Road 20- the legendary road

The blood-soaked path of 1088 soldiers fell and thousands of TNXP soldiers left a part of their bodies here. It is a bloody road of 20 Quyet wins, 125 km long, starting from km 0 in Phong Nha village, Son Trach commune, Bo Trach province, Quang Binh province to the confluence of Lung Bang, Ang – Ngang district, Kham Muon province, Laos.
Fire coordinates

Road 20 Quyet Victory begins at milestone 0 in the South of Xuan Son ferry, Son Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh, crosses the top of Truong Son at parallel 17020 at km65 of the Vietnam-Laos border. When passing Lung Bang, the road 128 meets the shortened section connecting to Road 9, which is a focal point in the legendary HCM highway system. At exactly 17:00 on the 30th of the Lunar New Year of the Horse, 1966 the first explosion that opened the way was exploded. With more than 8,000 TNXP soldiers with a fleet of vehicles, engines and mines, breaking the completed road at a record speed, clearing the traffic on April 27, 1966. The road was named Duong 20 Quyet Victory because most of the officers and soldiers who opened the way were in their 20s. Milestone number 0 of the legendary 20 road. Photo: Xuan Nha Realizing the importance of this route, the American enemy raided them frantically. Right from Xuan Son ferry, the first point entering the road became a coordinates of fire, a bomb bag of the United States. Ferry A is Xuan Son ferry and ferry B is Nguyen Van Troi ferry located near Phong Nha cave and 4km apart, becoming two key points of fierce attack. During the day, L19 aircraft will scout and observe along the river bank. At night, C130 aircraft release parachute lights and flares all night to find targets to attack. The most severe was in May 1967, losing pain in the battlefield of the South, so the American enemy attacked more and more to cut the way for our aid. At Xuan Son ferry, they allowed aircraft to carpet bombs, drill bombs, time bombs, cluster bombs, and magnetic bombs day and night to plow to paralyze the banks. At other points on the road there was no moment of peace. The old Xuan Son ferry, now a residential ferry. Photo: Xuan Nha After a series of fierce bombs on the road, there were TNXP soldiers who rushed to patch the road for traffic for the South. Hundreds of soldiers fell in places such as: Km 0, Dong Tien slope, Tra Ang underground, Ba Thang slope, Khe Diem. In such fierce points as in the A-corner, the enemy destroyed 3,020 games (with 270 B52 matches). Following the A-line is the Ta Le underground and the Phu La Nhich pass with the length of 8km (ie the ATP key point) the enemy hit more than 10,000 times (2,450 times B52). One day, they mobilized 93 airplanes (8 B52 turns) to drop bombs on ATP. Nearly 200 officers and soldiers fell for this route to be clear. Death to clear the road In May 1967, the US imperialists sprayed bombs, making Xuan Son ferry blocked. Faced with the urgent situation of destroying the traffic bomb for the ferry terminal, Corporal Vo The Chon voluntarily opened a blood road. At 10:00 a.m. on May 16 (lunar calendar), everyone bowed their heads, wiped tears for peace for Corporal Chon during the live chorus ceremony before he stepped onto a canoe in the middle of the Son River to destroy the magnetic bomb. . The man in his 20s drove a canoe and plunged into the bombing field from the school. The canoe circled around, then two times after that there were loud explosions, ripping Son’s line with sky-high columns of water. After those loud explosions there was a silence and then all burst into the cheering applause of his comrades welcoming Corporal Chon. That brave man from Ly Hoa village has successfully completed the task. Even that night, 300 cars hurriedly passed the ferry in time to reach the South. Trang Ang intersection, street 20. Photo: Xuan Nha At Km 16 + 200 on Road 20 there was not a single day to stop the roar of enemy aircraft and the sound of bombs. Nearby, km 16.5 there is a rocky cave that when the plane crashes or raids 8 girls TNXP often runs into shelter. Since then, the warrior brothers often called this cave the eight-female cave. And that same stone cave has become the cave of fate of 8 people. In the afternoon of November 14, 1972, when it was discovered that B52 was spreading carpets, 8 TNXPs from Team 163, Ban 67 were on duty on the road (including 4 boys and 4 girls) ran back to the cave to shelter. An anti-aircraft artillery platoon consisting of 5 soldiers also maneuvered the battlefield near the cave entrance to organize a counter-force. A series of crazy bombs of the American enemy crushed the road, killing the gun squad on the spot and knocking down the cave where 8 TNXPs took refuge, trapping the soldiers in the cave. Or believe that, immediately combat forces in the area all came to the rescue. knowing that the soldiers in the cave were still alive, but because the cave’s boulders were too heavy, all vehicles and tractors did not budge. The blasting plan was not accepted because the pressure of the mines would immediately kill the soldiers in the cave, revealing the target for the enemy aircraft to return to attack. Finally, the teammates had to prolong the life in the cave by bringing the milk porridge into the cave through the tunnel through the rocks. Eight harsh days, the soldiers struggled with life deprived of oxygen in the cave. On the ninth day, the people standing outside the cave entrance choked when they came out of the cave with a girl’s faint “bruise” call. Then 8 TNXPs in the cave sent greetings to life at the age of 20. They are: Tran Thi To 18 years old, Le Thi Mai 20 years old, Do Thi Loan 20 years old, Le Thi Luong 19 years old and Nguyen Van Hue 20 years old, Nguyen Van Phuong is 20 years old, Nguyen Mau Ky is 20 years old, Hoang Van Vu is 20 years old. All are from Hoang Hoa, Thanh Hoa. Historical relic of Eight-year-old cave. Photo: Xuan Nha Road 20 now runs in the heart of Phong Nha – Ke Bang world natural heritage. This road has been upgraded to become the transportation lifeline of the people of Thuong Trach and Tan Trach communes of Bo Trach district, Quang Binh. These are two communes inhabited by 5 ethnic groups including Ma koong, Sach, Muong, Ca Rai and A Rem. On this road there are two ranger stations stationed at km27 and km39 to protect the national forest of Phong Nha – Ke Bang. Currently, the road plays a very important role in the lives of ethnic minorities living on the road, but it also has enormous historical significance in a legendary road.