Located in Yen Bai city, capital of the northern mountainous province ofthe same name, 200km of Hanoi, the Au Lau wharf is one of the mostfamous historical relics associated with the Dien Bien Phu victory as itis a gateway for reinforcement and supplies to the Dien Bien Phucampaign 60 years ago, reported radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

The Au Lau wharf remains busy today. For nearby residents, the soundof boats evokes the glorious years of the anti-French resistance andits pinnacle - the victory of Dien Bien Phu. The image of Vietnamesesoldiers, proud and free, shipping out in silence for Dien Bien Phu,remains etched forever in local people’s memories.

Sixty yearsago, Au Lau wharf was a pipeline for reinforcement and supplies to theDien Bien Phu battle. It was bombed for more than 200 days and nightsduring the campaign. The French army dropped more than 2,700 tonnes ofbombs destroying many boats and supplies and killing a number of people.But the bombings failed discourage the boat crews whose indomitablespirit were praised by General Vo Nguyen Giap during his visit to thearea.

Pham Trung Ton was one of the ferry drivers in thosedays. For him, memories of those hard days in Au Lau wharf remain fresh:“At about 4 in the afternoon, both banks of the river were crowded withferries and boats carrying artillery, weapons, and soldiers. Peoplewere very excited. Artillery and heavy weapons were transported by ferryat night. At the time, enemy planes dropped bombs and flares, but thesoldiers were very brave”.

Au Lau wharf was the place fromwhich a bicycle transport team from Phu Tho province carried rice to PhaDin Pass. Au Lau wharf was also the place where soldiers of a regimentbrought heavy 105-mm artillery for transport to Dien Bien Phu. This wasthe place where the Ben Tre Brigade covered their stocks beforetransporting them to the battle. Through this wharf, mountains ofweapons, ammunition and motor vehicles passed to the front.

Dang Ngoc Chi, 87, a former political commissar of Company 395, stillremembers clearly the soldiers marching through Au Lau 60 years ago.

“Atthat time, the only way to the battlefield was to cross the river at AuLau wharf. The enemy were heavily bombing that area. We were assistedby hundreds of local boats. Within an hour, our regiment crossed theriver to advance to the battle field,” he said.

During theDien Bien Phu campaign, Yen Bai province mobilised more than 31,000locals to serve the campaign. In the small Au Lau commune, more than 300people joined the campaign while others went to the river wharf to helpmove weapons and soldiers to the front.

From April, 1952 to May7, 1954, when the Dien Bien Phu campaign ended, more than 300,000tonnes of weapons and food and tens of thousands of soldiers passedsafely through Au Lau wharf.

“We mobilised hundreds ofboats to assist the transport of weapons, ammunition and soldiers.During the day, we hid the boats, and rowed them when night fell. It wasdangerous but we were all determined to do this work,” said 85-year-oldNguye n Thi Phe, a resident in Nguyen Phuc ward, Yen Bai city.

“Everything for the victory" was the motto of everybody who worked at Au Lau wharf.

In2012 the wharf was designated a national historical relic site. Amonument was built to commemorate the glorious past and remind youngergenerations of the historic significance of the site. Au Lau wharf willalways be a symbol of resolute spirit and a source of pride forVietnamese people.-VNA