About the place where Uncle Ho gave the words "Support the resistance"

The banner is preserved at Po Hang communal house.

In August 2025, we had the opportunity to visit Kien Moc commune - a mountainous, border commune newly established on the basis of merging 3 communes: Kien Moc, Binh Xa, Bac Xa to visit Po Hang communal house relic. Kien Moc commune today has changed a lot, this is the result of many years of sweat, preserving forest land, embellishing relics, so that heroic memories blend into prosperity and peace.

Spiritual fortress in the midst of resistance

Po Hang communal house is located on a low hill in Po Hang village, Binh Xa commune (now Kien Moc commune). According to the local people, Po Hang in Tay language "Po" means low hill, "Hang" means market. Po Hang is a low hill, where the people hold a market. The communal house was built before 1940 to worship Thanh Hoang, General Luong Quang Dai, a general associated with the legend of the local people. For a long time, the communal house has been a place for the Tay and Nung people to gather for beliefs and cultural activities; to hold markets and exchange goods; every spring, the sounds of the Then lute, the sli lyrics and the Luon verses still resonate in the communal house yard. More than a year after the August Revolution in 1945, that peaceful space became the center of the Na Thuoc resistance base.

Na Thuoc war zone was established in 1946, including three communes: Binh Xa, Kien Moc and Bac Xa (formerly), after the French colonialists returned to invade our country. This is a rugged mountainous area, located in the north of the old Dinh Lap district, bordering the border. Through trails and forest roads, the French army intended to attack the "free zone" but encountered careful preparation by the local army and people. On April 14, 1947, an expeditionary battalion with about 350 Euro-African soldiers and their henchmen, vehicles, mortars and machine guns from Dinh Lap entered the center of Kien Moc commune through Khau Hay pass. The entire local army and guerrillas had set up an ambush. At about 8:30 a.m., when the enemy formation entered the battlefield, gunfire erupted, and our forces simultaneously charged. The enemy panicked and retreated. In this battle, we killed 46 enemies, captured dozens of rifles, one machine gun, and two mortars. This was considered the first victory of the Na Thuoc war zone, inspiring the people and soldiers, and encouraging the resistance spirit throughout Viet Bac.

After that defeat, the French launched consecutive attacks (15 times), with support from aircraft and artillery. To fight back against the enemy and increase the morale of our army and people, before the battle, the people of Na Thuoc gathered at Po Hang communal house, cut their blood and swore an oath before the altar of the village guardian, vowing to sacrifice themselves to protect their homeland. They waved flags, beat gongs and drums, and beat cymbals to encourage the troops. When the villagers lit a fire to burn straw to create large columns of smoke, suddenly the sky appeared with clouds and strong winds, causing huge clouds of smoke to rise high into the sky, towards the French army area, making the enemy's eyes sting and panic, helping our army and people win. From then on, the people in the area believed that the victory of the battles was associated with the sacredness of the village guardian.

The news of victory spread to many localities, resounding throughout the Viet Bac resistance base, encouraging the spirit of resistance of the whole country. After successive victories, in early 1948, President Ho Chi Minh signed an order to award the army and people of the Na Thuoc resistance base the Third Class Medal of Military Exploit and ordered a special banner to be made to honor the Thanh Hoang of Po Hang communal house. The banner was made of red cloth embroidered with gold letters, in the middle was the large Chinese character line “Khuong chien ho ung” (supporting the resistance); on the right was written “Viet Nam Democratic Republic Tam Nien”, the third year of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; on the left was the line “Chinh van Chuong Chuong Ho Chi Minh Hoang Du” (Conferred by the Government of President Ho Chi Minh). That solemn message was both a word of encouragement and an affirmation of Uncle Ho’s concern for the people in the border area.

That is the great pride of the army and people of Na Thuoc. Every time they have a chance to look at the banner, the people of Kien Moc are moved to remember the fierce years, remembering Uncle Ho's advice: "No matter how far away the war zone is, it is still the heart of the Fatherland."

