Life & Style
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Cultural activities celebrate Việt Nam Heritage Day
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| A gate to tunnel Vịnh Mốc, which was used as a shelter for 60 local families between 1966 and 1972. — Photo foody.vn |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam visited the central province of Quảng Trị on Monday.
He highly appreciated the locality for its efforts in healthcare and education and tribute to the families of war heroes and martyrs.
The Deputy Prime Minister ordered the concerned agencies in the province to compile a plan to develop sea tourism in Cửa Tùng-Cửa Việt-Cồn Cỏ Island, build Thống Nhất Park and compile a dossier on the war tunnel Vịnh Mốc to seek UNESCO’s recognition as a world heritage site.
Vịnh Mốc Tunnel complex is located in Vịnh Mốc Village in Vĩnh Thạch Commune, Vĩnh Linh District, in the central province of Quảng Trị. The tunnel served as a strategic location on the border of North Việt Nam and South Việt Nam during the American War. It was built to protect people from the intense bombing in Sơn Trung and Sơn Hà Communes in Vĩnh Linh District of Quảng Trị Province in the Vietnamese Demilitarised Zone.
The villagers of Vịnh Mốc supplied food and armaments to the North Vietnamese garrison on the island of Cồn Cỏ, which hindered American bombers on their way to bomb Hà Nội.
The villagers built the tunnel measuring 30m in depth and shifted the entire village there. The tunnel was constructed in several stages beginning in 1966 and was used until early 1972. The complex grew to include wells, kitchens, rooms for each family and spaces for healthcare. Some 60 families lived in the tunnel complex, with as many as 17 children being born inside.
The tunnel proved to be a success as no villager died. The only direct hit was a bomb that failed to explode, and the resulting hole was used as a ventilation shaft. — VNS
