Thach Han River Wharf in Quang Tri

Thach Han River Wharf was originally a ferry wharf connecting Quang Tri town on the South bank with Trieu Thuong and Trieu Phong villages on the North bank. This is a waterway traffic route that has long been important in the economic and cultural exchange of people on both banks. Thach Han River has witnessed the losses, sacrifices and heroic struggles of soldiers during 81 bloody days and nights to protect Quang Tri Citadel. Making an indomitable golden history of the Vietnamese people.

Today, Thach Han River is a destination for tourists to show their gratitude, release flower lanterns, and pray for national peace and prosperity.

The meaning of Thach Han River wharf

During the 81-day and night campaign to counter-attack and retake the Citadel to protect the Citadel in 1972, all support for the Citadel and the town by road via Quang Tri Bridge encountered many difficulties because the Republic of Vietnam army continuously controlled this area. Therefore, the only route to directly support the Citadel and the town was by river. Thach Han River Wharf became an important location in directly supporting the Citadel and the town of Quang Tri. Thach Han River Wharf on the South bank, about 20m from the Governor’s Palace – where the Liberation Army’s Command Post and forward surgical station were located, was a favorable condition for gathering troops, delivering goods, ammunition, necessities and receiving wounded and dead soldiers to the rear.

The force in charge of the river transport route was mainly Battalion 166 of the 559th Corps; the main force of Regiment 48 of Division 320B and Regiment 95 of Division 325, together with local armed forces, militia and guerrillas, and people in Trieu Phong and Gio Linh areas. With the spirit of “all for the Citadel”, the main force and local people mobilized all their capabilities, overcoming countless enemy “fire barriers” on land and on the river to maintain the communication line, promptly responding to the demands of the battlefield.

During the 81-day and night campaign to counter-attack and retake the Citadel to protect it in 1972, there were many river supply routes for the battlefield of Quang Tri Citadel and Quang Tri town:

– The supply route from Mai Xa (Gio Mai commune, Gio Linh district) through Gia Do junction to Thach Han river to the town. This route is undertaken by the 166th Water Transport Battalion – Station 12 – Truong Son Command as the main unit.

– The supply route from Ta Kien (Trieu Giang commune, Trieu Phong district) by motorboat to the town was undertaken by Regiment 48.

– The road support route to Nhan Bieu, Xuan An (Trieu Thuong commune, Trieu Phong district) across Thach Han river through the town was undertaken by Division 325.

All these support lines mainly gathered at Thach Han River Wharf on the South bank to transfer to the Command Headquarters.

The main means of transport were motorboats, rubber boats, wooden boats… During the period from the end of July, when the US and the ARVN increased the bombardment of the supply line, the means of transport were damaged a lot, the Liberation Army soldiers had to use bamboo, wood, banana tree trunks… to form rafts to transport to ensure the smooth supply as well as the transportation of wounded and dead soldiers to the rear. On average, each day, the town was supported by 4 to 6 tons of weapons, goods, necessities… Every night, guns, ammunition, food, medicine, forces, newspapers, letters… from the rear were regularly brought by transport units to the Citadel and the town to support the forces protecting the town and bring the dead and wounded soldiers to the rear.

The work of transporting, ensuring logistics, engineering and rescuing wounded soldiers in and out of Quang Tri Citadel was always controlled more and more fiercely by the ARVN. Each shipment reaching the southern bank of Thach Han River Wharf was a fierce and dangerous battle and required close coordination with the regimental and divisional engineers to clear the enemy’s magnetic bombs dropped in the river, while coordinating with the 27th Regiment to attack hard on the riverbank. On difficult nights, it was also necessary to coordinate with direct fire, 122mm mortars of the 325th Division in Xuan An to fire in and control, creating conditions for boats to reach the Citadel.

