Po Hen (Mong Cai, Quang Ninh) marked a heroic chapter of history in the 1979 patriotic defense war. Today, Po Hen Relic Site is a place to commemorate the soldiers who courageously sacrificed their lives in the battle.
Po Hen Historical Relic Site – A Place of Gratitude to Heroes and Martyrs of the Border War
Throughout the glorious history of our nation, there are landmarks deeply etched with unforgettable years, engraved in the minds of generations. Among them, the Po Hen Relic Site, formerly the 209 Po Hen Border Guard Post relic, is one such place.
Po Hen Memorial. Photo: Quang Ninh Newspaper.
The memorial monument at the relic site. Photo: quangninh.gov.
At dawn on February 17, 1979, China launched a surprise advance, simultaneously attacking six border provinces from Nam Cun (Lai Chau) to Po Hen (Quang Ninh).
In Mong Cai, heavy artillery and various types of firepower heavily bombarded Border Guard Posts 209, 210, 211, and 212, as well as forestry worker teams and residential areas along the border line.
Photo: Communist Party of Vietnam.
The enemy split into five directions to relentlessly attack Po Hen post; the border guard soldiers fought with utmost bravery to repel the assaults. However, due to the disproportionate balance of forces between about 60 soldiers and more than 3,000 enemy troops, 45 soldiers sacrificed their lives alongside a group of Hai Son forestry workers and female commercial worker Hoang Thi Hong Chiem.
Photo: Bao Thanh.
On January 10, 2001, on the grounds of the former barracks, a memorial was erected. In 2014, the 209 Po Hen Border Guard Post relic was recognized as a provincial-level historical relic. By 2022, the Po Hen Relic Site was ranked at the national level.
Two straight rows of kim giao trees lining the pathway into the relic site. Photo: Bao Thanh.
The Po Hen Historical Relic Site comprises four locations: the Po Hen Martyrs' Memorial, Que Hill outpost, Po Hen border gate checkpoint outpost, and West Hill observation post. Among them, the monument cluster designed around the concept of "Comrades' Embrace" stands out prominently.
Tam Bao Shrine. Photo: Bao Thanh.
The 16m-high memorial monument made of reinforced concrete clad in white stone faces north, shaped like three hands joined together. It symbolizes both the three ethnic groups—Kinh, Dao, and San Chi—living here, and the embracing arms of the motherland and comrades.
Stele house inscribed with the names of martyrs. Photo: Bao Thanh.
The five-pointed star in the center symbolizes the steadfast spirit of the border land and its people. Beside it are two stele houses, where two stone steles are placed bearing the names of border guard officers and soldiers, and forestry workers who fell during the period from 1979 to 1991.
Photo: VOV.
Every year on February 17, the Po Hen Border Guard Post holds a joint memorial service for the martyrs. And in 2010, the Po Hen relic site underwent renovation on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday.
Photo: Tuoi Tre Thu Do Newspaper.
The Po Hen Relic Site has now become a "red address" in educating on the tradition of fighting to protect border sovereignty, encouraging and motivating younger generations to continue writing the heroic pages of history of the border guard force in particular and the Vietnamese nation as a whole.
Statue of Martyr Nguyen Thi Hong Chiem. Photo: Tuoi Tre Thu Do Newspaper.
Today, the Po Hen Memorial stands towering and majestic amidst the northeastern mountains and forests, resembling the heroic spirit and glorious feats of those who fell to fulfill the mission of safeguarding every inch of sacred land at the fatherland's frontier.
