VietNamNet Bridge – Nga Son District in the central province of Thanh Hoa still has traces of the Ba Dinh guerrilla base among villages weaving sedge mats, familiar to many generations.

Historic place: The site of the base is now located inside Ba Dinh Junior High School. VNS Photos Tran Mai Huong

The name Ba Dinh has become an important part of the history of the area.

The Ba Dinh Uprising took place in 1886-87 under the command of Dinh Cong Trang, Pham Banh and Hoang Bat Dat, gathering local patriotic farmers to fight against French colonialism.

In respond to the call of the Can Vuong (Save the King) Movement, the insurgents built a defence base in the territory of three villages, namely Thuong Tho, Mau Thinh and Nghia Khe.

In each village, there is a communal house; from each communal house, one can see the other two communal houses.

The name Ba Dinh (Three Communal Houses) stems from this area. The insurgents built a strong defence system with deep moats surrounded by forests of bamboo. Each communal house was built as an independent defence post and can support the others [communal houses] in fighting. Military experts assessed the Ba Dinh base a model of large-scale defence system of the then Can Vuong Movement.

From the base, under the command of General Dinh Cong Trang and his assistants, the insurgents launched many assaults against the French, controlled local traffic routes, destroyed many vehicles and inflicted heavy casualties to the enemy.

Forgotten: A covered area in the school yard is in disrepair. Important spot: A stele recording the site in the school grounds.

By the end of 1886, French authorities sent thousands of soldiers with heavy weapons to attack the Ba Dinh base. Despite being outgunned, the insurgents fought bravely for 32 days and nights.

The Ba Dinh Uprising is a historical symbol in the country’s history, representing the patriotism of Vietnamese insurgents in the Nga Son region at that time.

According to historical documents, in the middle of 1945 the then Hanoi’s Mayor, Dr Tran Van Lai, renamed Puginier Square (name of a French priest) near the former French Governor Palace as Ba Dinh Square.

A few months later, after the success of the August 18 Revolution, Ba Dinh Square become an important venue in history, where President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, announcing the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam.

Growth: Today’s villages host new houses and fertile rice fields. Birth of a nation: President Ho Chi Minh reads the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, September 2, 1945. VNA/VNS File Photo

In present Nga Son District, life has changed. The living standards of local residents have improved, new houses have been built and fertile land nurtures bumper crops.

More than 130 years have passed since poor farmers dared to fight for the homeland’s independence. Present Ba Dinh Commune has been enlarged, with bigger houses and good infrastructure facilities.

What’s left of the old Ba Dinh Base, a national historical relic site, is a stone stele in the Ba Dinh Junior High School.

Local authorities have drafted a plan to upgrade the relic site.

I think Ba Dinh deserves a solemn relic site to record the historic event with great value.

A small part of the total amount approved for a ceremony to celebrate the birth of Thanh Hoa Province, expected to reach VND104 billion (US$4.5 million), should be used to preserve the Ba Dinh historical relic.

The celebrations are planned for between May 1 and 7, 2019. 

By Tran Mai Huong

Source: VNS