Vietnamese heroic mother Nguyen Thi Lanh in Tan Thong Hoi commune is now 95 years old. When ever there are visitors, she always gives them a warm and hospitable welcome. Sitting on a wooden plank-bed, she was chewing at leisure a quid of betel and areca nut, telling us about the wars and life.

Joining in the revolution at the time of the resistance war against the French, she and her husband Luu Van Dau, took an active part in revolutionary activities. They patiently motivated the masses, established local revolutionary bases, dug tunnels, and hid and protected revolutionary cadres. In 1941, her husband was arrested in a white-terror campaign, banished to Con Dao (Paulo Condor) prison and was killed there. Since then, the vindictive hatred for the enemy and the love for the country further fortified her undaunted will.

She brought up her children alone, rebuilt revolutionary bases and led the women’s movement in Phuoc Vinh An commune for many years. During the anti-US struggle, braving all difficulties and hardships she conducted clandestine activities behind the district chief’s palace and encouraged the villagers to fight and do good for the revolution. At noon on April 29, 1975 , the liberation day of Cu Chi, she bravely hoisted up the flag on the police station in front of the enemy’s blockhouse in Cu Chi district where the statue of “Cu Chi- the steel land and bronze rampart” is now erected.

Over the two resistance wars, Vietnamese heroic mother Nguyen Thi Lanh suffered untold sacrifices and losses: all her three beloved sons laid down their lives for national independence at their young ages. They were Luu Van Meo, an engineer of Hoc Mon arsenal, Luu Van Soan, an assistant for agitation and propaganda among enemy troops in the South Political Bureau and To Van Duc, a platoon leader of Battalion 7. But she held back her feelings and continued working for the revolution.

Vietnamese heroic mother Do Thi Toc, 78 years old, in Phuoc Hiep commune, has two children, a son and a daughter, who sacrificed their lives in the resistance war against the American aggressors. When her children decided to join the revolution, she felt deeply grieved for them but not dissuade them with a simple thought: “When the country is invaded, it is a must to struggle for regaining the power without fearing death”. Her martyred eldest daughter, Le Thi Chau, deputy-leader of a militia squad died in a raid at the age of 20 and her son Le Minh Cao sacrificed his life when he and his buddies attacked the enemy’s military post when he was 22 years old.

She herself joined in the revolution during the two wars against the French and American invaders. She travelled on her bare feet supplying arms, foods and medicines to armymen and guerillas and working as a messenger. She was arrested twice and tortured barbarously for several months but she stilt kept fast to her faithfulness.

After the South was liberated, she continued working and contributing to the national construction and defence. She is always proud of her children. Though several decades have passed by the images of her two children in their last meeting at a revolutionary base in a forest are still fresh in her mind.

Story: Van Quy - Photo: Quang Minh nbsp;nbsp;