider ASEAN market. At the Moc Bai International Border Gate, on the bustling artery linking Ho Chi Minh City with Phnom Penh, the rhythm of cross-border commerce grows stronger each day. Along National Highway 22, warehouses and logistics hubs rise in succession, while the planned free trade zone promises to transform Moc Bai into a strategic transshipment center of regional significance. With its revolutionary past as foundation and its border economy as engine, Tay Ninh is writing a new chapter - one of openness, prosperity, and integration.
Today, Tay Ninh also shines as an industrial hub of the southeast region. The Phuoc Dong - Boi Loi and Trang Bang industrial parks have hundreds of domestic and international enterprises, with strengths in processing, electronics, textiles, and renewable energy.
Along with industry, Tay Ninh remains the South’s agricultural heartland, known for sugarcane, cassava, and rubber. In recent years, the province has pivoted toward high-tech agriculture. Gleaming white net houses now stretch across the fields, sheltering cherry tomatoes, melons, and bell peppers nurtured by advanced Israeli drip-irrigation systems. Such models are spreading across the province, helping Tay Ninh’s farm produce reach international markets.
By Tuan Long, Thanh Hoa, Hoang Ha, Viet Cuong, Thong Hai, Nguyen Luan/VNP & Files
Translated By Nguyen Tuoi