PM pays respect to fallen youth volunteers at Dong Loc T-junction

He made the remarks while speaking at a special event held at the Dong Loc T-Junction relic site on July 21 night to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dong Loc victory (1968-2018).

The Dong Loc T-junction was the most important transport intersection on the legendary Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh trail, through which trucks carrying soldiers, food, arms and munitions from the north must go on their way to southern battlefields.

From 1965 to 1968, the US army dropped nearly 50,000 bombs and fired tens of thousands of missiles on the Dong Loc T-junction in Dong Loc commune, Can Loc district in order to cut off the transport route to the southern front.

All human resources were mobilised by the Vietnamese Government at that time to ensure the road would be clear. Many young volunteers worked at the site, using every minute between bombings to level bomb craters on the road.

On July 24, 1968,  a bomb fell very close to the mouth of the cave where a group of 10 female volunteers, aged from 17 to 24, were taking shelter, killing all of them.

Their sacrifice has become a symbol of Vietnamese heroism.

At the event, PM Phuc asked all-level Party Committees, authorities and people of Ha Tinh and other localities nationwide to pay tribute to families of war martyrs, war invalids and veterans, helping them overcome all difficulties to have a better life. 

On this occasion, the leader presented ten houses of gratitude to local families of revolution contributors who are in difficult circumstances. 

The organisation board also handed over gifts to war veterans and relatives of the fallen soldiers and young volunteers who fought at the Dong Loc intersection. 

Earlier the same day, PM Phuc attended the inaugural ceremony of a bypass to the east of the Dong Loc T-junction relic site, which is expected to help ensure traffic safety and reduce dust and noise pollution in the area.