Mr. Be Van Tuc, the current caretaker of the communal house, said: According to the elders, when the news of receiving the banner was announced, the whole area was in a festive mood. The villagers not only considered it an honor but also a reminder to continue fighting. The banner was hung solemnly on the altar of the village guardian spirit. Every time there was a festival, the elders would burn incense and pray to thank Uncle Ho and their ancestors for their protection. To this day, every village festival, the elders still recite the stele, recounting Uncle Ho signing the award order, so that the younger generation would understand that history is not an abstract concept but a journey that our ancestors have gone through with sweat and blood.

Regarding Po Hang communal house, the communal house used to be a large house with rammed earth walls and tiled roofs. Near the communal house, there was a large banyan tree with a wide canopy that provided shade for hundreds of people sitting under its roots. After more than half a century, in 1995, the communal house was rebuilt with brick walls and a yin-yang tiled roof, covering an area of about 20 square meters. At the same time, the Party Committee, government and people of Kien Moc commune joined hands to renovate items such as the concrete yard, the guest house, and the surrounding wall. Every year, on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month (Cold Food Festival), the villagers hold the Po Hang communal house festival to commemorate the victory of the first battle and pray for national peace and prosperity. In the sound of gongs, drums, and Then and Luon singing, today's young people know they are standing where their ancestors raised the flag of uprising, where Uncle Ho placed his trust.

New life in the old war zone

Leaving Po Hang communal house, we walked along the concrete road leading to the villages, learning about the countryside after the merger. After merging the three communes of Binh Xa, Kien Moc and Bac Xa, Kien Moc commune today has an area of over 41,700 hectares with 35 villages, 1,747 households and nearly 8,000 people including 8 ethnic groups, mainly Tay, Nung, Dao, San Chi. The commune also has a border line of over 40 km, so Kien Moc has both the responsibility of protecting the land and the opportunity to trade with neighboring countries.

This area is the headwaters of the Ky Cung River, with fertile land and cool climate. Kien Moc has great advantages in growing forests and medicinal plants. The Party Committee and the commune government have oriented forestry development to become a key economic sector. Every year, the whole commune plants over 700 hectares of new wood forests, mainly pine, acacia, eucalyptus, and cinnamon; exploits over 6,000 tons of pine resin, harvests 400-600 tons of star anise, over 25 tons of cardamom, and about 7,500 m³ of planted forest wood. Forestry has brought a stable source of income, helping many households escape poverty.

Mr. Hoang Van Hoi, Chairman of Kien Moc Commune People's Committee, said: The commune government has concretized the economic development resolutions of the Party Committee and People's Council with specific plans, focusing on encouraging collective economy and trade and services. The commune currently has 4 enterprises, 5 cooperatives and more than 70 commercial households; 6 livestock models with high income. Along with local products, people also actively introduce OCOP products, connecting with tourists on border routes. Experiential tourism such as the "grass flower route" from milestone 1297 to milestone 1300, tourism at the source of Ky Cung river... also creates new sources of income.

Along with economic development, the new rural construction program has brought a breath of change to every corner of the village. Currently, the rate of rural concrete roads in the whole commune has reached 85.53%; 100% of households have access to clean water; irrigation works meet 94% of agricultural production area. In particular, the poverty rate has decreased sharply from 262 households in 2020 to 27 households in 2025. The whole commune has over 500 households with an income of over 100 million VND/year.

Coming to Kien Moc today, the story of the banner “Resistance in support” appears as a bridge between the past and the present. The image of the bright red banner reminds us that today’s life is thanks to the sacrifices of our ancestors in the past. In the present and the future, the Party Committee, the government and the people of Kien Moc commune will continue to promote the tradition of our heroic homeland, actively work, produce and build the borderland to become more and more prosperous and civilized.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/ve-noi-bac-ho-tang-buc-truong-ung-ho-khang-chien-5056779.html