On the Nhan Bieu ferry (on the North bank) to Quang Tri Citadel, which was under the charge of Division 325, it was also very fierce. At first, the unit had rubber boats to transport across the river, but due to being damaged a lot, they could no longer be used. The soldiers had to cut bamboo, wood, and banana tree trunks to make rafts to transport ammunition and rice to the Citadel at night and pick up wounded and dead soldiers to bring back to the North bank. The number of ferry trips in and out of the town during 81 days and nights was countless. Many times, when carrying wounded soldiers across the river, ARVN artillery fired continuously, and the soldiers used their bodies to shield their comrades…. The soldiers serving on the ferry from Nhan Bieu to Quang Tri town were brave soldiers, ready to sacrifice themselves for their mission, worthy of the trust of their comrades fighting at the front.

From the beginning of September, taking advantage of heavy rain and flood water, the ARVN launched a large-scale attack using firepower on the supply line on the Thach Han River, called the “torpedo plan”. For 48 hours, artillery, air force and ship-based artillery of the 7th Fleet fired fiercely at the battle area and the crossing of the liberation army; B52 aircraft dropped bombs all over the northern bank of the Thach Han River, especially the areas of Nhan Bieu, Ai Tu, Dong Ha… to prevent all support for the Citadel and Quang Tri town. On the Thach Han River Wharf, the supply work encountered extremely difficult, many nights the units ordered to reinforce the Citadel had to use life rafts to cross the Thach Han River from the northern bank to the southern bank.

Thanks to the heroic spirit of the transport units, although the ARVN army frantically attacked to block it, the vital traffic route connecting to the Citadel was still maintained until the last day. The Thach Han River Wharf, with its silent work, made an important contribution to the main force of the Liberation Army in the Citadel during the 81 glorious days and nights. During that fierce battle, the Thach Han River was stained with the blood of heroes who sacrificed themselves for national independence, becoming the place where immortal souls were incarnated on their way to eternity.

Years have passed, the Thach Han River still silently does its eternal work of carrying water and alluvium downstream, the Thach Han River wharf is still there as a reminder of a fierce war time when every inch of land, every location is associated with heroic feats and heroic sacrifices. After the country was unified, every year, on July 27, people on both banks often release lanterns, incense and flowers on the Thach Han River to commemorate the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives. This activity has now become a cultural festival that is being organized on an increasingly large scale and has many practical social meanings.

Thach Han River Wharf Historical Site

To pay tribute and commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the Thach Han River during the 81-day and night campaign to fight against the counterattack and retake the Citadel in 1972. In 2012, the People’s Committee of Quang Tri town mobilized socialized capital to invest in building the Flower Dropping Wharf, Ceremony House, Liberation Square, Bell Tower on the South bank and the Flower Dropping Wharf, Memorial Temple, Monument on the North bank and became a place to visit and tour in Quang Tri town.

Thach Han River Wharf relic is one of 07 component relics of the relic “Quang Tri Ancient Citadel and places commemorating the 81 days and nights of 1972” which was ranked as a special national relic by the Prime Minister according to Decision No. 2383QD-TTg dated December 9, 2013.

“Đò lên Thạch Hãn,…ơi chèo nhẹ

Dưới sông còn đó bạn tôi nằm

Có tuổi hai mươi thành sóng nước

Vỗ yên bờ, mãi mãi ngàn năm”.

Come to Quang Tri to release flower lanterns on Thach Han River

Nowadays, when coming to Quang Tri, tourists can join the Quang Tri night tour with attractive gratitude activities.

The brilliant night lantern festival is associated with the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel relic site. This is an occasion to pay tribute and commemorate the Vietnamese people who fell on this land. You will hear about the glorious feats of our army and people in the bloody 81-day and night occupation against the enemy’s counterattack and re-attack in the memorable fiery summer of 1972. Besides releasing lanterns, visitors can learn about the typical architecture and culture of the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel. You will be shared about the ancient citadel by the tour guide.

Quang Tri Night Discovery Tour is a newly built tour of Quang Tri Tourism.